Jun 28, 2018, 12:52 pm
Last edit by: Oxon Flyer
Official announcement from Starwood Lurker V :
Maximize your points as our programs become one this August.
As you may already know, SPG®, Marriott Rewards® and The Ritz-Carlton Rewards® will become one program this August. You’ll be able to redeem for free nights and unforgettable experiences at over 6,500 participating hotels across 29 brands.
Our Free Night Award Chart will be updated and give you more power to redeem your points. Even better: More hotels are moving down in redemption rates than up – so chances are that you’ll be able to redeem fewer points for free nights at the hotels you love.
Here are our top eight tips to help you maximize your points:
• Plan ahead. Explore the full list of hotel category changes and decide if you want to plan your trip before or after the updates take effect. Here are just a few examples of hotels that are moving to a lower category in August:
- REDEEM FREE NIGHTS FOR 10,000 FEWER POINTS
Hotel Talisa in Vail, Le Méridien Barcelona, W Punta de Mita, The Westin Maui Resort & Spa, Ka'anapali, The Ritz-Carlton in Sarasota, and Le Méridien San Francisco
- REDEEM FREE NIGHTS FOR 5,000 FEWER POINTS
The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort, Renaissance Paris Republique Hotel, The St. Regis Princeville Resort, Courtyard New York Manhattan/Midtown East, Autograph Collection’s Hotel Punta Islita, and Las Alcobas, a Luxury Collection Hotel in Napa Valley
See the complete new award chart here.
• Take advantage of future Category 8 hotels. Future Category 8 hotels will be available at Category 7 rates from August until 2019. Redeem now to save up to 20% and guarantee your rate even if the stay occurs after new rates take effect. Explore future category 8 hotels.
• Use Cash + Points. Stay for as little as $55 and 3,500 points at more hotels than ever. Your next vacation may be closer than you think. See the Cash + Points Chart.
• Stay five nights, pay for four. Get a complimentary night when you redeem four consecutive nights.
• Save more with PointSavers. Enjoy up to 20% off when you redeem points at top destinations. All 29 brands participate, all you have to do is enter the city, state or country along with your dates to find participating hotels. See the PointSavers Chart.
• Upgrade your stay. Use points to upgrade your room (think suite or a room with a picture-perfect view) during your stay.
• Enjoy Travel Packages. Travel Packages now include all SPG hotels. Until now, SPG Nights & Flights applied only to SPG Category 3 and 4 hotels. Starting in August, Marriott Rewards and SPG members can redeem points for airline miles and hotel stays at any of the 6,500 participating hotels. This offer continues to be one of the richest offers among travel loyalty programs.
• Get instant gratification. Instantly redeem points for cocktails, meals, spa treatments or anything else you can charge to your room at participating hotels. Each US$1 is valued at 250 points, so if you would like a spa treatment worth US$50, you would redeem 12,500 points.
Explore all the changes happening in August and read FAQs now by visiting members.marriott.com. In the meantime, please feel free to share your feedback and we’ll do our best to answer your questions.
Maximize your points as our programs become one this August.
As you may already know, SPG®, Marriott Rewards® and The Ritz-Carlton Rewards® will become one program this August. You’ll be able to redeem for free nights and unforgettable experiences at over 6,500 participating hotels across 29 brands.
Our Free Night Award Chart will be updated and give you more power to redeem your points. Even better: More hotels are moving down in redemption rates than up – so chances are that you’ll be able to redeem fewer points for free nights at the hotels you love.
Here are our top eight tips to help you maximize your points:
• Plan ahead. Explore the full list of hotel category changes and decide if you want to plan your trip before or after the updates take effect. Here are just a few examples of hotels that are moving to a lower category in August:
- REDEEM FREE NIGHTS FOR 10,000 FEWER POINTS
Hotel Talisa in Vail, Le Méridien Barcelona, W Punta de Mita, The Westin Maui Resort & Spa, Ka'anapali, The Ritz-Carlton in Sarasota, and Le Méridien San Francisco
- REDEEM FREE NIGHTS FOR 5,000 FEWER POINTS
The St. Regis Maldives Vommuli Resort, Renaissance Paris Republique Hotel, The St. Regis Princeville Resort, Courtyard New York Manhattan/Midtown East, Autograph Collection’s Hotel Punta Islita, and Las Alcobas, a Luxury Collection Hotel in Napa Valley
See the complete new award chart here.
