I think you're misinterpreting what bhrubin said. He was talking about the requirements for a property to join Design Hotels, not for a Design Hotels property to join SPG.

I hope the Iceland properties join SPG.

Plats don't get lounge access at StR or W hotels, either, or at Luxury Collection or Tribute Portfolio hotels--because they don't have lounges. Not sure why this is suddenly an issue for another group of SPG hotels that will not have lounges.

All CURRENT Design Hotels have been invited to join SPG. What I stated was that Starwood's dominating agreement allows Starwood to control what NEW hotel properties may elect to join the Design Hotels group (not the SPG marketing brand) in the first place. We need not be concerned that new properties might elect to join Design instead of a brand like Tribute if Starwood doesn't give them the opportunity to join Design if they aren't a Design member already.

This ADDITION of Design Hotels into SPG isn't a reduction in elite benefits; it is an addition of additional properties whereby you can now use and get most but not all SPG benefits. If these Design Hotels were not incorporated into SPG at all, you wouldn't even have the opportunity to earn SPG nights/stays and SPG points, let alone eventually get the opportunity for SPG award redemptions (coming in 2016).

Regular SPG and SPG Gold members will see about the same experience at any SPG Design Hotel as they will at any other SPG hotel.

I'm not going to check all brands that you listed, but off the top of my head, I know that both the W Doha and W Guangzhou have platinum lounges. I'm sure that there more than a couple more from your list that have plat lounges.

The overwhelming majority of StR, W, Luxury Collection, and Tribute Portfolio hotels do not have any lounges. The 2 W properties you mention are apparently 2 of a very few (or perhaps the only 2?) with a lounge:

http://onemileatatime.boardingarea.c...oha-hotel-wow/

I'm not in any way distressed by a lack of lounges. I rarely bother with them. But if you care about lounges, then you obviously would avoid most SPG hotels and hotel brands that typically lack lounges, anyway. Adding Design Hotels which seem to lack lounges due to their unique character should be another group that you can avoid.

Either way, if a hotel doesn't have a lounge, it makes no difference about Platinum lounge access, which was the original complaint about Design Hotels, none of which have a lounge.

I'm not referring to hotel/room design; I'm referring to furnishings, bedding, toiletries, etc. If I'm paying Sheraton/Westin rates for a room, I shouldn't have to accept a Motel 6 experience with old worn out furnishings, cheap sheets, and 99 cent store toiletries. That's what I'm referring to.



I am pointing out the exemption of an entire hotel group to loyalty program guarantees. The lounge exemption is just one point that I raised as an example, not the single complaint that I have about the exemptions granted to Design Hotels. I could just as easily discuss the lack of being able to choose breakfast for my amenity which is also a Platinum Guarantee. Or not being able to exercise my Platinum Guarantee of a late checkout.

why would you think you will have a motel 6 experience with design hotels????i've stayed in a few design hotels over the years & not only have they been priced differently than sherton/westin properties but every experience i have had with them has been very pleasant....

You're mixing my responses to different subjects within this thread; you're quoting a response I had to SPG's weak brand standard enforcement. And I've had more than a couple of 'Motel 6' experiences at SPG properties over the years.

My concern with Design Hotels is the exemption granted to Platinum benefits and the precedent set by that action.


Edit: I've posted the original comment and my reply in full (rather than snipped) so that the quote's taken in proper context:
You edited my statement on a discussion purely on SPG brand standard enforcement and then applied it to Design Hotels. I doubt that there is anything in terms of Design Hotel brand standards that could be enforced with the way this appears to be structured.

fair enough....i'm looking at this a little differently though....i like the fact that i now have more spg options with the introduction of design hotels....

there are a number of places i visit where design properties were available & spg had no or very little presence....i now have the option of earning points & stay/night credit when there was none earlier....i see this as a partnership (something similar to what spg has with delta & emirates) rather than a full fledged spg option so i'm happy to get some benefits as opposed to getting nothing earlier....

I understand that Design Hotels offer additional options. But I'm looking at every single SPG hotel, especially the Luxury Collection, now calculating how much they could save by converting to a Design Hotel. They wouldn't even have to change much in order to make the switch to Design Hotels.

No more late checkouts and no more breakfasts, just to name two financially beneficial changes. Likely lower fees, still have the SPG booking engine, but now also have the Design Hotels booking engine.

You are stretching in your assumption! Without knowing the fee structure this is pure speculation! Some of the Design Hotels can't offer all the benefits so how would you propose adding them to SPG if not how it was done? Hotels with specific SPG brands probably don't want to loose their brand association so they are not going to change. Hotels contemplating leaving may change but they are likely going to get less money for being in the program and offering less benefits if they move to the Design Hotel branding.

i've noticed a big difference between the luxury collection & design hotel properties....both in terms of price & service....

also, i would be surprised if spg let hotels change brands so easily....

Until the brand standards are well understood - as promoted by SPG or reported by reliable posters across multiple properties/stays/geographies - people are going to be wary.

The phrase For those not familiar with Design Hotels, it is a curated selection of individual hotels that offer cultural authenticity and thought-provoking design and architecture, suggests little in the way of harmonization. Some guests will find that charming - others quite a chore.

Sometime in 2016, SPG will likely assign categories and subsequently permit SPG award redemptions for the SPG Design properties.

Some Design Hotels are very pricey, such as the GPH in NYC. Others are much less pricey. Which of those ultimately choose to join SPG Design is something we will have to wait and see. Allegedly, SPG expects to have another 40+ Design Hotels join the SPG Design portfolio later in 2016, so there should be a nice variety.

I seriously doubt SPG Design will allow for C&P--or that the C&P rates will be sufficiently good to warrant your consideration--but maybe I'll be surprised.

Starwood has tried to eliminate "limited participation" properties among its OWN brands like StR, W, Westin, Sheraton, Four Points, Element, and Aloft. However, there always has been a unique set of circumstances with its "unique property" brand of Luxury Collection with putative unique 5 star properties. SPG has now introduced Tribute to do the same thing with putative unique 4 star properties.

SPG's introduction of SPG Design allows SPG to partner with unique 3-4 star properties within the SPG umbrella. Some might not like the limited elite benefits compared to the other SPG true brands, but then those don't have to stay at those hotels, either. Others like me greatly appreciate the SPG inclusion of these more unique properties in more locations that are underserved by SPG otherwise. I suspect there are more SPG customers in my camp than the other.

Brand standard is already a difficult application when it comes to the many new soft brands by many of the hotel chains. Luxury Collection is a collection more than a brand within SPG, just as Tribute will be...and now that Design will--all within SPG. Autograph does the same thing within Marriott, and Curio does the same thing within Hilton--but neither Autograph nor Curio come even remotely close to the overall offerings that will be available for that type of customer within SPG Luxury Collection, SPG Tribute, and now SPG Design. SPG has always had more appeal for those who appreciate higher end/more upscale properties, and SPG will continue to dominate that market. Many who are complaining herein are not those customers targeted for that market, so therein lies the disagreement.

I don't doubt that adding value to Starwood/SPG isn't a factor for a future sale. But I also doubt that adding such "limited participation" properties as many seem to perceive these is going to impact the overall Starwood valuation.

I understand that the decision whether or not to file a C+P rate lies solely with each property in the other ten SPG brands, so I wouldn't be surprised to see this option extended to Design Hotels - and I'd expect that some of them would want to make use of it while others will not.

The property in Maastricht, for example, seems priced around EUR180 - C+P could likely fit well into the revenue management strategy for a property like this.