I'm planning a 50th birthday party for my wife, in mid-July. We'll have about 50 people, from all over New England. We're planning a big time bash in the Boston area. This will include 20 or so rooms, a banquet, lots of fun! Budget is about $5000 - I pay for everything.

Here's the question: How can I spend this $5000 to maximize mileage/hotel credit? My first thought is to use the Westin Waltham. Would I be eligible to collect 10K Starwood points if I spend the entire $5000 at the hotel? Is there a better way to do this? Her only requirement is that I gather as many of her friends as I can, and that they need not spend a dime.

Suggestions? Another hotel chain better? I'm thinking a business-oriented hotel rather than a tourist-oriented hotel (or Boston proper hotel) will give us more bang for our bucks, not to mention 20 or so rooms available in mid-summer in Boston. It will be a Saturday night.

I know Hyatt has a Meeting Planners program that would allow you to collect Gold Passport points based on the number of rooms and total expenditures for the "meeting". Check with the sales office at the local Hyatt. In fact, "meetings" such as yours are totally negotiable. Call the sales office of whatever hotel(s) you are interested in and ask them about points/miles for the booking. You should surely get more than the standard amount as described in program rules, especially if the hotel does not expect to be full on your chosen dates.

I'm pretty sure Bass Hotels has a meeting bonus also. Not sure if you would be interested in that chain, but thought I would mention it. Also, isn't Marriott having a double miles promo if you pay with your Marriott Visa?? You may want to check out some of the hotel forums or cruise their web sites for some promos too.


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In fact, as JerryFF mentions, meeting planner bonuses are part of the negotiation. Hilton offers them too, generally with a minimum of 10 rooms on at least 1 night. They use a (seemingly) complex formula to compute how many points to give you, and Saturday nights are definitely worth the most points at business oriented hotels. Enjoy! It's worth using a card that gives extra miles too. For example, at one larger meeting I booked at a Hilton I got about 20,000 Amex MR points for paying the $10,000 bill on my Amex in the first year of membership (double points with affiliates), plus almost 50,000 HHonors points.

Reading through the posts, it seems there are many options, but a major question is how do you wish to use your mileage/points. Would you rather have HHonors points/ Starwood points, etc. Which will you get the most use out of. If you are looking to transfer to a airline program some of these are better than others, check their websites, etc. and figure out how points/miles transfer.

Hope this Helps--Loren

Thanks a lot for bringing up the subject, Papollo, now my wife is going to want me to drop 5 grand for her big FIVE-O early next year!

Well, to be fair, she DID do the same for me last year for my 40th!

You know I really wished I had my wedding at a hotel. Imagine the mileage on that one! I'll have to suggest it to the Knot.com

Well, it looks like a contest between the Westin (Starwood) and the Doubletree (Hilton). Since I know very little about either's frequent guest program, is one better than the other strictly from a program point of view? Is one easier to deal with? What types of negotiation tips can you offer?
It looks like it will be 20 rooms or so, a meeting room with a fully catered affair, open bar. Again, budget will be $5000 (a LOT of money for us, but you're only 50 once). Assuming I spend the entire amount, is there some minimum point amount I should set? Should I ask to be comped to the first premium level (silver, gold, whatever)? I'm the type who loves to shop for Saturns because I hate haggling. But for points, I'll haggle! Thanks for your help.

I think that the Crowne Plaza (Woburn) has a deal where you get Priority Club points for all purchases, plus a bonus for having a "meeting" with at least X rooms reserved. You get 10 points for each dollar, and they can be reedmed for FF miles with various airlines.
I have stayed there many times and I can vouch for the hotel as a hotel, although I have not attended any functions there.
Good luck werever you go