Dec 31, 2014, 10:04 am
Discussion: 10 Suite Night Awards (SNAs) for Plats with 50 nights in calendar year
Jan 3, 2015, 11:01 am
#2941
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Programs: UA-1k, 1mm, Marriott-LT Platinum, Hertz-Presidents Circle
Posts: 6,355
used all 10 of mine back to back years.... hope that 2015 is the same)
Jan 3, 2015, 12:04 pm
#2942
Moderator: British Airways Executive Club, Marriott Bonvoy
Join Date: May 2006
Location: Englandshire
Programs: SPG LT Plat, BA G, BD*LG, MG Blue+ ...
Posts: 16,032
Jan 3, 2015, 12:27 pm
#2943
Join Date: Mar 2007
Posts: 3,990
I could give more, but need to return from the pool to my upgraded suite now.
Cheers,
Jan 3, 2015, 2:48 pm
#2944
Join Date: May 2009
Posts: 6,978
it is silly to view it like that. by that notion, earned awards like free night promotions should remain in your account forever. hotels care more about getting you through the doors in the next 5 weeks than in the next 5 years. by putting time limits on earned awards, it drives traffic in the next quarter, which is what satisfies shareholders and keeps the decision-makers in power.
Now, in another 10 years I'll probably retired for good, no way traveling in Plat50 levels. But I do plan to travel around 25-30 nights a year with wife. Without the SNAs what entices me of have to stay at Starwood properties versus other quality chains? Nothing really.
However, say I have 100 SNAs to use after retirement. Do you think I would let them go to waste or actually try to use it by ONLY staying with Starwood properties? Would you think your stock holders will be happy knowing people will stay with Starwoods for life and not just a short span of years at a time and then never getting their business again?
Jan 3, 2015, 3:48 pm
#2945
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Sep 1999
Location: New York, NY, USA
Posts: 12,482
Those retirees will crowd out younger active Starwood Platinum guests who don't have loads of SNAs available. Guess who Starwood is more interested in attracting loyalty? 
Young Starwood Platinums or retirees? 
Young Starwood Platinums or retirees?
Jan 3, 2015, 5:05 pm
#2946
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 1,860
That might be the best idea yet, allow SNA's to convert to 10k points/per SNA at the end of the calendar year if you are going to force us to lose them.
If you won't give us confirmed suite upgrades like Hyatt, at least give us a tangible gift. Or else working to achieve platinum is pretty useless unless you really value the extra points.
If you won't give us confirmed suite upgrades like Hyatt, at least give us a tangible gift. Or else working to achieve platinum is pretty useless unless you really value the extra points.
I think SNAs should be like points, as long as you have activities on your account, it should never expire. Someone made a valid point that someone might just save it till the end, or save as much as hundreds of SNAs to use at later date. However, doesn't the point of SNA encourages people to only stay at Starwoods properties? If I'm retired and lost my Plat because of less travels, the only incentive for me to stay loyal to SPG is extra benefits like SNAs. Otherwise, I have zero incentive to only stay at SPG hotels when there are other, sometimes better, products everywhere.
Jan 3, 2015, 5:08 pm
#2947
Join Date: Dec 2010
Posts: 1,860
This is a great point. And I want to add that just because we are business travelers, DOESN'T mean Starwood gets my business. If anything, I have all the more income to spend on whatever chain I so choose. And I am going to choose the chains that give me confirmed suite upgrades.
So yeah, if you want me to be a long time valuable guest, let me hang onto those SNA's forever...
So yeah, if you want me to be a long time valuable guest, let me hang onto those SNA's forever...
You won't think it's silly when you can actually look deeper and think boarder, and not just see what's in front of your eyes. I'm Plat50 because I have a job that requires me to travel most of the time, and my companies pay for my trips. Starwoods already has me and my business, and I'm locked into Starwoods to accumulate points and rewards. SNAs, while nice, doesn't really give me a big wow since I'm traveling by myself at work.
Now, in another 10 years I'll probably retired for good, no way traveling in Plat50 levels. But I do plan to travel around 25-30 nights a year with wife. Without the SNAs what entices me of have to stay at Starwood properties versus other quality chains? Nothing really.
However, say I have 100 SNAs to use after retirement. Do you think I would let them go to waste or actually try to use it by ONLY staying with Starwood properties? Would you think your stock holders will be happy knowing people will stay with Starwoods for life and not just a short span of years at a time and then never getting their business again?
