Originally Posted by
JFKLAX321
Thanks, john_ft, m0hamed, and steveholt. I emailed the hotel to inquire about a paid upgrade and they quoted me $350 AUD/night for Harbor View and $500 AUD/night for Opera View. I don't think that's too unreasonable--though it's much higher than what m0hamed recalls them charging in the past, and it does show that the hotel considers the 1 King Bed rooms to be substantially inferior to the rooms they market through ordinary channels. I'm going to do cash and points for a Harbor View (20k points + $695 AUD/night), since I would effective only be getting $0.0175 AUD/point if I booked a 1 King Bed room with 40k points and paid $AUD 350/night for a cash upgrade, which -- at current exchange rates ($0.012 USD/point) -- isn't a good deal for me.
If anyone knows of ways to get discounts on fully paid rooms (non-corporate, as my corporate rate isn't very good), I'm definitely interested in hearing. I'm not holding my breath though.
Seriously, look at the Capella before spending 695 AUD AND 20K points and feeling like a second-class citizen. I haven't stayed but the reviews are excellent and the property looks amazing.