Updates, as promised:
-The W Maldives charges $180/night to confirm an upgrade to an overwater bungalow with a private pool, as reviewed here.
-The Le Meridien Bora Bora charges $220/night to confirm an upgrade to an overwater bungalow. However (and I was blown away by the class of this offer!), as an SPG Platinum member they said that if there were any overwater rooms for sale on the day of checkin they would refund the entire upgrade fee!
-Commenter “bitzy” is reporting that the Park Hyatt Maldives now charges $550/night during peak season to confirm an upgrade to an overwater bungalow though I haven’t confirmed that change myself. It seems that the $350/night upcharge still applies to non-peak travel times.
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Originally posted on 07/18:
Many people transfer their Starwood Starpoints into airline miles due to the lucrative transfer ratio and the plethora of airlines offered.
However using Starpoints for hotel redemptions can also be lucrative. There are no blackout dates or capacity controls, if a standard room is for sale you can use points for it, even during peak travel times. Additionally if you redeem for 4 nights you get the 5th night for free.
Starwood is running a promotion that is discounting select resorts by 35%.
Last December I stayed at the S. Regis Bal Harbour for 12,000 points per night with a similar discounted award promotion. Though last year it involved a rebate of your points while this time the discount is applied at the time of booking. Also last year’s promotion was for resorts in North America and the Caribbean while this year’s are for overseas resorts.
Eligible SPG resorts:
-W Retreat, Koh Samui, Thailand. Normally 40K/night. Now 26K/night or 20,800/night if you stay for 5 nights.
-Vana Belle, Koh Samui, Thailand. Normally 40K/night. Now 26K/night or 20,800/night if you stay for 5 nights.
–Pine Cliffs Residence, Albufeira, Portugal. Normally 40K/night. Now 26K/night or 20,800/night if you stay for 5 nights.
-Al Maha, Dubai, UAE. Normally 60K/night. Now 39K/night or 31,200/night if you stay for 5 nights.
–Mystique, Santorini, Greece. Normally 60K/night. Now 39K/night or 31,200/night if you stay for 5 nights.
–Le Meridien Bora Bora. Normally 60K/night. Now 39K/night or 31,200/night if you stay for 5 nights.
–W Retreat and Spa Maldives. Normally 90K/night. Now 58,500/night or 46,800/night if you stay for 5 nights.
It’s difficult to book these resorts online, so you’ll need to call SPG or use their click to chat option when logged in on SPG.com to book them. When I did click to chat the rates they quoted were already discounted.
You can read more about the overwater bungalow at the absolutely incredible W Retreat Maldives in my trip report here.
Bear in mind that the discounted rates are for the base room only, you’ll have to call/email the hotel directly if you want to arrange a confirmed upgrade to an overwater bungalow in places like Bora Bora or the Maldives. I’ve reached to those hotels to see what they would charge for a confirmed upgrade on a 5 night stay and will update this post when I get a response.
Bear in mind that the Park Hyatt Maldives can always be attained for just 22,000 Chase or Hyatt points per night without any promotions as even the most expensive Hyatt hotels are capped at just 22,000 points per night. They charge $350/night to confirm an upgrade to an overwater bungalow in advance. Unfortunately their overwater bungalows don’t have a private pool though like the ones at the W Retreat do though it’s also a phenomenal 5 star resort with top-notch Park Hyatt luxury service. You can find Chase cards with mega bonuses that can be transferred to book Hyatt hotels here.
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26 Comments On "Save 35% On Select Starwood Resort Award Redemptions!"
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Dan, thanks for the deal.
any 35% off in Manhatten? or NY area?
thanks.
@bal habus:
No, just the places I mentioned.
However SPG is very weak in Manhattan, you are much better off with Chase/Hyatt for NYC as they have some awesome hotels and great values.
Any deals in south florida area?
I thought the highest end SPG category was 7 (30-35k) per night .. which is also why SPG points are so lucrative. How are some these places “normally 60 or 90k per night? seems like a highly inflated price , with a not so great discount.
am i missing something here.. is there another award chart?
