andrewpartyman

I have been Platinum with Starwood for the past 3 years now and I wanted to get honest opinions from people who have recently crossed the threshold from Gold to Platinum if they noticed a difference when they become Platinum as to the benefits they received while Gold? I ask this with with a serious face. Yes, I know the stated benefits of Platinum vs. Gold as listed on the website, but for the frequent traveler, have your upgrades been better, etc. since going from Gold to Platinum?

The only reason I ask is because in 9 out of 10 stays I hardly feel like being Platinum matters anymore. I stayed at the W in Washington, DC this past week and my "upgrade" was a handicapped room looking at a brick wall 3 feet away in a dark alley. The check in counters are the same (and usually the same ones for any Joe off the street), etc. I just feel my travel loyalty doesn't much matter to most hotels I stay in and Gold and Platinum are just one blur to them with no distinction between the tiers.

I think the problem is SPG gives Gold away like it's nothing. I get it without any effort just for having a Platinum AMEX card (along with the probably 500k other Platinum AMEX cardholders). I can see how they'd water that down, but I feel like Platinum has gotten watered down with it.

At my level of stays (averaging 2 nights/week) I just don't feel like there's any carrot in front of me anymore to compel me to opt for Starwood hotels other than the fact I like their brands. Getting less compelled to stay at SPG properties because I can usually save significant money by staying at a basic Marriott or Hilton over any Westin, W, etc.

bsdstone

Platinum amenity points make it worth it for me.

andrewpartyman

Agreed, the extra points are nice.

HNLbasedFlyer

Platinum makes a big difference for me - my suite upgrade success is over 80% and that alone means a lot when on the road - I enjoy the suite for the size of the room, more of a apartment feel versus a small hotel room.

On the flip side, I always realize if I book the lowest rate (the parking lot view or the room with the brick wall in front of me) that I may get that room - it isn't much different with airlines, you book economy - want to upgrade to business class - and you still are often in the back of the bus for popular destinations.

Hotels are more full nowadays - it is a bit more of rolling of the dice than last year.

andrewpartyman

I wish SPG would address the inconsistency with hotel rooms across their brands as well. Stay at a W in Washington, DC for $450/night and there's a bottle of warm Fiji water in your room that costs $9 bucks. Stay at the Westin on M street (closer to Georgetown) for $169/night and there's a complimentary bottle of water in your room. Things like this seem nonsensical to me (although they are minor). I also don't like that I feel like I have to hotel hop with SPG. Except for the promotion where your points are multiplied for staying longer (i.e. 3 nights = 3x points) I feel like I am always hopping around whatever city I am in to take advantage of benefits and promotions. Recent example: The one free weekend for every 3 stays promotion. I was in Dubai at the Four Points. I ended up staying in 3 hotels instead of just sitting put at the Four Points so I could get a free weekend night. Again, I was in Cologne, Germany for 15 nights. Why should staying 15 nights in a row at a SPG property not earn the awards that someone who stays 3 separate nights at 3 different properties gets? As a result I had to switch hotels back and forth to get my promotion. I feel like SPG overlooks those who "stay" (and therefore spend more at properties) than those with sporadic visits all over.

mahasamatman

Free Internet is a big one for some as well.

broadwayblue

Do Platinum members really consider the "amenity" that valuable? I've never been Platinum, but to me the possibility of a suite upgrade seems far more of a benefit than 500 points.

mahasamatman

It's a minimum extra free Cat 5 night per year (assuming you take the points and stay in hotels that offer 500).

silverfalls

This is the last thread I wanted to see especially when I am one stay away from being a SPG platinum for the first time in my life.

SCPigskinPrep

68 stays YTD X 500 points = 34,000 extra SPG points in 7 months.

BlissWorld

And Hyatt gives 1000 Diamond amenity. 68 US stays = 68,000 Hyatt points = 3 nights at cat 5 hotel plus 14,000 leftover.

The point is, SPG has been slipping fast. Properties don't care, corporate gives away points to shush people up and does nothing else. Problems don't get solved. Truly, best-in-class!!!!!!

And Platinum Concierge? Don't get me started Where as I have a personal concierge from Hyatt with a private line phone number with private extension with a personal email address. The difference is night and day.

There are already many threads about this, so I won't go into it. But, you have many options when it comes to hotel loyalty program and SPG is clearly no longer the best.

andrewpartyman

The 500 extra points seems to be less of a thrill nowadays (although I'll gladly take them). Stayed at a Westin in DC and all I had to do was spend $10 bucks in their bar/restaurant to receive an extra 500 points for my stay (which was easy, one drink). I hope SPG points aren't getting watered down now!

mahasamatman

Hyatt is fine for people who stay within its restricted sphere of influence. I suspect part of the reason they can do so well is because of their size. I find Starwood to have a good balance between the number of propetries and the benefits.

DCFlyer0306

I moved from Gold to Plat last year and have seen a significant improvement in the quality of my upgrades. I don't get a suite every time, but I usually get something better than what I reserved, which was less frequent when I was a gold.

Not sure I will make Plat again this year, but I will definitely do hotel hopping and additional personal stays to keep it if I can

KingBraden

What is the relative value of Hyatt points to starwood? I have no experience with their program but the earning ratio (5:2) seems to indicate a 1000 point Hyatt bonus is less valuable than a 500 point SPG bonus. Where would the typical Cat 5 hyatt be in the starwood chart?