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Changes to SPG Cash & Points - effective March 05, 2013

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Changes to SPG Cash & Points - effective March 05, 2013

 
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Old Mar 26, 2013, 8:09 am
  #226  
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Originally Posted by rooivalk
Why would you want to use C&P at the Aloft on weekends? C&P is worthless to me for Cat 1 & 2 weekend award rates.
While I agree C&P on Fri/Sat nights is foolish from a cpp perspective it might make sense on a Thursday. Regardless, none of these are available through the end of the year (save Thursdays which do show up in December).

Before the announcement Aloft was wide open the entire year. They then pulled all availability. They now offer only Su-W.

The point is, availability is less than it was before the announcement of more availability.
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Old Mar 26, 2013, 8:25 am
  #227  
 
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Originally Posted by seanthepilot
New rates were a devaluation and in no way a promise to more availability.

In fact, with the new calculation, cash is always a better choice. The have taken away the value from all but those with bucketloads of points.
If cash is always a better choice, then we have to lower the value we give to a starpoint
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Old Mar 26, 2013, 2:38 pm
  #228  
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Originally Posted by seanthepilot
New rates were a devaluation and in no way a promise to more availability.
IIRC that was actually the "grand bargain" here - raise all the C&P rates, but then also offer up more availability across the board
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Old Mar 26, 2013, 2:57 pm
  #229  
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Originally Posted by dsquared37
...The point is, availability is less than it was before the announcement of more availability.
IMHO, that kind of goes against the grain of what is compiled in this thread:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/starw...e-mar-5-a.html

But, I suppose if you only focus on three or four properties out of over 1,000, the viewpoint can get a bit myopic.

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Social Media Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

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Last edited by Starwood Lurker; Mar 26, 2013 at 3:11 pm
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Old Mar 26, 2013, 3:37 pm
  #230  
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Originally Posted by Starwood Lurker
IMHO, that kind of goes against the grain of what is compiled in this thread:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/starw...e-mar-5-a.html

But, I suppose if you only focus on three or four properties out of over 1,000, the viewpoint can get a bit myopic.

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Social Media Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

[email protected]
While I don't disagree William (have to look at the whole, not just the parts) - you can understand the frustration from some of us looking at certain properties we frequently book, and seeing LESS C&P than before despite the higher cash and points rates (which of course benefits the hotel). Just defies a bit of logic
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Old Mar 26, 2013, 7:05 pm
  #231  
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Originally Posted by Starwood Lurker
IMHO, that kind of goes against the grain of what is compiled in this thread:

http://www.flyertalk.com/forum/starw...e-mar-5-a.html

But, I suppose if you only focus on three or four properties out of over 1,000, the viewpoint can get a bit myopic.

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Social Media Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

[email protected]
This was a rather foolish response.

The thread you linked has 49 total posts and many of them have no information on C&P availability. You might want to actually review that thread rather than using it incorrectly.

As you're willing to call this view myopic, or was that directed at me, then please publish the C&P availability numbers to lend credence to this statement. Otherwise your answer serves to do nothing but sweep this under the rug... especially when you bring in the 1000 properties which has no basis in the discussion unless you're willing to publish data on them. Your defense is specious at best.
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Old Mar 27, 2013, 10:50 am
  #232  
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Originally Posted by dsquared37
This was a rather foolish response.

The thread you linked has 49 total posts and many of them have no information on C&P availability. You might want to actually review that thread rather than using it incorrectly.
I read it completely before offering it up. There are maybe 4 posts in it that cite a handful of instances where C&P seems unchanged or not available any longer.

As you're willing to call this view myopic, or was that directed at me, then please publish the C&P availability numbers to lend credence to this statement.
Nothing personal, just offering up the data provided by your peers, most of which seem to agree that C&P availability overall has increased.

Otherwise your answer serves to do nothing but sweep this under the rug... especially when you bring in the 1000 properties which has no basis in the discussion unless you're willing to publish data on them. Your defense is specious at best.
Now we are getting into the area of proprietary information, but you are more than welcomed to your own opinion, which appears to be based on the availability of C&P at four hotels in Bangkok. YMMV, but I do consider that a fairly myopic viewpoint.

