-Through 12/14 you can buy Starpoints for 2.8 cents each directly from SPG. That means you can buy weekday nights in this hotel for $84 and weekend nights in this hotel for $56. No tax is charged on Starpoint stays.
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The Le Meridien Dead Sea is one of the great bargains in the Starwood system. Rates there are often above $300 per night and yet it’s bizarrely only a Category 1 hotel. This means that weekend nights cost just 2,000 Starpoints and weekdays cost just 3,000 Starpoints. A $331 rate there comes out to $384 with tax. On a weekend night that means a whopping 19.2 cents per Starpoint value. If you could only get that same value from the 25K Starpoints that come with their credit card that would be $4,800 😀 More realistically if you value your Starpoints at 2.2 cents each that means a weekend night will set you back the equivalent of $44 worth of points and a weekday night will set you back the equivalent of $66 worth of points.
Plus if you have Starwood Gold elite status (which comes free automatically with The Platinum Card® from American Express or by spending $30,000 on a Starwood card in a calendar year) you get a 250 Starpoint rebate and if you are Starwood Platinum elite status you get a 500 Starpoint rebate. Plus the hotel is good with giving suite upgrades to elite members. As a Platinum member if I’d stay for 1 weekend night for 1,500 points instead of $384 that would be 25.6 cents per point…anyway enough with the numbers fun.
Now the Le Meridien Dead Sea is notorious for trying to circumvent the rules of the SPG program and blocking award availability unless you call SPG and try to push your case. Additionally until recently there wasn’t even a single date open in 2013.
However I just did a check on SPG.com and there now is pretty decent availability for all of 2013 for Starpoint awards. It’s not a luxury hotel, but it sure is a Starpoint bargain!
I think that there’s a decent chance that this hotel goes up in category for 2013. Reorganization like that typically occurs in February or March but if you are booked before the reorganization you lock in the current rate for anytime you are booked, even if the rate goes up before then.
To find availability just type in Dead Sea on SPG.com, then click on “Browse Dates/Rates,” click on SPG Free Nights, and then browse the calendar to find dates. The dates that are greyed out are unavailable from SPG.com
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49 Comments On "Le Meridien Dead Sea Opens Tons Of Award Availability"
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To clarify, they have been showing plenty of availability for 2013 for a while, but it ended after March.
Now they’re showing for dates after March as well, including plenty of weekends which usually seem to fill up quicker.
I have spg personal, just got declined for spg business, does amex move credit from 1 card to the next to approve like chase, if yes do they move from personal to business. If they wouldn’t what’s the best reconsideration tips for amex?
Hi, we are going for Pesach, and I would love to stay one night at Le Meridian during Chol Hamo’ed, but it is grayed out, and even standard rates are unavailable. Any chances that the days of Pesach itself will be available, or do they stay in blackout as policy?
Thanks
Would it work to buy 2000 Starpoints (only $56 until Dec 16th)to pay for a weekend night? This would be a great way to get tremendously discounted rates if you don’t have enough starpoints.
can you link us a dansdeals review for this hotel.
thanks
Thanks Dan!
I am dying to stay there for a Shabbos, but I couldn’t find any availability until March. I booked that a month ago, and now I got for January too.
An amazing deal, thanks for the heads up!
Is the food Kosher mehadrin? Are there kosher pizza stores nearby??
I’m not sure if we will stay there 1 night or 2 nights. what’s the best way to book?
What’s the situation with glatt food around there?
They do not include the famous Israeli breakfast as do most hotels with the points. They charge 100ILS per person.
what’s the weather like in january, looks to be too cold to really enjoy (esp their big outdoor pool).
are there any hotels there with a good hashgacha to get food?
Was wondering is there any chance they will go back up to 7000 points in January?
” Plus the hotel is good with giving suite upgrades to elite members. As a Platinum member if I’d stay for 1 weekend night for 1,500 points instead of $384 that would be 25.6 cents per point”
Assuming that you get a upgrade it would actually be a lot more than 25 cents a point.
@Spg business:
Don’t be scared to just call Recon and explain why you want the card and negotiate moving lines around. They’re not as flexible as Chase, but they still can be reasoned with (unlike Citi’s pathetic Recon).
http://www.dansdeals.com/archives/16036
@baruch:
They’re probably playing just playing the usual Israeli games (Starwood hotels aren’t allowed to have blackouts), this hotel is infamous for gaming the system like that.
@David Kestenbaum:
Absolutely!
@shmu:
It’s been over 5 years since I stayed there.
There are lots of reviews in the Dead Sea thread on the forum:
http://forums.dansdeals.com/index.php?topic=2157
There is also a thread on the hotel here:
http://forums.dansdeals.com/index.php?topic=11744
And there’s even a DO meetup thread for this hotel:
http://forums.dansdeals.com/index.php?topic=20790
@Judah:
Enjoy!
@mark:
Right, but it’s not kosher mehadrin anyway.
@Anonymous:
True that 😀
@mark: I was just there, and they charge 100 NIS for the dinner buffet and 60 NIS for the breakfast buffet
@Dan: @Dan:
I called to reserve one night during chanuka, they said you cant use points during that week- is this true?
whats the best way to convince them to open a day that is not open? They said a supervisor in Israel will call me to see if they can override the blackout. (which of course they have no blackouts). Any chance the israel people will bend?