• Take advantage of future Category 8 hotels. Future Category 8 hotels will be available at Category 7 rates from August until 2019. Redeem now to save up to 20% and guarantee your rate even if the stay occurs after new rates take effect. Explore future category 8 hotels.
• Use Cash + Points. Stay for as little as $55 and 3,500 points at more hotels than ever. Your next vacation may be closer than you think. See the Cash + Points Chart.
• Stay five nights, pay for four. Get a complimentary night when you redeem four consecutive nights.
• Save more with PointSavers. Enjoy up to 20% off when you redeem points at top destinations. All 29 brands participate, all you have to do is enter the city, state or country along with your dates to find participating hotels. See the PointSavers Chart.
• Upgrade your stay. Use points to upgrade your room (think suite or a room with a picture-perfect view) during your stay.
• Enjoy Travel Packages. Travel Packages now include all SPG hotels. Until now, SPG Nights & Flights applied only to SPG Category 3 and 4 hotels. Starting in August, Marriott Rewards and SPG members can redeem points for airline miles and hotel stays at any of the 6,500 participating hotels. This offer continues to be one of the richest offers among travel loyalty programs.
• Get instant gratification. Instantly redeem points for cocktails, meals, spa treatments or anything else you can charge to your room at participating hotels. Each US$1 is valued at 250 points, so if you would like a spa treatment worth US$50, you would redeem 12,500 points.
Explore all the changes happening in August and read FAQs now by visiting members.marriott.com. In the meantime, please feel free to share your feedback and we’ll do our best to answer your questions.
New Marriott Awards chart for SPG properties, published 28 June 2018
Jun 28, 2018, 10:28 am
#47
Company Representative - Starwood
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Austin, Texas
Programs: Marriott Employee Level
Posts: 31,593
The new award chart will go into effect when our programs become one. This date will be shared very soon.
Best regards,
William R. Sanders
Social Media Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts LLC
[email protected]
Jun 28, 2018, 10:28 am
#48
A FlyerTalk Posting Legend
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: PHX
Programs: AS 75K; UA 1MM; Hyatt Globalist; Marriott LTP; Hilton Diamond (Aspire)
Posts: 56,470
The real way to do this would be to determine the impact based on the total actual award bookings across the two patterns, which is of course an impossible analysis for us to perform. I think that the net decrease in SPG Cat 6 and Cat 7 properties undermines posters' arguments about this being a devaluation of aspirational properties.
Jun 28, 2018, 10:28 am
#49
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: May 2002
Location: Pittsburgh
Programs: MR/SPG LT Titanium, AA LT PLT, UA SLV, Avis PreferredPlus
Posts: 31,010
Jun 28, 2018, 10:32 am
#50
Suspended
Join Date: Sep 2017
Posts: 301
Lurkers,
The SPG suites-only and full-board-only properties appear to have all been included in the regular chart. will this is be the new rule or will there be a points add-on to book at those properties?
The SPG suites-only and full-board-only properties appear to have all been included in the regular chart. will this is be the new rule or will there be a points add-on to book at those properties?
Jun 28, 2018, 10:35 am
#51
Join Date: Sep 2010
Location: Chicago
Programs: Hyatt Glob; UA 1K; BonVoyage LTT (RIP SPG); HH Dia; JX Insighter
Posts: 1,643
The other thing to consider is the increased earn compared to the legacy SPG program. With the increased earn under the new program, even if an SPG property went up in price, it's overall affordability may be the same, or even better, due to increased earn under the new program.
Jun 28, 2018, 10:36 am
#52
Company Representative - Starwood
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Austin, Texas
Programs: Marriott Employee Level
Posts: 31,593
Best regards,
William R. Sanders
Social Media Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts LLC
[email protected]
Jun 28, 2018, 10:39 am
#53
formerly leemaj
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: California
Programs: Bonvoy Titanium and LTP, Hyatt Globalist, UA Gold, SW Companion Pass
Posts: 217
A member has an existing reservation at a hotel whose category is going down, how can they take advantage of the new, lower category pricing?
