Feb 21, 2014, 7:14 am
Last edit by: beltway
Hotels not offering a double occupancy room for standard SPG Points redemption availability (but do make single occupancy rooms available). Please feel free to add/edit/amend. Cheers, JK
LOI = Last Offered In (last known date a double room was offered on points)
NOS = Not Offered Since (when it came to your attention that only single occupancy rooms are available for standard redemptions)
The Netherlands:NOTE: Double-occupancy rooms at the Hotel Pulitzer are now available for standard award bookings (confirmed 2/27). As of 3/5/14, the Hotel Des Indes allows double-occupancy rooms for standard award bookings.
An important caveat:
LOI = Last Offered In (last known date a double room was offered on points)
NOS = Not Offered Since (when it came to your attention that only single occupancy rooms are available for standard redemptions)
The Netherlands:
The Pulitzer, Amsterdam [LOI - Dec 2013; NOS - Feb 2014]Hotel Des Indes, The Hague [LOI - Dec 2013; NOS - Feb 2014]
An important caveat:
One thing to bear in mind is that the single occupancy standard rooms remain on the standard awards at these properties, and probably a few more that have not been mentioned, so if the double occupancy rooms are taken, it will leave only single occupancy rooms showing as available for redemption.
Hotels limiting Free Night Awards to single-occupancy rooms only
Feb 20, 2014, 5:52 pm
#151
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: san francisco.
Programs: Marriott Ti, OW Ruby
Posts: 1,852
To clarify: Starpoints Awards have been for single or double occupancy. Just be aware that not 100% of properties are configured to always have double occupancy rooms as their 'Standard Rooms'.
Best regards,
Christopher Carman
Social Media Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide
[email protected]
Best regards,
Christopher Carman
Social Media Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide
[email protected]
This will serve as a bench mark to see if other hotels try and "adopt" this classification.
Feb 20, 2014, 6:27 pm
#152
Join Date: Aug 2010
Programs: MR LT Titanium, SPG LT Plat & Plat 100, SWA A+ & CP
Posts: 1,093
Wow... Just wow.
Feb 20, 2014, 7:00 pm
#153
Join Date: Feb 2011
Location: LAX
Programs: HHonor Dia, Marriott Plat, Hyatt Explorist
Posts: 550
This is going to get ugly....
Feb 20, 2014, 7:30 pm
#154
Join Date: May 2012
Programs: SPG Plat
Posts: 792
Hotels limiting Free Night Awards to single-occupancy rooms only
I remember the Sheraton HK having single occupancy rooms. lets see if they join the party!
Feb 20, 2014, 7:35 pm
#155
Join Date: May 2012
Location: SIN
Programs: JL GC | Marriott LT Silver | Global Entry | SQ Silver
Posts: 6,819
Feb 20, 2014, 7:41 pm
#156
Join Date: Jun 2011
Programs: SPG Platinum, Hyatt Diamond
Posts: 1,134
All Free Night Awards are for single or double occupancy in a standard room. At a small number of, non-US, historical hotels, there are rooms which have a maximum occupancy of 1 guest. It is infrequent, but it does occur, and the Hotel Pulitzer is one of those hotels.
Yes, the Hotel Pulitzer considers the ‘classic room‘ (one of those rooms with maximum capacity of 1 guest) as their Standard Rooms. As a result they sell them using either Starpoints Awards or currency.
The issue in these cases is not the number of people, or the hotel trying to squeeze more money from guests of the SPG Program, but the size of the room and what is the legal allowable occupancy based on fire code and safety regulations. It is unfortunate for travelers with 2 or more occupants in their party, but this is simply how the hotel is situated. We also have hotels where there are no ‘Standard Rooms’ and therefore travelers with 1 or 2 people in their party have to spend higher Starpoints for an upgraded room type. There are just some special property configurations available in our global portfolio to be aware of.
If we did not offer up these single occupancy rooms for Free Night Awards, then in a scenario where all other rooms were sold out at the hotel – we would not be adhering to our No Blackouts Promise.
To clarify: Starpoints Awards have been for single or double occupancy. Just be aware that not 100% of properties are configured to always have double occupancy rooms as their 'Standard Rooms'.
Best regards,
Christopher Carman
Social Media Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide
[email protected]
Yes, the Hotel Pulitzer considers the ‘classic room‘ (one of those rooms with maximum capacity of 1 guest) as their Standard Rooms. As a result they sell them using either Starpoints Awards or currency.
The issue in these cases is not the number of people, or the hotel trying to squeeze more money from guests of the SPG Program, but the size of the room and what is the legal allowable occupancy based on fire code and safety regulations. It is unfortunate for travelers with 2 or more occupants in their party, but this is simply how the hotel is situated. We also have hotels where there are no ‘Standard Rooms’ and therefore travelers with 1 or 2 people in their party have to spend higher Starpoints for an upgraded room type. There are just some special property configurations available in our global portfolio to be aware of.
If we did not offer up these single occupancy rooms for Free Night Awards, then in a scenario where all other rooms were sold out at the hotel – we would not be adhering to our No Blackouts Promise.
