Why Choose SPG over Marriott, Hilton?
Apr 13, 2010, 11:07 pm
#16
Join Date: Feb 2008
Programs: TWA Platinum Ambassador, Eastern Stratosphere, NWA Gold Elite
Posts: 119
The fact that I can stay in any $50 Holiday Inn Express in America and get FREE internet access just shows how absurd SPG Platinum
But of course it is just far off fluff by the poster who doesn't spend much time on the road; otherwise the comment would never have been made.
Apr 14, 2010, 12:29 am
#17
Moderator: Asiana & Qantas Frequent Flyer
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: STR/SYD/SMF
Programs: QF Lifetime SG, LH HON, OZ Lifetime Diamond +, HH Diamond, Marriott Lifetime Platinum
Posts: 14,365
My thoughts exactly. Used to Love *wood, but now I'm keeping my Plats but I'm also looking around. Getting the Hyatt Diamond for the first time. It is getting too easy to reach Plat at *wood, and so the recognition of plats has clearly declined the past few years. How many times have I heard the receptionist saying " but there are simply too many plats to accommodate the upgrade.
I somehow doubt that many occasional travelers are doing a mattress run.
Apr 14, 2010, 1:03 am
#18
Company Representative - Starwood
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: Singapore
Programs: SPG
Posts: 4,002
This doesn't work. If you make two separate reservations at the same hotel for consecutive nights you will only get one stay credit and two nights. So I am not sure what you are referring to. Starwood allows qualification based on nights and stays and in this forum you will find people who prefer one or the other but both avenues are fine.
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Thyetus Lee | Online Forum Coordinator(AP)
Starwood Customer Contact Centre (AP) Pte Ltd
Apr 14, 2010, 4:36 am
#19
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2009
Location: India
Programs: Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium, IHG Plat, HH Gold, Trident Plat, DL Diamond, AI Maharajah
Posts: 29,648
I apologize if this has been discussed ad nauseum on the SPG thread, but seriously, why do you choose SPG over Hilton Honors or Marriott Rewards? I am a SPG Platinum member, I have stayed 32 nights in SPG hotels around the world in the last 12 months alone, and I am starting to really question my loyalty.
To me, SPG Rewards is inferior to other hotel programs. I would be interested in hearing other people's thoughts on the following:
To me, SPG Rewards is inferior to other hotel programs. I would be interested in hearing other people's thoughts on the following:
1. I stayed at a Westin for two nights. My total expenditure was $623.24. For that, I received 623 base points, plus a 50% elite bonus, and since I am enrolled in the double points promo, another 623. Grand total = 1,557 points. What can I use 1,557 points for with Starwood? Not much. To stay in a Four Points by Sheraton costs at the VERY MINIMAL 3,000 points on average. Had I stayed with Marriott Rewards, I would have earned 6,224 points and been very close to a free room at a decent hotel, if not earned a stay at a Courtyard, etc. (Yes, I know points are handed out at different "exchange rates" but my point is Marriott Rewards gives you more for the dollar spent in terms of reward redemption.)
2. Starwood Platinum really means nothing and Starwood Gold is absolutely worthless and seems to be handed out like water. Platinum members receive the same bonus as Gold, so what is the incentive to earn Platinum? Check cashing privileges of $300/hotel? Does anyone even use a check anymore, much less need to cash one? Free internet access as a Platinum? To me this is a joke. I can stay at any Holiday Inn Express in America and have free internet access, if I spend to stay in a premium luxury hotel, it just enrages me when they try to charge you for internet access if you're paying $400+/night.
the 500 plat amenity points are great....i usually end up with close to 40 stays a year so that's about 16k - 20k easy points....
once last year a particular property was sold out & i managed to get a room using the 72 hour plat guarantee....
i almost always get 4pm late checkout....
i know this is not a published benefit but i get to the property very early in the morning for most of my stays....only on a handful of occasions have i had to wait for a room....this was not always the case when i was gold....
the new free internet plat benefit is a great perk....why would you not get free internet as a plat????doesn't matter whether you pay $50 or $400 a night....
you can make as many seperate reservations as you want....if they are at the same hotel on consecutive nights then you will only get one stay....
4. Disparity between level of hotel stayed in; I hardly ever stay in a Sheraton much less their lower-tiered hotels. Since I travel internationally, I tend to be in Le Meridien, W Hotels, or a high-priced Westin. Why should someone who spends $70/night at Four Points get elite status (for total stays) quicker than someone who has easily spent $15,000 on hotels around the world? Starwood doesn't reward total expenditures in my opinion.
