mahme

Hello,

I need one more stay to maintain my status and am thinking of booking a cheap Starwood hotel for one night to earn a stay.

Obviosuly, I will try and find the cheapest hotel room I can get, but since it is unlikely it will close to me, I won't be able to check-in...

If I select the pre-paid rate and never show up, will I still earn points and a stay credit?

mahasamatman

I believe you get the points, but no stay credit.

tkyoshi

That would be correct ^. After all you never did *stay*.

aussiechris

Thats how it should work but many have reported both. YMMV.

WestLA-FF

Book a cheap reservation in a city where a good friend lives. (You can book low-cost Cash and Points reservation and get stay credit, now.) Add friend's name to the reservation. Call the hotel a day or too before stay, and give permission for friend to check in, using their credit card. Ask friend to go check in. Send friend a check for the cost, adding $20 for lunch or some drinks, or both.
Enjoy PLT status for another year.

WestLA-FF

You don't have to actually stay to get stay credit. You do usually have to check-in.
After all, the hotel doesn't know if you checked in, messed up the bed, and then left, or if you actually slept there.
And, are there rules about how long you have to 'stay'? Can you 'stay' in the room for 5 minutes, and then leave, and get stay credit? Do they require you 'stay' overnight? I've read in this board that you can book a partial-day room (ie: after red-eye flight, sleep for 3-4 hours in room, then check out) and get stay credit, without getting nights credit.

Again: how long do you have to 'stay' to get stay credit? Can you check in, pay for room, then spend the night with a friend down the hall, or in another hotel close by? Should the hotel deny you the stay credit if you don't mess up the bed? If I was a property owner, I'd put out the word for a special 'stay/night' reservation, where you just have to show up, pay a low rate, and go your way. The ultimate guest: Pays their rate, then doesn't make a mess!

tkyoshi

Of course not, but I wanted to keep it short and sweet. If you physically check in that absolutely counts as "Staying"

In regards to a Day Room, yes that does qualify for stay credit.

mapletree

+1! A few years ago I was in Houston for the winter holidays. Needed one more stay to get over the hump for one of the "stay 5" type bonuses. Found a Four Points in a sketchy part of Houston for $55. When I went in to "check-in" on December 31 the woman at the counter and I had a great chat. Turns out I was the fourth person that morning who checked in and left without even going to the room!

AK-business-traveler

And I wonder how many of them were FT-ers...!

orknot2be

When I am booking a stay for a MR purposes only, I'll usually book the cheapest rate which is prepaid. So sometime during the day when it is convenient (unfortunately early morning is best for me and the particular hotel I use for MR is not great about checking someone in early, even if the room is available), I pass by the hotel (usually a little out of they way!), check in, get my key, and usually go up to the room to at least make the towel look used and pull back the bedding. Just feels too wierd to at least not 'enter' the room, which I'm sure in this day of electronic key cards they can tell everytime someone has entered the room. Anyway my stays usually last 10 minutes, so at least I don't have to pay for parking as well (under 30 minutes no charge for parking, otherwise 18.). Not all SPG properties have parking charges of course but in my area, not so uncommon.

But if you are really worried about stay credit, then check in, even for just a few minutes. If this weren't required, many of us would be booking the 50. rate in one of the cheaper hotels that might be hundreds or thousands of miles away!

mauld

Are you sure there's no Starwood in your area ?? I just found out my local Edison/Raritan Center Sheraton has a C&P for $30 +1600 points-- and that rate is good every day of the week, not just weekends and as I need about 4 more stays, I feel it's a cheap price to pay for another year of Platinum
PS- forgot to mention that I take the Platinum 500 points, so effectively I'm only using 1100 points +$30-- to me thats a bargain!

RogerD408

There are other threads out about the SPG member must pay for the room to get credit for the stay/night. One property was very sticky and refused credit for husband paying for room used by wife (also member). A bit too picky for me, but does follow T&Cs.

jkburns1

right no need to stay at all.. But do need to physically check in and can then turn around and go... No need to go past the front desk and even enter the room let alone mess up the bed either - just unnecessary work for housekeeping!

WestLA-FF

+1 on not messing up the bed or the towels. Besides the effort required, once those items are touched they have to be washed. And we all know that hotels are huge users of resources (water, power) and generate lots of pollution (detergent, truck emissions if outside wash service is used).
When i do MRs for the stay credit, I check in and tell the front desk to give me the lowest-level room, so that upgrades can go to others later in the day who are actually sleeping there. If you are more comfortable actually stepping into the room, go do so, grab the water bottle and leave.
One additional benefit I've recently taken advantage of due to C+P stays gaining stay credit: there Is a 4points near the house that I book for $30+1600, rather than the +$100 minimum cash rate. They give me a breakfast voucher for being plt. I've done a couple of early Sunday morning check ins and enjoyed the buffet then, rather than the next morning. Expensive for what is served but better than the grapefruit have at home.