ariyo15

Actually, the "powers that be" laugh about it - as long as the rooms are "reasonably priced" they could care less where I stay.

mreed911

Same here. It's just another piece of paper (scanned in) for my accounting folks to look at along with the other receipts. Easy-peasy.

KSA_USA

depends on what your corporate rate is and where you want to spend you free resort nights.

for example, if your corporate rate is lets say $200/night. then you will earn 1200 bonus points/ night. thats equal 12000 points for 10 nights. I value 12000 starpoints at $360 ( minimum)

if you do A-B-A then you will earn 3 free resort nights plus 6000 bonus points( 5nights* $200/night * 6points/$) from your corporate rate.

you can use your award nights say at the St. Regis Monarch beach. 3 nights at this resort would easly cost $1200.


and if you are platinum member, doing A-B-A would give you an additional 4500 starpoints ( Platinum amenity).

so it depends on what your corporate rate is and where you want to spend your free resort nights.

Edit: sorry i quoted the wrong post.

GregJLee

Hello. I plan on earning several free nights over the next few months, and using them at the Swan Disney Resort. In the past I've used points for upgrading to a suite - any idea if I can use the free nights and a smaller number of points to upgrade? My guess is no, but doesn't hurt to ask.

sc flier

Not through SPG reservations. The hotel could offer an upgrade as an Instant Award, though.

el_tigre

Probably correct, but you also may want to call Starwood five days before arrival to see if you can use an upgrade award. These upgrades are usually reserved for paid stays, although I don't think it hurts to try this if you really want a higher room category.

publicrelasian

My bf and I are eyeing this promo for our summer plans. In July, we're going to San Diego and OC and will rack up three stays in different locations, giving us a free resort night.

Since I have gold status with my SPG AmEx (by spending $30,000 last year), I've booked the above-mentioned nights on my account.

In August, my bf is going solo to vacay in Hawaii and I'd like him to use the free resort night at the Waikiki Sheraton. Now since *I* won't be there, I am wondering if this can work -- and if so, how. Would I somehow "gift" this free resort night to him? (he just signed up for an SPG account because he's staying at a Sheraton on Kauai but doesnt have status) Or would I make redeem the free resort night and somehow put his name on the reservation so he can check in?

any help would be greatly appreciated!

el_tigre

Free Resort Nights are not transferable per the promo's terms and conditions. Either you will have to join your boyfriend in Waikiki or you will have to credit your stays in San Diego and OC to his SPG account and forego your gold benefits.

mbd4524

I think that it is up to the hotels discretion to allow the guest to check in. In the past FAN promos I did not have a problem having somebody else check in.
I guess its a risk you could take.

clublounger

Would she HAVE TO forego her gold benefits?

Starpoints/Stay credits are given to the person that actually PAYS for the room. Isn't it possible to check in under the Gold account, with that person leaving the credit card, and at checkout switch the credit card to the boyfriend's c/c while also switching the SPG account to be credited w/ *points and stay credit?

Gold benefits received, credit to boyfriend....

Certainly someone here will know if this is contrary to the general T&C's.

aloha

uxb

I thought the spouse (or in this case, "the spouse apparent") could use the award w/ or w/o the SPG member. I remember seeing a post to that effect, but perhaps not on this particular thread.

el_tigre

Well, in the SPG Terms and Conditions, it says, "An 'Eligible Stay' is one or more consecutive nights at the same Participating Property, whether or not you checked-out and checked back in, during which you paid an Eligible Rate and presented your Preferred Guest number at registration." It is certainly possible this solution would work, but I don't think a hotel would be obligated to give stay credit to the holder of the switched credit card either. I have always been under the assumption that stay credit was only awarded to the individual who paid AND whose SPG number was on file at the time of check-in.

I don't remember reading this, but the section under Award in the Promo's T&C that says, "Free Resort Night Awards are not transferable, even among members of the same household, and may not be given as a gift," is pretty clear to me.

publicrelasian

Thanks everyone for the responses! let me pose the question this way: If my bf books an spg stay and we both check in, he doesnt have gold but I do. if i present my gold card but the reservation is in his name and has his spg number, would we still get gold benefits?

sc flier

I think that you can get the benefits of upgrade and late check-out, but not the 50% elite bonus points since the reservation would not be in your name.

rhyme

I'm looking to leave Hilton and come to SPG / got my Plat status match. Like the other poster, I also get a 3x bonus on my stays w/ the corporate rate and was also thinking of doing an A-B-A approach as well, so your analysis is particularly interesting. I lost you on the 4500 additional starpoints... how do you get to that? My math: earning a $200 rate would give you 600 points per night for being platinum, plus another 600 for the corporate bonus for a total of 1200 per night, times 3 nights = 3600 points, not 4500. What am I missing?