5. Upgrades as a Gold tend to suck (if at all) and as a Platinum are hardly anything. Yes, occasionally I have received an awesome upgrade (thank you Le Meridien Vienna, Austria) but I have come to realize that "upgrade" means different things in many countries and there is no universal standard. When staying recently at the W Mexico City, I was given a higher floor as an "upgrade" (which really is no favor). To me an upgrade means a higher-priced room not a better view, higher floor, or being away from the elevator. SPG needs to set this in concrete.
in the us though my suite upgrade percentage drops to about 40% but i always get some sort of an upgrade....
If it weren't for the Starwood AMEX points and good will SPG points given to me by various hotels to right a wrong, I would literally have only about 22,000 points this past year for about $15,000 spent at SPG properties--enough for ONE free night at a St. Regis or maybe two free nights at an average Westin.
I am debating my loyalty. Does anyone else generally feel the same about SPG?
I am debating my loyalty. Does anyone else generally feel the same about SPG?
enough for many many nights (depending on what cat you stay at) & i feel no different from any other hotel program....
Apr 14, 2010, 5:09 am
#20
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Pittsburgh
Programs: MR/SPG LT Titanium, AA LT PLT, UA SLV, Avis PreferredPlus
Posts: 30,986
Not to beat a dead horse but...
1 - If you simply state/assume that you only receive 1/2-1/3 of the points that you actually receive, then the math will work out very poorly. If I assume SPG will charge me $300 for my $150 room, then I can state that it's a huge ripoff. Except it isn't.
2 - Again, stating that SPG PLT gets the same benefits as GOLD doesn't make it so. I might be able to get free internet at a Holiday Inn, but I would have been charged for it at a Hilton and a Marriott this week, which is what you're making a comparison to, so I don't get the point
3. False again. T&C's are very clear, and your night and stay totals are clearly posted, so what's misleading? And what you say you will do does not work. And if it does, it may be caught later in review. I don't get the "promoting dishonesty" thing - if a store puts up a "no stealing" sign, are the actively promoting theft?
4. I don't recall Marriott having $-based elite levels, did I miss that? And I'm told SPG has comped high-spend members to top tier before, it's just not documented.
5. I have 300+ SPG nights, 800+ Marriott nights, and est. 200+ Hilton nights. I can count the Marriott suite upgrades, or anything more than a C-level floor, on maybe two sets of hands. From memory, since I gave them up long ago, I can count Hilton suite upgrades on one hand. SPG would take me at least as many hands as Marriott, with 1/2 the stays
In addition, I've skied at Steamboat Springs twice and Avon/Vail once during X-mas/New Year's week, stayed at Caribbean and Orlando resorts/hotels during my kids' break weeks, the highest demand periods of the year. I always try to use MR/HH first, as I know the SPG no-blackout policy should be saved as a last resort. And yet they've all been on SPG points. So while the nights earned/dollar spent ratio may be lower (though I'm not sure about that with HH anymore), redeeming 7 free nights vs. having enough points for 10 free nights but no availability is a pretty good tradeoff for me.
I'm sure someone does, but not me. If the program doesn't meet your needs, you certainly should go elsewhere. But making up or changing facts to justify it seems kind of silly. If I felt that way, I'd just move on. As I did with HH.
1 - If you simply state/assume that you only receive 1/2-1/3 of the points that you actually receive, then the math will work out very poorly. If I assume SPG will charge me $300 for my $150 room, then I can state that it's a huge ripoff. Except it isn't.
2 - Again, stating that SPG PLT gets the same benefits as GOLD doesn't make it so. I might be able to get free internet at a Holiday Inn, but I would have been charged for it at a Hilton and a Marriott this week, which is what you're making a comparison to, so I don't get the point
3. False again. T&C's are very clear, and your night and stay totals are clearly posted, so what's misleading? And what you say you will do does not work. And if it does, it may be caught later in review. I don't get the "promoting dishonesty" thing - if a store puts up a "no stealing" sign, are the actively promoting theft?
4. I don't recall Marriott having $-based elite levels, did I miss that? And I'm told SPG has comped high-spend members to top tier before, it's just not documented.