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Social Media Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

[email protected]
Last edited by Starwood Lurker; Mar 27, 2013 at 10:59 am
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Old Mar 27, 2013, 10:56 am
  #233  
 
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To add another data point, before the changes the Westin Taipei had C&P availability all year round. Now they only have it for stays beginning Fri, Sat and Sunday. Not to mention the C&P went from 4000 + $60 to 6000 + $110...
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Old Mar 27, 2013, 11:02 am
  #234  
 
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Edinburgh has 0 C&P days in August
Nice has 0 C&P days except for two weeks in April
Barcelona has 0 C&P days in August

All of this is identical to the months leading up to the policy change.
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Old Mar 27, 2013, 11:08 am
  #235  
 
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And to add salt to the wound.. the Cash portion of the C&P award at the St. Regis Bangkok at most times is almost (within 5%) the price of a cash reservation... I wonder which poor souls will fall victim to that one..
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Old Mar 27, 2013, 12:26 pm
  #236  
 
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Can no longer find C&P availability for any timepoint that I checked for the following 11 properties: Grosvenor House, Dubai, Le Meridien Hamburg, Le Meridien Frankfurt, Le Meridien Munich, Four Points Olympiapark Munich, Four Points City Munich, Sheraton Arabellapark Munich, Westin Munich, Sheraton Westpark Munich, Sheraton Airport Schwaig, Sheraton Milan Malpensa
Last edited by kasi; Mar 27, 2013 at 12:34 pm
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Old Mar 27, 2013, 12:45 pm
  #237  
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Originally Posted by kasi
Can no longer find C&P availability for any timepoint that I checked for the following 10 properties: Grosvenor House, Dubai, Le Meridien Hamburg, Le Meridien Frankfurt, Le Meridien Munich, Four Points Olympiapark Munich, Four Points City Munich, Sheraton Arabellapark Munich, Westin Munich, Sheraton Westpark Munich, Sheraton Airport Schwaig
That might be true, looking at a specific date or range of dates, but how many of these 10 are not offering Cash & Points at some point during the year? When I checked just now, all of them had it available at some point and most had a lot of dates available.

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Social Media Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

[email protected]
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Old Mar 27, 2013, 2:25 pm
  #238  
 
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Tried to select a C&P rate for Meridien Heliopolis. Despite the rate appearing in the initial table of results, when I tried to pursue it I got the message "Cash & points is not offered at this hotel". It was my first time to learn that some hotels are allowed to fully opt out of the C&P option.
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Old Mar 27, 2013, 2:49 pm
  #239  
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Originally Posted by Sphinx
Tried to select a C&P rate for Meridien Heliopolis. Despite the rate appearing in the initial table of results, when I tried to pursue it I got the message "Cash & points is not offered at this hotel". It was my first time to learn that some hotels are allowed to fully opt out of the C&P option.
I'm not sure why that message pops us now and again, but the Le Meridien Heliopolis participates in every level of Cash & Points award redemption there is: standard rooms, specialty rooms, specialty select rooms, and suites.

That being said, there are several properties that are opted out as far as Cash & Points awards are concerned and they are listed in the FAQ and online as:

The following hotels do not participate in Cash & Points:
W Retreat & Spa - Maldives
The St. Regis Bora Bora Resort
Sunset Key Guest Cottages, A Westin Resort

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Social Media Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

[email protected]
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Old Mar 27, 2013, 4:31 pm
  #240  
 
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Originally Posted by Starwood Lurker
That might be true, looking at a specific date or range of dates, but how many of these 10 are not offering Cash & Points at some point during the year? When I checked just now, all of them had it available at some point and most had a lot of dates available.

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Social Media Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

[email protected]
Sheraton Taipei and Le Meridien Taipei do not have any single C&P date available from now until 2014. Are they part of the opt out list as well?
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