To clarify: Starpoints Awards have been for single or double occupancy. Just be aware that not 100% of properties are configured to always have double occupancy rooms as their 'Standard Rooms'.
Best regards,
Christopher Carman
Social Media Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide
[email protected]
Feb 20, 2014, 7:56 pm
#157
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jun 2001
Programs: DL 1 million, AA 1 mil, HH lapsed Diamond, Marriott Plat
Posts: 28,190
It is quite the oddity for the claim that the Classic room is suitable only for one (it isn't presented with a paid search for two guests) when it has a queen sized bed. If SPG & the property are claiming fire regulations prevent two guests, I'm prepared to ask them to present such regulations. English or Dutch language; there's adequate translating ability in this forum.
Feb 20, 2014, 8:07 pm
#158
Moderator: GLBT travelers, India-based Airlines and India; FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Asia
Programs: Yes!
Posts: 15,512
Wow, forget the Pulitzer for a moment, but this response on their T&C's is very very poor from SPG. I now hold them more responsible than the hotel. 
Agree entirely. This is something new that the Pulitzer has done. The "long-standing... historical.... Classic room... One person" explanation is an eyewash for something that has changed in the last few months.
Perhaps time to reconsider this defense?
Originally Posted by jibi
Christopher, the Hotel Pulitzer allowed award bookings for Classic AND Deluxe rooms in December 2013 (two months ago). They have had the Classic room for more than 3 years (since late 2010). This is an extremely slippery slope that SPG is allowing with this hotel.
Perhaps time to reconsider this defense?
Feb 20, 2014, 9:58 pm
#159
Join Date: Dec 2001
Location: Nomad
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Creative defense, but offering both the lowest-category double occupancy rooms and these single occupancy rooms as standard awards would do this too. And equating this to some all-suite hotels not having standard rooms (a practice which I also find inappropriate given categories are based on the ADR of these non-standard rooms) isn't the same given the double occupancy rooms at this property aren't suites. Coming soon: St Regis hotels have no standard rooms because all rooms are bigger than the standard room size at Four Points hotels.
Feb 20, 2014, 10:05 pm
#160
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Creative defense, but offering both the lowest-category double occupancy rooms and these single occupancy rooms as standard awards would do this too. And equating this to some all-suite hotels not having standard rooms (a practice which I also find inappropriate given categories are based on the ADR of these non-standard rooms) isn't the same given the double occupancy rooms at this property aren't suites. Coming soon: St Regis hotels have no standard rooms because all rooms are bigger than the standard room size at Four Points hotels.
Feb 20, 2014, 10:07 pm
#161
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Apparently, all hotels are now allowed to do this, or to claim that no rooms are "standard". It effectively creates six new categories, as hotels in each category can be limited like this (or maybe seven if any Cat 7 hotels have standard rooms).
Feb 21, 2014, 1:10 am
#162
Join Date: Jan 2012
Location: HEL
Programs: SPG LTP, hotels, OWE, STE+, *G, Octopus
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I would also like to receive a list of these historical, non-US properties.
Feb 21, 2014, 2:13 am
#163
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Not at all. A couple of posts after I posted my earlier post, an error was pointed out to me and I corrected it to say that a look at the SPG forum, not just this thread, would provide the information. I stand by that. The Lurkers do not simply side with the hotel in nearly every case.
Feb 21, 2014, 2:19 am
#164
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For example the LC Elephant Weimar offers single and double bed as a classic ( standard ) room. But you can book both with the same amount of points! Same at the Sheraton Diana Majestic Milano. The Westin Excelsior Roma offers also both, but you can book only a double with points.
Feb 21, 2014, 2:42 am
#165
Join Date: Jan 2003
Location: San Francisco, CA
Posts: 1,394
The issue in these cases is not the number of people, or the hotel trying to squeeze more money from guests of the SPG Program, but the size of the room and what is the legal allowable occupancy based on fire code and safety regulations. It is unfortunate for travelers with 2 or more occupants in their party, but this is simply how the hotel is situated. We also have hotels where there are no ‘Standard Rooms’ and therefore travelers with 1 or 2 people in their party have to spend higher Starpoints for an upgraded room type. There are just some special property configurations available in our global portfolio to be aware of.
If we did not offer up these single occupancy rooms for Free Night Awards, then in a scenario where all other rooms were sold out at the hotel – we would not be adhering to our No Blackouts Promise.
To clarify: Starpoints Awards have been for single or double occupancy. Just be aware that not 100% of properties are configured to always have double occupancy rooms as their 'Standard Rooms'.
I would very much appreciate a specific response from the lurkers as to other reasons why in 2014 this historic hotel decided to "re-configure" their room categories. Absent other viable reasons to re-configure, the only conclusion is that the hotel is trying to limit standard award redemptions. And SPG has let them get away with it, diluting the brand promise and the program.
As much as I love the Lurkers and their work here, this is a clear attempt to not address the issue directly, which is SPG has allowed a hotel a loophole to CHANGE their room categories specifically to limit redemptions...unless other viable reasons for this change can be provided.