SanDiego1K

Hi fibonacci, and welcome to the Starwood forum of FlyerTalk. I've merged your thread into a thread on the same topic. If nothing else, you'll see that you aren't the first to make this mistake - and won't be the last. How painful. Stick with us, do some reading, and we'll help you avoid such a mistake in the future.

bluedevils

sorry to bump such an old thread, but I searched and couldn't find anything newer.

Recently prepaid Expedia for a Sheraton stay. Just got my emailed SPG statement and was shocked to see I was given credit for the entire stay! I ended up earning over 3,000 points because of the 'Night after Night' promo or whatever it is called that was/is running.

Was this a fluke or have times changed?

I gave my SPG account number to the hotel upon check-in.

KENNECTED

Was this you booking on Expedia or a corporate Expedia booking. If you, then the reservation wasn't processed correctly and you got lucky.

shhhhhhhhhh

bluedevils

regular Expedia, not corporate.

Jumpgate

Whatever you do please do not post the name of this Sheraton. We want behavior like this to be encouraged - not punished.

My guess is whoever checked you in did something to your reservation (whether purposely or inadvertently) that he/she probably wasn't supposed to do.

That being said, watch your credit card statement to make sure you aren't re-charged for the room by the Sheraton.

bluedevils

Yeah, I purposely did NOT mention the specific location and actually, right after I said it was a Sheraton I was going to edit my post and remove it but then someone already had quote-replied so I just left it.

When I checked in, I told the clerk that I knew I wouldn't get Starpoints since room was booked thru Expedia, but I gave him my SPG number in case we spent anything on incidentals.

paranoid

I think my question should fall into this category and it's not necessary to start a new thread.

I just saw a promo advertised on SPG.com, in which Starwood cooperates with a local bank in China to offer greate deals if the guests pay for the bills with the credit card issued by that Chinese bank.

The promo states that if you make the reservation on 1 June and 2 June, 2009 through the new opened Starwood Reservation Center in China, and complete the stay by 30 June, 2009, enjoy the following rate:
Aloft: RMB 288
4P: RMB 388
Sheraton: RMB 588
Westin or LM: RMB 688
St. Reig. : RMB 888

I read carefully about the T&C of this promo, and do realize that per T&C, this promo could not be stacked with the Q2 promo. That's fine. The rate offerred by this promo enticed me to call the Starwood Reservation Center to make some reservations for my future stays. However, I was astonished when the agent told me that the rate in this promo is ineligible. Nowhere in T&C says the rate is ineligible.

Put the promo aside, I always have a gut feeling that ANY reservation booked through Starwood Reservation Center or on SPG.COM should be eligible for status. Am I wrong with this impressioin? Or I just missed some important terms regarding the eligibility of the rates in SPG program?

Wish both Lurkers could offer me some hints on this before I call back to the old Platinum hotline to arrange for my future stays.

P.S.
I could only find the promo page in Chinese, unable to find the relevant English page. However, I would still like to post the promo link here:
http://china.destinations.starwoodho...N_CCC_CRAZY_AP

As you can see, this promo is definitely offerred on the starwood website.

nissan motor

I would be surprised to book a rate on a SPG sales channel which is not eligible

seiknujnama

I didn't find any T&C of this promotion.If the reservation made by SPG. Should be not problem entitle get stay and points?

jimmychang

The agent was wrong. You just need to ask them if the rate earns stay credits. If it does, you will get the free weekend night.

paranoid

Unfortunately, I did ask that and was told the stay under this promo does not count for status. That means no stay credit, no points.

Starwood Lurker II

Dear members,

Unfortunately, the agent is right.

There are certain special offers that Starwood provides which are not eligible for Starpoints and stay credit and this happen to be one of them.

1. The discounted rate is only offered when caller rings up the Guangzhou CCC reservation hotline and nowhere else(not online, not via the property or any other CCCs).
2. Members have to book using their China Merchant Bank CC.

How does one know if the promotional rate is eligible for Stay/Starpoints credit? The associate on the phone should advise directly during booking on the additional clause.

If you found out that you have not been dutifully informed on this during your reservation, do ring up Corporate Customer care and bring this up.

[email protected]

Thyetus Lee | Online Forum Coordinator(AP)
Starwood Customer Contact Centre (AP) Pte Ltd

jimmychang

But that doesn't comply with program T&C, which says all rates should be eligible excluding those specified within which. Can Lurker tell us how could this rate be ineligible under T&C? If it's not, shouldn't SPG honor T&C ?

4B.4. An “Eligible Rate” is the rate you pay for your room, but excludes:

(a) for hotels located in Asia Pacific*, rooms where the booking is not made directly with Starwood or a Starwood branded web-site;

(b) for hotels located outside of Asia Pacific*, pre-paid rooms where the booking is made by an agent or third party and you pay for that booking directly to such third party, such as tour operators, and pre-paid channels, including, but not limited to priceline.com, expedia.com, hotels.com, hrn.com, hotwire.com, lastminute.com, site59.com, orbitz.com, travelocity.com, cheaptickets.com, quickbook.com, travelweb.com, lodging.com, yahootravel.com, and travel.msn.com;

(c) room rates for group commercial or group leisure bookings where rooms are booked as part of a conference or organized tour that is either master billed or paid at tour operator rates or where the bookings for six or more rooms are linked;

(d) room rates that are master billed or paid at tour operator rates, wholesaler rates, including WFNR, TAED rates, and crew room rates;

(e) employee rates;

(f) complimentary rooms (including, but not limited to, any Free Night Awards earned through the Program or otherwise) and other rooms reserved using Starpoints, including, rooms through the Program’s Cash and Points Award room rate.

paranoid

Hi, Thyetus,

Thanks for helping us clarify the fact that not all promo that Starwood provides are eligible for Starpoints and stay credit. This correct my previous false impression that all reservations made through Starwood or SPG channel are eligible for status.

Maybe the best practice is that we inquiry about the eligibility of the rate when making reservations to save further possible troubles, if any.

Anyway, the rate of this promo is very good. I'm still considering to make mixed reservations with the ineligible rate under this promo and other eligible rates to maximize the economic benefit and SPG benefit.

jimmychang

I still believe this is wrong as it violates the T&C. An easy way to go around it is to file BRG. As SPG.com should offer the lowerst rate so even starwood call center can be the "competing booking source" under BRG.