Members can cancel the reservation and rebook when the new category pricing is available. Keep in mind that members should always check the cancellation policy first.
Best regards,
William R. Sanders
Social Media Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts LLC
[email protected]
Members can cancel the reservation and rebook when the new category pricing is available. Keep in mind that members should always check the cancellation policy first.
Best regards,
William R. Sanders
Social Media Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts LLC
[email protected]
Jun 28, 2018, 10:41 am
#54
Company Representative - Starwood
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Austin, Texas
Programs: Marriott Employee Level
Posts: 31,593
Please note also: If a redemption stay is already booked for a date after these categories go into effect, it won't be impacted. But, if a critical modification is made (dates, room type, etc.) the booking cannot be honored & the member will be subject to the new category pricing.
Best regards,
William R. Sanders
Social Media Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts LLC
[email protected]
Jun 28, 2018, 10:44 am
#55
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: CT/ Germany - Ich spreche deutsch
Programs: UA 1K, Bonvoy LTTE, HH Dia, HY Expl
Posts: 4,657
There are a number of hotels that I would like to book now as the rates are going up but the hotels don't some seem to load rates/availability more than 1 year ahead. What can be done about this? Domes properties in Greece are two examples.
Jun 28, 2018, 10:45 am
#56
Join Date: Jun 2008
Location: BDU
Programs: DL:MM, Marriott:LTT
Posts: 8,779
How about both? Given that Marriott redemption rates are based on the popularity of redemptions at the properties, it makes sense that while overall redemption rates may have gone down, the more popular properties would be going up by definition. And if the properties people want are going up, then while overall redemptions may have gone down what people feel and see is an increase.
By the way, I just noticed the FS Paris CE has gone up to 60k/nights while the around-the-corner Ren AdT is only 50k. Even better, the CY St Denis is now just a 17.5/night Cat 3. Friends stayed there on points and loved it. If anyone is looking for a bargain trip to Paris, that seems to be a steal. It's not fancy, but most people are not going to Paris to hang out in the hotel room. It's functional, convenient and at 70k for five nights, almost as much per five nights as the CE is for one!
By the way, I just noticed the FS Paris CE has gone up to 60k/nights while the around-the-corner Ren AdT is only 50k. Even better, the CY St Denis is now just a 17.5/night Cat 3. Friends stayed there on points and loved it. If anyone is looking for a bargain trip to Paris, that seems to be a steal. It's not fancy, but most people are not going to Paris to hang out in the hotel room. It's functional, convenient and at 70k for five nights, almost as much per five nights as the CE is for one!
Jun 28, 2018, 10:46 am
#57
Company Representative - Starwood
Join Date: Nov 2000
Location: Austin, Texas
Programs: Marriott Employee Level
Posts: 31,593
Best regards,
William R. Sanders
Social Media Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts LLC
[email protected]
Jun 28, 2018, 10:46 am
#58
Suspended
Join Date: Sep 2017
Posts: 301
When will properties be mapped to the new award categories? August 1?
The new award chart will go into effect when our programs become one. This date will be shared very soon.
Best regards,
William R. Sanders
Social Media Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts LLC
[email protected]
The new award chart will go into effect when our programs become one. This date will be shared very soon.
Best regards,
William R. Sanders
Social Media Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts LLC
[email protected]
I am still betting the new combined program kick-off date is going to be 12:00 p.m. ET July 27, 2018
Jun 28, 2018, 10:49 am
#59
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: CT/ Germany - Ich spreche deutsch
Programs: UA 1K, Bonvoy LTTE, HH Dia, HY Expl
Posts: 4,657
You would have to wait until the property loads their rates in order to book anything...paid or otherwise.
Best regards,
William R. Sanders
Social Media Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts LLC
[email protected]
Best regards,
William R. Sanders
Social Media Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts LLC
[email protected]
Jun 28, 2018, 10:51 am
#60
Join Date: Jul 2003
Location: CT/ Germany - Ich spreche deutsch
Programs: UA 1K, Bonvoy LTTE, HH Dia, HY Expl
Posts: 4,657