Now, in another 10 years I'll probably retired for good, no way traveling in Plat50 levels. But I do plan to travel around 25-30 nights a year with wife. Without the SNAs what entices me of have to stay at Starwood properties versus other quality chains? Nothing really.
However, say I have 100 SNAs to use after retirement. Do you think I would let them go to waste or actually try to use it by ONLY staying with Starwood properties? Would you think your stock holders will be happy knowing people will stay with Starwoods for life and not just a short span of years at a time and then never getting their business again?
Jan 3, 2015, 6:11 pm
#2948
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: BOS/UTH
Programs: AA LT PLT; QR GLD; Bonvoy LT TIT
Posts: 12,755
Five out of my 15 expired. I use hotels nearly exclusively in APAC and my PLT suite upgrade percentage is sufficiently high that I rarely have occasion to use an SNA. Travel around this region enough and you'll know which hotels tend to be problematical for PLT upgrades.
But CB, -- won't you be PLT for life by then?
Now, in another 10 years I'll probably retired for good, no way traveling in Plat50 levels. But I do plan to travel around 25-30 nights a year with wife. Without the SNAs what entices me of have to stay at Starwood properties versus other quality chains? Nothing really.
Jan 3, 2015, 11:19 pm
#2949
Join Date: Jul 2000
Location: AUH
Posts: 8,267
Okay, perhaps slightly bad timing given all the talk of not being able to use them and letting them expire... but:
I am currently SPG Gold, doing the Plat challenge (which will be done by February), and will likely stay 50 nights by March or April.
Do I become Plat50 this year as soon as I complete the 50 nights, or do I have to wait until next year to receive the SNAs?
Thanks
I am currently SPG Gold, doing the Plat challenge (which will be done by February), and will likely stay 50 nights by March or April.
Do I become Plat50 this year as soon as I complete the 50 nights, or do I have to wait until next year to receive the SNAs?
Thanks
Jan 3, 2015, 11:59 pm
#2950
Join Date: May 2007
Location: CA & TPE
Programs: Marriott Ambassador, Hyatt Globalist, Hertz Plat, Centurion, too many airlines
Posts: 618
Okay, perhaps slightly bad timing given all the talk of not being able to use them and letting them expire... but:
I am currently SPG Gold, doing the Plat challenge (which will be done by February), and will likely stay 50 nights by March or April.
Do I become Plat50 this year as soon as I complete the 50 nights, or do I have to wait until next year to receive the SNAs?
Thanks
I am currently SPG Gold, doing the Plat challenge (which will be done by February), and will likely stay 50 nights by March or April.
Do I become Plat50 this year as soon as I complete the 50 nights, or do I have to wait until next year to receive the SNAs?
Thanks
Jan 4, 2015, 10:43 am
#2952
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Minneapolis: DL DM charter 2.3MM
Programs: A3*Gold, SPG Plat, HyattDiamond, MarriottPP, LHW exAccess, ICI, Raffles Amb, NW PE MM, TWA Gold MM
Posts: 100,413
Five out of my 15 expired. I use hotels nearly exclusively in APAC and my PLT suite upgrade percentage is sufficiently high that I rarely have occasion to use an SNA. Travel around this region enough and you'll know which hotels tend to be problematical for PLT upgrades.
But CB, -- won't you be PLT for life by then?
Jan 5, 2015, 9:02 am
#2953
Join Date: May 2014
Programs: AA, Starwood
Posts: 4
I just had ALL my Suite Night Awards expire - - all of them - and I tried using them 6 times. I was also Ambassador status, which was a joke I got nothing from my ambassador at all. Starwood's Frequent customer motto: "Over-promise, Under-deliver"
Jan 5, 2015, 10:02 am
#2954
Moderator, El Al and Marriott Bonvoy, FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: SIN
Programs: SQ*G, Mar LTT, Hyatt Glb, AA LTG, LY, HH, IC, BA, DL, UA SLV
Posts: 12,018
From this thread in April 2013:
We seem to have different experiences. What happened when you tried to use the SNAs? Where do you usual travel? How did you try to leverage your Ambassador?
Jan 5, 2015, 1:46 pm
#2955
Join Date: Sep 2002
Location: Thousand Oaks, Ca., USA
Programs: AA Lifetime Plat; Bonvoy Titanium Lifetime Elite;Hyatt Globalist; HHonors Diamond; United Silver
Posts: 8,315
If the point is to incent folks to stay 50 nights, as opposed to 25 stays or lifetime plat, it fails. The fact that I can successfully redeem them when I don't really care about the upgrade is moot.