5. I have 300+ SPG nights, 800+ Marriott nights, and est. 200+ Hilton nights. I can count the Marriott suite upgrades, or anything more than a C-level floor, on maybe two sets of hands. From memory, since I gave them up long ago, I can count Hilton suite upgrades on one hand. SPG would take me at least as many hands as Marriott, with 1/2 the stays
In addition, I've skied at Steamboat Springs twice and Avon/Vail once during X-mas/New Year's week, stayed at Caribbean and Orlando resorts/hotels during my kids' break weeks, the highest demand periods of the year. I always try to use MR/HH first, as I know the SPG no-blackout policy should be saved as a last resort. And yet they've all been on SPG points. So while the nights earned/dollar spent ratio may be lower (though I'm not sure about that with HH anymore), redeeming 7 free nights vs. having enough points for 10 free nights but no availability is a pretty good tradeoff for me.
I'm sure someone does, but not me. If the program doesn't meet your needs, you certainly should go elsewhere. But making up or changing facts to justify it seems kind of silly. If I felt that way, I'd just move on. As I did with HH.
Apr 14, 2010, 7:20 am
#21
Join Date: Oct 2009
Programs: UA 1K, SPG PLT, Marriott PLT, Hertz PC,National EE
Posts: 466
So yes...this topic has been beat to death and before I joined *wood, I probably opened one too. As a recent convert (and someone who used to spend 50 night a year at least in a Marriott), these were my 2 big thoughts:
1) I HATE courtyards. It's like eating at a mcdonalds...they're all the same, boring, and often kind of mediocre. That said, I've stayed in some horrible 4 points
I like the Starwood properties a lot more. Other than JW's, I very rarely have been to a marriott in a non-resort destination that made me go "this is cool!" I have that experience a lot with SPG - whether it's a cheaper hotel like a westin or W, or something insane like a St. Regis, Le Meridien etc. If I was looking to earn rewards to just get free nights at any hotel, like others have said, I'd probably go to PC hotels or something, but I'm going to try and spend my vacation time in places that are really impressive and will make my GF go "oh man...so that's why you travel"
2) SPG promotions are significantly better than Marriott's. Megabonuses are just lame to me and don't tend to earn you that much. I've seen many starwood bonuses that when you look at bonus size compared to room stay points....are just silly. If I'm staying at a cheap SPG for 150 bucks, that's worth like 300 points (whoopee)...but if you tack on a bonus that gives you 1000 bonus points, it will get you to that free night much faster. Then again, I jump hotels a lot - so I'll probably get 4- 1000 point bonuses for a week's worth of stays vs. a "normal" person's 1-1000 point bonus for a 4 night stay.
I think Marriott is an awesome program (points wise) for people who like to check into a place, stay there for 4-5 nights, and collect the points for that. For people who don't mind jumping around and working for the points, SPG blows it out of the water.
Just my impressions - personally, until SPG gets rid of this current Q1 promo, I'm staying almost exclusively at hyatt's - now THOSE are some promos. Good luck finding a program that works for you.
BTW - how many suites have you been upgraded to at Marriott? I think I've gotten like 4 in my lifetime. SPG Plat is MUCH better for that.
1) I HATE courtyards. It's like eating at a mcdonalds...they're all the same, boring, and often kind of mediocre. That said, I've stayed in some horrible 4 points
I like the Starwood properties a lot more. Other than JW's, I very rarely have been to a marriott in a non-resort destination that made me go "this is cool!" I have that experience a lot with SPG - whether it's a cheaper hotel like a westin or W, or something insane like a St. Regis, Le Meridien etc. If I was looking to earn rewards to just get free nights at any hotel, like others have said, I'd probably go to PC hotels or something, but I'm going to try and spend my vacation time in places that are really impressive and will make my GF go "oh man...so that's why you travel"2) SPG promotions are significantly better than Marriott's. Megabonuses are just lame to me and don't tend to earn you that much. I've seen many starwood bonuses that when you look at bonus size compared to room stay points....are just silly. If I'm staying at a cheap SPG for 150 bucks, that's worth like 300 points (whoopee)...but if you tack on a bonus that gives you 1000 bonus points, it will get you to that free night much faster. Then again, I jump hotels a lot - so I'll probably get 4- 1000 point bonuses for a week's worth of stays vs. a "normal" person's 1-1000 point bonus for a 4 night stay.
I think Marriott is an awesome program (points wise) for people who like to check into a place, stay there for 4-5 nights, and collect the points for that. For people who don't mind jumping around and working for the points, SPG blows it out of the water.
