vivrant

i wanted to have my honeymoon here using points. 87,5k points? guess it won't happen now

SASfan

...that you either have to be extremely wealthy or a points millionaire to book an acceptable honeymoon length (at least 1 week in my book) suite in the Maldives. Even at non-SPG properties (One & Only, Hilton, Sonova Gili,...) the prices are astronomical. I guess what you'd expect from the Maldives.

Sure wish Hyatt had a resort there and started running the FFN promo again..!

deckman

Almost all the resorts in the Maldives are hugely expensive. There are many that charge from $600 to $1,500 per night and sell out regularly. If you want to use points to stay there instead of cash, they're going to get their pound(s) of flesh.

wahoo99

oh wow.....this is ridiculous! I had not called to get the new point cost when I saw that new disclaimer. This makes it the most expensive point redemption property in the starwood collection. I mean, triple the number of standard category 6 starpoints??? How can they justify that? At least the suite reasoning makes sense, a suite always costing double the number of starpoints at a property. But this being triple, I don't see how they are getting away with this. William, care to comment on how this is justified?

At least the St Regis Bora Bora is just double, and their average room rates are higher than what I just pulled for the Maldives. For example:

Nov 5-11
W Maldives: Beach Retreat, $735/nt
St Regis Bora Bora: Oceanfront 1 bedroom, $815/nt

What a ridiculous waste of starpoints/$, I guess they are trying to discourage anyone ever redeeming at this property. I should have booked a room when it was first available in the system, SPG.com was letting me cost it out at 20k/night before they changed it!!

GUWonder

If low season is when I think it is, I'd avoid going to the Maldives then -- especially at the ridiculous point levels required for an award stay. Even for high season, I don't think I'll be cashing in SPG points for a stay given the ridiculously high level of points required for an award stay.

How many paid nights at the W Maldives would be required to earn one free night there? If it's more than 8-12 paid nights for a free night, that's not worth it for me as there may well be better alternatives.

GUWonder

So it could be c. 30 paid nights to earn one free night at the same property? I don't know of a single hotel that wouldn't cut me at least a 5% discount for booking a place for a whole month during an off-peak time of the year. And it sounds like the W Maldives/Starwood is too stingy to even reward a loyal customer with a 3-5% return for 30 nights of stays at the $735 level.

GUWonder

Are the majority of property owners/managers in the Maldives going to refuse to give me a 3-5% discount if I were to book 30 nights there for friends&family&self, especially during an off-peak time? I doubt it. In other words, just because many resorts there charge in the range you mention and/or sell out at such prices does not mean that a 3-5% discount (via points redemptions) is asking for too much. It's on the cheap side for that kind of volume, especially at this price level. This is less about "they're going to get their pound(s) of flesh" than it is about other things including the property owners/managers views about certain things.

kevinsac

That WAS a spectacular resort. Sorry they left the *W chain.

I can't believe the point redemption level for rooms at the Maldives. Holy moly, Batman!

I just read about the property in one of the travel magazines this weekend....and thought.....that would make a nice vacation. I certainly can't afford to "buy" a room.....but with miles and points......I thought it might be feasible. But three nights not a vacation makes!

deckman

I don't disagree at all. I think the rates charged are absolutely jaw-droppping. Your desire for a 3-5% discount for an extended stay is more than reasonable.

Every time I see what resort hotels charge for rooms in developing nations (with developing nation economics) I think I need to get a group of investors together and build one. They are money machines.

high_flyer

I wouldn't call the Maldives a developing nation per se.

Go to Vietnam, and you'll get $75/nt room. Even Ethiopia is $200 a night (as they soak the government and aid workers).

BigBopper

Just think how much this will cost after they raise the cost of redemption/devalue points!!!

Maybe if i start saving now I can take my wife to celebrate our 50th aniversary in 2052!

estnet

As the opening date keeps getting pushed back month by month just wondered if anyone had reservations for a date that has now passed and how *wood handled it.
Getting a little worried about my own reservations - it's not as if you can just go to another hotel at the last minute

wahoo99

I LOVED the amazing Rayavadee too! That was a great loss to Starwood, best points I ever redeemed.

I had not checked back on this thread in a while...I was still curious if William could comment on the rationale for the triple amount of regular Cat 6 starpoints needed to redeem a night at this Maldives property. Double the starpoints for the "all suites" at a property I can understand (not like, but understand) the rationale, but triple just does not make sense. Comments?? Should we be expecting more of these pseudo categories in the future??

Starwood Lurker

I think the rationale is that the suite types at this property are so far above what is available at any other participating property that the cost is justifiable. Obviously, time will tell if it is or not.

Since the term "pseudo categories" is a term indicative of a perception rather than reality, I will take this to be a rhetorical question.

Sincerely,


William R. Sanders
Customer Service Coordinator
Starwood Preferred Services

[email protected]

gleff

These are definitely expensive redemptions.

But I'd at least offer thanks for (1) making redemptions possible (it's not a 'non-participating property') and (2) making redemptions of higher-category rooms possible (they're under no obligation to do this).

Under most circumstances the W Maldives will not be a good use of points, traditionally defined (high $/point ratio).

But there are plenty of people with gobs of points who aren't of the means to pay for a vacation like this in cash. It's a truly aspirational award. And it could make for an experience that would otherwise be forever out of reach.

So at least it exists!

Bora Bora Nui isn't a great value redemption either (though at least when I went an Overwater Bungalow was just 44.5k points/night!). But I chose to use points there for part of my honeymoon.

Still, these point numbers do make me choke...!