Hotel Programs - Help Please
 

Hello Everyone,

I am a platinum member with Starwood. I am about to start a 4 week (maybe longer) project in Seattle (Redmond to be exact). I have silver status with Hilton (friend helped me get the status, I did not earn it, i.e. very small number of points). I have gold status (i.e. meaningless) at Hyatt and about 20,000 points, I think.

There is no Starwood property close by. There is a Marriott, Hilton, and Hyatt close to my project. I have many co-workers that seem to like Marriott, but it takes 75 nights to get their highest status.

I have been pretty spoiled staying at the W. Any advice on a great program would be great. Thanks.

Cheers,

Richard

How about the Westin Seattle on Fifth? Or the Sheraton Seattle & Towers on 6th? It's not that far! You'll be in town for the famed (and also nonexistent, according to QL) Seattle nightlife http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

Otherwise the Hyatt in Bellevue is probably your best choice! It's better than the Hilton in Bellevue, IMHO http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif

There's NOT too much in Redmond that I know of! Except perhaps some MS folks! And a motel or two! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/biggrin.gif

Best of luck and enjoy one of my favorite places! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/smile.gif But bring an umbrella too! http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/wink.gif

[This message has been edited by doc (edited 09-29-2000).]

There is a W hotel in downtown Seattle...no more than 15 miles away. I am a FF and I live in Redmond, so I'm probably the wrong person to ask about hotels here (because I never stay in them). One of the worst things about this area is the traffic gridlock around rush hour. If you will be travelling back and forth from your hotel to your job/project during rush hour, I would probably ditch the downtown Seattle idea. Conversely, if you might be travelling at slightly different hours, Seattle is only 25 minutes from Redmond when you've got open road. The only new hotel in Redmond that I know of is the Residence Inn at Town Center...opened about a year ago...this is probably minutes from your job. Best Regards, DS.

Residence Inn gives you Marriott status. My husband received a notice from Marriott that they would count 25 nights from July 1 at sufficient for the new Gold (old Black) status. That is really good enough with Marriott to get you and upgrade to the concierge lounge all the time. It is otherwise 50 nights - not 75. It is a promo for their new program this year with new nomenclature. Commuting is an issue, for sure.

You missed the opportunity to become Hyatt platinum in 3 stays BUT that level does not guarantee Regency Club anyway. Hilton will give you gold in 16 nights if you are over 60 yrs old (I think...) and join Senior Honors. Gold gets you Towers but a lot of Hiltons do not have a Towers floor.

Our favorite is Marriott anyway since they have consistently given my husband undeserved Black Cards for a number of years!

If you have never stayed at a Residence Inn, it is a great place to stay for a month long project. Trust me, been there--done that.

A month in a hotel with a chair, a desk, the two beds with the remote glued to the night stand in between, and a TV is only comfortable for about a night or two. Residence Inn is a suite with full kitchen and living room...reminds me of home on those long assignments. And you can stock the fridge!

I can offer two perspectives on this string:

1. I commute from downtown Seattle to the eastern suburbs every day (mostly to Issaquah, but often to Redmond) by express bus. The trip to Redmond takes about 45 minutes at peak times, 30 min. wo/traffic. I really like taking the bus -- it's cheap and I can get stuff done rather than pulling my hair out in traffic.
2. I've stayed at the Residence Inn at Redmond Town Center, if only for one night. I can see how it would be great for an extended stay, though. Not much doing in Redmond evenings/weekends (I do recommend the Thai place at RTC however.)

If it were up to me I'd stay at the W and take the bus to Redmond if it gets you to your gig.

You may also want to consider the Renaissance in Seattle to earn points in Marriott Rewards, but the RI might be nice for extended stay (but remember you only earn 5 points per dollar.

I would suggest staying out of Seattle unless you like rush hour traffic. Even though the Marriott Rewards takes awhile to get to top level, it's convenient. Otherwise the Hilton in Bellevue is a good bet. If you are in town for 4 weeks you will be close to Gold status with 30 days.