Originally Posted by anamaniac

I have been doing some research on our trip to BBN and Sherton Moorea in September. So far, I have found that it is usually about the same price to book the hotel through Starwood than through a travel agent till today...

A (recommended) travel agent recently quoted me a price that was about $500 cheaper for 4 nights @ BBN and $500 cheaper for 3 nights @ Sheraton Moorea (taxes and airport transfers included). I am strongly considering getting this price instead of the original bookings I had.

Quick note: The SPG booking price does not include airport transfer (I don't think) -- not sure if that is free or not, but my guess is its not -- so potentially its more than $500 savings...

Are there any potential pitfalls to booking with the agent rather than SPG? Here are the ones I am aware of:
1. No points (for $1000 total savings, I'd be OK with that -- plus $1000 buys me more points that I would earn for the stays).
2. Cancellations are probably not possible or will come with a big penalty.

Any others?