I expected some drops in Thailand also. Aloft BKK can be had for $60 at times- it should be a cat 1 imo (which is where it started). and the Westin BKK is pretty lame for a 3.

why did you think Chiang Mai would go up? expecting CM to be the new seat of govt. of the Republic of Red Shirts sometime this year?!? ;) without such an event, seems it's priced correctly to me.

agree i cannot imagine anyone staying at the SR on points.

the reality of Thailand is that when the event that nobody is allowed to talk about occurs, chaos exponentially greater than recent years is assured, and civil war is a real possibility.

Thanks SPG, looks decent to me - and most of the changes seem reasonable. I've stayed in many - and the move places them in their more appropriate category.

One that doesn't... The Four Points Bourbon Street is going up?! Ha! That property is the worst SPG property in New Orleans and now it's redemption is the same as the Sheraton and Westin. Good luck to them.

IMO BKK
Aloft should be down to Cat 1 compare with location to 4P Bkk
St.R down to Cat 5 (award night is not logical)
W ,ROS also step down 1 Cat

As I said last week, I was afraid of SPG gutting the only value left on their chart- the low end. Glad that didn't happen.

I guess they, perhaps, see it as it is: SPG points are not easy to earn or MS vs say Hyatt (or Marriott, IHG) with UR points being so easy to generate. There is no reason to add categories- the high end is obscenely priced already, or not priced at all with the 'limited participation' properties that will maybe let you have a room for 70k+ a night. compare that to Hyatt maxing out at 30k (again easy to obtain points) for only 6 properties, and the likes of PH Maldives at only 25k a night AFTER devaluation and... massive devaluation of SPG at the top end happened well before 2014. HEven with Hilton's devaluation bloodbath last year, their high end properties are still a much better value based on my calculations.

I really like SPG properties and service, so i am glad that i still have a section of the chart (cat 1-3) that makes the program valuable to me.

Thanks, fireworksboy. I have a pretty thick skin. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, and we've never regretted our purchases. We spend all of January each year at the villa, another week at the St. Regis Princeville, one or two weeks a year at another a high-end Starwood hotel and any leftover weeks of the villa get rented to friends for the maintenance fees. Haven't paid cash for a hotel room in 14 years and we still accumulate a boatload of Starpoints (currently have close to 1 million). I'll need to go to the "Best Upgrade" thread and post our experiences.

Thanks for the heads up Lurkers ^

Almost booked The Laguna and Senggigi last week....glad I waited! :D

Not too bad, overall. I feel like the sad thing is that we dread these annual lists every year, because we know they'll hurt, it's just a question of how much.

Having said that, the Sheraton Waikiki (despite being a well-managed hotel) as a Cat6 is completely insane! I have a feeling the hotel will regret the bump, because I bet they essentially made the same $ for Cat6 points as being a Cat5 + resort fee. That hotel has a lot of rooms to sell and losing on SPG point stays (especially in the low season) will bite them.

Agreed, both properties as Cat 2 is great. When the Niagara Falls 4 Points went up to a Cat 3 last year I was disappointed as it did not differentiate from the Cat 3 Sheraton nearby. With respect to being run down, I am not sure I agree. The Sheraton has been under never ending renovation for about a year and is almost done. In December I think only the bathroom needed reno and I hope at some point the doors will be replaced. I have not experienced anything run down at the 4 Points except sometimes broken ice machines.

I was hoping the Aloft Buffalo Airport when it opens later this year would be a Cat 2, but with the changes in Niagara Falls I may never try the Aloft unless I am flying out of BUF (or it is a Cat 1!).

I thought this year's movement is quite fair. Looking at Japan with yen's recent devaluation. As people have suspected LM Taipei moving up to 6, given the room rate, it should be at that level (even though I would not book them over W Taipei). It's nice to see china lowering as well (even though I won't be there anytime soon). W Westwood moving to a 6? I would stay at SLS before using the 20/25K at Westwood.

Phew, that goodness I already booked St Regis Rome for points including 35%

If I'm staying at a hotel on Mar 3 which is dropping a category, any way to request the new rate?

There hasn't been a "low season" at this hotel for quite some time. They are running nearly 100% all year long (Chinese tour groups help ALOT). They won't be hurt by a lack of redemptions.

Curious thing to say .... it's a rare property that is helped by redemptions, per se.

Nice to have a Sydney property dropping down to Cat 4 - 4P Darling Harbour

Ouch to Hawaii.

Yes the Four Points Niagara Falls moving back to category 2. That's my go to hotel when I have to be in Buffalo.

Though I'd rather be in Hawaii.