Just my impressions - personally, until SPG gets rid of this current Q1 promo, I'm staying almost exclusively at hyatt's - now THOSE are some promos. Good luck finding a program that works for you.
BTW - how many suites have you been upgraded to at Marriott? I think I've gotten like 4 in my lifetime.
SPG Plat is MUCH better for that.
Apr 18, 2010, 8:09 am
#22
Join Date: Dec 2004
Location: BLI
Programs: Alaska Million Mile Flyer, Marriott Lifetime Titanium Elite
Posts: 3,193
As someone who is currently both Marriott and SPG Platinum, some quick perspectives:
- Marriott is a better program if you stay a lot in second-tier cities that simply won't support a Starwood property, or only have wildly varying Four Points. That's been my situation for much of the past 12-18 months. And I find the quality of Courtyards and Fairfield Inns to be much more consistent than Four Points. Unfortunate for Starwood.
- In major cities, Starwood properties have a variety than can surprise and delight. The sameness that characterizes Marriott and makes it a consistently good choice in smaller markets works a bit against it when compared to similar Starwood properties in the larger markets.
- In terms of programs, I'd much prefer to be an SPG Platinum than a Marriott Platinum. The upgrades are better (to standard suites), the general customer service better. As a Marriott Platinum, I rarely get anything more than extra points for a hotel stay. I have received remarkable upgrades and welcome gifts as a SPG Platinum (admittedly, mostly overseas).
But it's the customer care that SPG offers that makes it better at the Platinum level than Marriott. At least, so far, to my experience.
- Marriott is a better program if you stay a lot in second-tier cities that simply won't support a Starwood property, or only have wildly varying Four Points. That's been my situation for much of the past 12-18 months. And I find the quality of Courtyards and Fairfield Inns to be much more consistent than Four Points. Unfortunate for Starwood.
- In major cities, Starwood properties have a variety than can surprise and delight. The sameness that characterizes Marriott and makes it a consistently good choice in smaller markets works a bit against it when compared to similar Starwood properties in the larger markets.
- In terms of programs, I'd much prefer to be an SPG Platinum than a Marriott Platinum. The upgrades are better (to standard suites), the general customer service better. As a Marriott Platinum, I rarely get anything more than extra points for a hotel stay. I have received remarkable upgrades and welcome gifts as a SPG Platinum (admittedly, mostly overseas).
But it's the customer care that SPG offers that makes it better at the Platinum level than Marriott. At least, so far, to my experience.
Apr 18, 2010, 5:04 pm
#23
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Apr 2001
Location: NYC
Posts: 27,220
I agree and think this is a worthwhile point -- there are a LOT more "interesting" Starwood properties out there than Marriott or Hilton. And so some of us have decided that putting up with what perhaps may be a slightly worse spending-earning-redeeming equation is worth it for these properties.
Apr 19, 2010, 3:16 pm
#24
Join Date: Jun 2000
Location: Tucson, AZ
Programs: UA 1K, Marriott LT Titanium, AA LT Gold, Radisson Gold, Hertz PC, HP Masters emeritus (sigh)
Posts: 445
Marriott properties appeal to travelers who don't like surprises; that's why they are all the same. That formula works for that segment of travelers.
I prefer SPG for the interesting properties, bonuses and easier redemption, and I still can't believe people think there is more competition for plat upgrades. I've never seen that in over a decade as a plat.
I prefer SPG for the interesting properties, bonuses and easier redemption, and I still can't believe people think there is more competition for plat upgrades. I've never seen that in over a decade as a plat.
Apr 19, 2010, 3:23 pm
#25
Join Date: Dec 2006
Location: PHL
Programs: Marriott Lifetime PLT
Posts: 1,229
Wow, your complaints could pretty much apply to any chain. It seems like maybe you are just questioning why you should participate in a hotel rewards program.
As far as the 4points thing, I agree its a disparity but look at the chains you are comparing it to. Marriott and Hilton have a HUGE number of cheapo chains (Fairfield Inn, Springhill Suites, Hampton Inn, etc) while Starwood seems to have a much higher percentage of high end hotels.
As far as the 4points thing, I agree its a disparity but look at the chains you are comparing it to. Marriott and Hilton have a HUGE number of cheapo chains (Fairfield Inn, Springhill Suites, Hampton Inn, etc) while Starwood seems to have a much higher percentage of high end hotels.
