I figure the same thing. HH Gold has very good benefits and there is no need for me to go out of my way and give up that really good SPG offer which I can really use up in Europe. Much of the time I just end up throwing away free weekend nights but this year looks like an exception.

My offer was 4 stays to jump from Silver back to Gold and I only had 1 stay booked/excecuted at the time. Four stays is the normal silver requirement. Of course the offer came the day after the DO when I was staying at the DT so that stay didn't count.

I'm just the opposite. Will be using up all my vacation time for the Honeymoon, have already used points to book suites for all those rooms, and don't have much travel to SPG locales planned through the end of the promo redemption period.

That's the offer they gave me, but it doesn't kick in until I drop to Silver on May 1, and they gave me until either June 30 or July 31 (I don't recall which). Either way, I'll lock in the two remaining stays I need before the end of June.

I wish Marriott would do something like that for me to reach Platnium. Though I suppose I wouldn't qualify due to just barely having made Gold. Oh well, at least I enjoy Gold through February 2011.

IMO, there is not enough difference between Marriott Gold and Platinum that I would worry about it too much. I guess that the only real benefits from the step up that I can see are the EEOs (and I am one who does not usually have a lot of use for weekend nights and gives the coupons away).

What are you paying all-in for the weekend nights for that run (if you don't mind sharing)? I ended up booking through PriceLine and got each of the three for less than $60. I'm still trying to figure out if it would have been worth it to try to dig out better "full" rates on that type of stay.

In other news, B&H finally has both the K20D and K200D in stock this morning. I know where I'm going after my 1:30p conf call. I just have to decide if the K20D is worth the extra ~$180.

I have only stayed in a Hilton twice in the last two years and didn't find it all that appealing either time.

Maybe I'll try them one more time in BWI.

Very nice choice. ^

I spoke with our pilots on UA the other day. They were waiting with bated breath for a CO/UA merger to be announced, and they were sorely disappointed to hear that all that was coming was a marketing agreement.

It still annoys me that they don't send these out in an email. :rolleyes:

Agreed - I have never been a huge fan of Hilton properties.

And, I can't stand the family. :D

I'm sure it will be, once I actually decide. I'm too invested in lenses, I think, to jump from Pentax (~$1500-2000 in extra spend on lenses to get anywhere close to where I am now) so I'll stay in the Pentax system. But I cannot figure if the extra 4MP is worth it on the K20D. It is also heavier and the battery is proprietary rather than AAs. And the extra battery grip is more expensive. On the plus side, it does things like in-camera HDR, time-lapse shots, better burst rate and duration, etc.

Im trying to cancel my JFK-DPS flight and Expedia hung up on me :mad:

Regular Hiltons I find to have limited value. The rate doesn't match the difference to other Hilton brands, especially the price they charge for internet. I use to be SPG gold but my travel patterns changed such that they were either never in the area I needed to be or cost was an issue. Typically it was location. Marriott is more of a cost issue than location as there's usually a Marriott property near a Hilton property and I like the Hilton beds better than Marriott (I used to stay at Marriott because I like their beds too, just like Hampton beds more)
Hyatt stays have been few a far between. IHG has recently replaced Marriott on my list because I've been haveing a lot of meetings at Crowne Plazas the past three years. The properties aren't that great but I've gotten some real nice upgrades from them.