I had a problem booking Meriden Eilat so I called SPG ans got a supervisor to call the hotel directly…. Ps an hour later the hotel released inventory and there were dates (even during ) Chanukah available for SPG points redemption…
i am dying for chanukah. ive spent so much time calling the hotel and starwood. any ideas
@chani, yea get some1 who is a plat member to book it for u
Hey so I just booked for me ad my parents the same night two rooms two dif reservations because they didn’t let me do two rooms at one time. Will I be ok ? They are both on my mileage account and both in my name
It’s a category 1 because this property is a disaster. Old, dilapidated facilities, torn sheets, towels with stains, and a staff that couldn’t care less. Unfortunately that describes most hotels in this area.. I would head for the Marriott or Kempinski on the Jordanian side if you’re looking for a good Dead Sea experience. Trip Advisor and other online reviews can confirm this.
@Crunch: they have near by cafe cafe witch is mehadrin
i have 3 nights booked end of jan anyone know kashrus ? or where 2 eat ?
JUST FOR YOUR INFO!!
I just stayed at the hotel, was wonderful.
However, please speak to the mashgiach before eating anything and he will tell you what is good and what to stay away from. For example, the yellow cheese is not cholov yisroel, but the other cheeses are OK. Also one of the cereals were OU-Dairy. But most upsetting was that the BUTTER on the table was NOT cholov yisroel and the mashgiach forgot to mention it to us… 🙁
The meat was NOT a hashgacha that we ate, can’t remember if it was glatt or not.
For dinner we went to Cafe-Cafe which is right in the area and is kosher l’mehadrin dairy.
There isn’t anywhere else to go to eat, it’s not a city, its like dead-town.
Sorry, no, its like an unreal oasis smack in middle of the dessert.
Would highly recommend, we had a wonderful time there!!
Also, about Pesach, the hotel is rented out completely for pesach – for one of the pesach programs… so you’ll never be able to get availability. I once went the day after pesach and it was fabulous 🙂
I just checked and they are not showing any availability in 2013 …
@ Tea
Thanks for the info about Pesach, that’s what I was afraid of, so calling Starwood won’t help and would be a waste of time. We’d love to do Isru Chag, but we are flying out right away.
we booked two nights in eilat this chanukah. would omeone please tell us what to expect in terms of service, room and food
Hi Dan what’s your best starwood deal in the tri-state area?
@chani: Service is very basic. Not top class at all. The rooms are sparsely furnished and in need of a refurb, no Internet except for an exorbitant fee. Food is not mehadrin or glatt. If that concerns you speak to the mashgiach who will tell you what is what. This is a typical Israeli resort hotel, i.e. full of organised groups who pay much less than the rack rate and don’t really know how to behave in a hotel. Lost of screaming and shouting. The area is nice but the hotel experience is not that great, but for 3000 points a weeknight it is great value!
@Dans the man:
Sure.
@Yaya:
Try again.
@Shlome:
http://www.spg.com
@Moshe Chaim:
Free internet if you’re Gold or Plat.
Dan, Could you please elaborate on your statement, ” Plus if you have Starwood Gold elite status (which comes free automatically with The Platinum Card® from American Express)” I have the Platinum Card from Amex. What do I do to be designated as Gold Elieve with Starwood? Thanks!
@John B:
Call Starwood or the number on your plat card for your free Starwood Gold status upgrade.
I am staying there in January. Dan- Do they accept starwood points for other services? spa?
Is the food there kosher? Are there nay meat restaruants in dead sea?
I’ve stayed at several of the Dead Sea hotels and my favorite by far was Club Spa. It’s not fancy but very heimish and comfortable. And they have the best spa. Anyone know how to book it with points? Discounts?
Hotel is not mehadrin but mehadrin “Cafe Cafe” within 5 minute walk
When I booked for Shabbos it shows check out time as Saturday 11:00 AM. Do I need to call up to get special accommodations to leave after Shabbos?
This hotel has been level 1 most of the past 6 years I have gone there….only a brief period was it level 2. Keep hearing rumors of changes in hotel/management…that is probably why they waited to put the starwood dates on the Internet until now. Everything status quo for 2013 it looks like. I don’t understand how you get the 500 point rebate…I am sw plat for many years….even had the 100 nights last year. Also, rric garrido once said that if you check in to a starwood property even on the last day of a promotion you will get all the bonus points for the next 30 days…..can you confirm.
Never mind, starwood answered….you do get credit as long as you are there just one day of the promotion
@Crunch: everything is fine except the meat which is i believe beit yosef…..they do have a great milk menue tho
I have stayed at the Le Meridian for Chol Homed Succos. I really love the hotel. If you use points, you must buy the meals. It is fully Kosher but not Glatt. I rarely if even eat meat and stick with fish and chicken and great salads. If you really need Glatt, just be more healthy and stick with fish and chicken. The meals are fantastic. It is a gret hotel. The spa is great adn the view is terrific if yo get a sea view location. Also, they have comedy entertainment, but in Hebrew. The pool area is amazing. It is a gret Starwood points bargain. The Tel Aviv Sheraton at 12,000 points is also very good.
@anonymous 12:09
Beit Yosef is the highest standard of meat that is possible. Many of the best Hechsherim such as Rubin, Landau’s, Macpoud all say with pride that the meat is Beit Yosef and not just chalk/glatt.
@chani: i have 2 nights available sunday Monday this week 225 a night
someone told me they are afraid to go there because that part of israel has a lot of arabs in the area and staying at the hotel….is that true?
ARe there any fleishig restaurants in the area that are mehadrin?
Anyone have nights available during the month of march? March 18 – April 7?
If yes, please respond. As we are looking to go…
how do i upgrade to a suite if i dont have platinum? in spg cat. 1 it’s only 1000points to upgrade or 3000 to upgrade to a suite? which suite does it upgrade to? presidential, masada? premium? family?
@mosey:
u can only use points to upgrade on reservations booked at RACK, COR, SET, or BAR rate.
https://www.starwoodhotels.com/preferredguest/account/starpoints/redeem/upgrades.html