Starwood 2015 Annual Category Changes

Never Miss Another Deal - Follow DansDeals on Facebook

Update: Categories will change at midnight on 03/10 local hotel time. Book now to lock in lower prices on hotels going up or rebook existing reservations on 03/10 to save on hotels that are going down!

———————————————————–

Originally posted on 03/08:

Read about previous category changes:
–Starwood 2014 Annual Category Changes
–Starwood 2013 Category Changes
–Starwood 2012 Category Changes
–2011 Starwood Category Adjustments
-2010 had no Starwood category changes
–2009 Starwood Category Adjustments
–2008 Starwood Category Adjustments
–Starwood 2007 Changes: Launch Of Worldwide Cash+Points Awards (The good old days of Starwood in Israel)
American Express is a DansDeals.com advertiser.
————————————————————————-

Starwood 2015 Complete List Of Annual Category Changes

Earn Starpoints on the Starwood Consumer American Express and on the Starwood Business American Express.

Book stays before 03/10 local hotel time to lock in current rates for future stays at hotels that are going up.  Almost all hotel stays are cancellable for free until a certain amount of time before the stay (read the fine print).  If you have a reservation at a hotel that is going down then just cancel and rebook the stay on 03/10 when this year’s category changes go into effect.

Just over 10.5% of SPG hotels will become more expensive and 11.8% of SPG hotels will get less expensive when redeeming points.

Most hotels chains reorganize their categories yearly to keep them current with the average rates that they charge.  The beauty of hotel points is that there are no blackout dates or capacity controls, if there is a room you can use points for it.  So even if a major event is in town and rates are quadruple what they normally are you can still use the regular amount of points as long as the hotel is not sold out of standard rooms.

This list is subject to change and other hotels can still be added to it.

Starwood’s standard award chart will not change:
If you stay 5 nights with points at category 3-7 hotels the 5th night will be free.
Category 1 = 2,000 (weekend), 3,000 (weekday).
Category 2 = 3,000 (weekend), 4,000 (weekday).
Category 3 = 7,000
Category 4 = 10,000
Category 5 = 12,000 (Low Season), 16,000 (High Season).
Category 6 = 20,000 (Low Season), 25,000 (High Season).
Category 7 = 30,000 (Low Season), 35,000 (High Season).

The capacity controlled cash and points chart doesn’t change either:

Point transfers to airlines with a 25% bonus for 20K transfers remains unchanged as well.

Overall changes are pretty good this year. Some favorites, like the Westin Lagunamar Cancun, jump from 4 to 5.
However lots of other popular hotels get more affordable, including all of the SPG properties in Maui.

Sample hotels going more expensive:
-W Retreat Koh Samui, Thailand, was 6, now 7.
-Le Parker Méridien Palm Springs, was 5, now 6.
-The Phoenician, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Scottsdale, was 5, now 6.
-W Boston, was 5, now 6.
-The Westin Lagunamar Ocean Resort Villas & Spa, Cancun, was 4, now 5.
-W San Diego, was 4, now 5.
-Sheraton Old San Juan Hotel & Casino, was 3, now 4.
-Sheraton Gateway LAX, was 3, now 4.
-The Westin Cleveland Downtown, was 3, now 4.
-The Westin O’Hare, was 3, now 4.

Sample hotels getting cheaper:
-W Paris, was 7, now 6.
-S. Regis Rome, was 7, now 6
-Vedema, a Luxury Collection Resort, Santorini, Greece, was 7, now 6.
-Westin Ka’anapali Ocean Resort Villas Maui, was 7, now 6.
-Sheraton Steamboat Resort Villas, Colorado, was 7, now 6.
-Westin Maui Resort & Spa, Ka’anapali, was 6, now 5.
-Sheraton Maui Resort & Spa, was 6, now 5.
-Westin Riverfront Mountain Villas, Beaver Creek Mountain, was 6, now 5.
-Hotel Grande Bretagne, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Athens, was 6, now 5.
-Le Méridien Taipei, Taiwan, was 6, now 5.
-Hotel Excelsior, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Naples, Italy, was 5, now 4.
-Le Méridien Vienna, Austria, was 5, now 4.
-Sheraton Towers Singapore, was 5, now 4.
-Le Westin Montreal, was 5, now 4.
-Westin Los Angeles Airport, was 4, now 3.
-Sheraton Mahwah Hotel, was 4, now 3.
-Sheraton Langkawi Beach Resort, Malaysia, was 4, now 3.
-Sheraton Rome, was 3, now 2.
-Sheraton London Heathrow Hotel, was 3, now 2.
-Aloft Montreal Airport, was 3, now 2.
-Element Vaughan, Toronto, was 3, now 2.
-Sheraton Vancouver Guildford Hotel, was 3, now 2.
-Aloft Panama, was 3, now 2.
-Aloft BWI Airport, was 3, now 2.
-Four Points by Sheraton Detroit Airport, was 2, now 1.
-Aloft San Jose Hotel, Costa Rica, was 2, now 1.

HT: Deal Guy, via DDF