@Jack:
No, just the places I mentioned.
@aviz:
These SPG resorts don’t have standard rooms so they get away with charging more than the regular category 6 and category 7 rates.
This is a lowlight of the SPG program. Most other programs force hotels to have some sort of base room. But the 35% off makes it a deal.
Hi Dan,
I applied for the chase Hyatt and spent the 1000$ but when I log in to my Hyatt passeport account it doesn’t mention anything about the free night, is it normal? Am i supposed to have 44k on my account?
Thanks
@Shaila:
You don’t get points for opening the Hyatt card, you get 2 electronic certificates that are good for 1 year.
Call Hyatt to use them or look under “My Awards” online.
The nice thing about the Chase UR cards is that those are actual points that don’t expire. And you can officially book a Hyatt room for someone else when using actual points as opposed to a free night certificate.
In NYC, Hyatt standard rooms are typically 22K a night. So doesn’t it make sense to book a starwoods SPG room for 12K starwood points? Are there Hyatt values I am missing in NY?
@DAN,
The park hyatt maldives upgrade is dependent on the time of year. I was told 650 to confirm an overwater villa, do you have a contact that has a different offer?
@avi in queens:
There are also 15K and 18K Hyatts in NYC though the 22K Andaz 5th Ave is fantastic and the upcoming Park Hyatt NYC should be amazing as well.
The SPG hotels in NYC mostly stink.
@bitzy:
Interesting, when I emailed them in peak season I was told it would be $350 year-round.
Perhaps that has changed since earlier this year though it can’t hurt for you to ask again about the $350 rate.
@Dan:
Dan,
whats your opinion on the ‘W’ 42nd and 3rd?
is it worth 12,000 points?
thanks.
Hey Dan an idea if the Le Meridien in Bora Bora can be upgraded to overwater bungalow?
@bal habus:
Never stayed there but none of the Ws in NYC have a great reputation.
@amk:
I’ve emailed them to ask what the upgrade fee would be.
Hey Dan one other question.
If I dont have enough Starwood points. What are my options. Can I transfer from somewhere? or buy them?
Hey Dan, when I click on the Amex SPG consumer card I don’t see the same 25,000 points offer that the business card shows on the application page. Does the consumer card still give you those extra 15k when spending 5k in 6 months?
@amk:
Not really.
Open a card?
@Julien:
You may need to browse incognito and then click on the link again.
In IE and Firefox you can access this mode by holding down Ctrl, Shift, and P buttons on your keyboard. In Chrome you can access this mode by holding down Ctrl, Shift, and N.
Hi Dan – Was looking for a Starwood hotel near hershey. The Sheraton Harrisburg Hershey Hotel has one night for 14k points or 8k points and $75. They are a an SPG Category 3 hotel. Is this a considered a good deal for SPG points?
@Aaron:
Category 3 hotels cost 7K points.
Good catch. Meant I was reserving 2 rooms adjoining at 7k a piece – so 14k total. There were no suites available.
@Aaron:
Just look at the paid rate, add the applicable tax % and see what kind of value you’re getting.
If the paid rate with tax is $140 or more then it’s probably a good use of the points.
Thanks Dan, incognito worked.
@Marco Polo You rock! When r u starting your own site? Hitting up deal after deal!
@dan, no go on the park hyatt. The high season is now a $550 upgrade.
Le Meridien is got to be the cheapest route for an over water bungalow.
@dan, Do you have write up on ways of achieving sbg platinum?
BH
Dan, when you get a chance can you post a basic guide on using points for Hotels.
I understand the miles for airlines but would like to learn how the points for hotels work.
Which cards should I get?
When to transfer from chase/american express points to hyatt or hilton?
WHen is a good value to use SPG points etc,
If you could write a beginners guide to this, it would be much appreciated.
THanks
Dan- your opinion- better to book with this rate in the Maldives and upgrade to OWB or book with platinum confirmed suite nights to get a sweet suite for more points though?