Starwood 2017 Annual Category Changes

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Update: Today is the final day to book hotels before their rates go up. Category changes can take effect local time, though agents over the phone may still be able to honor lower category rates today.

Originally posted on 2/9/17:

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Read about previous category changes:
–Starwood 2016 Annual Category Changes
–Starwood 2015 Annual 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)
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Starwood 2017 Complete List Of Annual Category Changes (Click all to view all hotel changes)

-The Starwood Consumer AMEX and the Starwood Business AMEX offer 25,000 signup points each with no fee for the first year.

Book stays before 3/7 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 3/7 when this year’s category changes go into effect.

325 SPG hotels are changing category this year. 63% of those will go down in category.

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

View the key hotels changing in category after the jump:

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.

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.

-The Le Méridien Bora Bora climbs back to a category 7 after a year at category 6.

-Many hotels in Canada and Japan will go up 1 category.

-Many hotels in Asia outside of Japan will go down 1 category.

-The Elma Arts hotel in Zichron Yaakov, Israel will go from a category 5 to a category 6.

-There are no changes in Hawaii.

-The -Four Points by Sheraton Fort Lauderdale Airport drops from a category 4 to a category 2.

-I stayed in the Westin Miyako, Tokyo on the way back from the United Island Hopper and found it to be a great hotel near a fantastic Chabad House. Sadly it goes up from a category 4 to 5.

-As a 10 year old I got autographs from nearly the entire Indians ballclub (Belle and Murray were the holdouts) when we stayed in the Westin Harbour Castle Toronto. The Indians and other teams still stay there. That hotel goes from a category 4 to 5.

Sample hotels going more expensive:
-Four Points by Sheraton Detroit Metro Airport, was 1, now 2
-Westin Atlanta Airport, GA, was 2, now 3
-Westin Warsaw, Poland, was 2, now 3
-Hotel Teatro, Porto, Portugal, was 2, now 3
-Sheraton Vancouver Guildford Hotel, was 2, now 3
-Aloft Montreal Airport, was 2, now 3
-Sheraton Montreal Airport Hotel, was 2, now 3
-Four Points by Sheraton Toronto Airport, was 2, now 3
-Westin Toronto Airport, was 2, now 4
-Westin Fort Lauderdale, FL, was 3, now 4
-Westin Bear Mountain Golf Resort & Spa, Victoria, Canada, was 3, now 4
-Sheraton Laval Hotel, Montreal, Canada, was 3, now 4
-Four Points by Sheraton Juneau, was 3, now 4
-Auberge du Vin, Argentina, was 3, now 5
-Sheraton Grand Los Angeles, CA, was 4, now 5
-Westin Grand, Vancouver, was 4, now 5
-Westin Harbour Castle, Toronto, was 4, now 5
-Westin Bayshore, Vancouver, was 4, now 5
-Sheraton Centre Toronto Hotel, was 4, now 5
-Westin Miyako Kyoto, Japan, was 4, now 5
-Sheraton Miyako Hotel Tokyo, Japan, was 4, now 5
-Arelauquen Lodge, Bariloche, Argentina, was 4, now 5
-Elma Arts, Zichron Yaakov, Israel, was 5, now 6
-Le Méridien Delfina Santa Monica, CA, was 5, now 6
-The Naka Phuket, Thailand, was 5, now 6
-Anemi Hotel, Folegandros Island, Greece, was 5, now 6
-Le Méridien Bora Bora, was 6, now 7
-W Montreal, Canada, was 6, now 7
-Vana Belle, Koh Samui, Thailand, was 6, now 7
-Le Roch Hotel and Spa, Paris, France, was 6, now 7

Sample hotels getting less expensive:
-Sheraton Moscow Sheremetyevo Airport Hotel, Russia, was 2, now 1
-Four Points by Sheraton Cleveland Airport, OH, was 3, now 2
-Four Points by Sheraton Dallas Fort Worth Airport North, was 3, now 2
-Sheraton BWI Airport Hotel, MD, was 3, now 2
-Four Points by Sheraton Philadelphia Northeast, PA, was 3, now 2
-Sheraton Suites Columbus, OH, was 3, now 2
-Sheraton da Bahia Hotel, Salvador, Brazil, was 3, now 2
-Sheraton Lima Hotel & Convention Center, Peru, was 3, now 2
-Sheraton Baku Airport, Azerbaikan, was 3, now 2
-Four Points by Sheraton Brussels, Belgium, was 3, now 2
-Four Points by Sheraton Bur Dubai, was 3, now 2
-Four Points by Sheraton Fort Lauderdale Airport, FL, was 4, now 2
-Sheraton Puerto Rico Hotel & Casino, was 4, now 3
-Sheraton Atlantic City Convention Center Hotel, NJ, was 4, now 3
-Le Méridien Panama, was 4, now 3
-Sheraton Grand Beijing, China, was 4, now 3
-Le Méridien She Shan Shanghai, China, was 4, now 3
-Sheraton Hotel and Convention Center, Santiago, Chile, was 4, now 3
-Sheraton Frankfurt Airport Hotel, Germany, was 4, now 3
-Four Points by Sheraton Milan Center, Italy, was 4, now 3
-Sheraton Abu Dhabi Hotel & Resort, was 4, now 3
-Le Royal Méridien Abu Dhabi, was 4, now 3
-Boca Chica, Acapulco, Mexico, was 4, now 3
-Westin New Orleans Canal Place, was 5, now 4
-Aloft Denver Downtown, CO, was 5, now 4
-Sheraton Sao Paulo WTC Hotel, Brazil, was 5, now 4
-Hotel Vagabond, Singapore, was 5, now 4
-Westin Bund Center Shanghai, China, was 5, now 4
-Westin Taipei, Taiwan, was 5, now 4
-W Beijing, China, was 5, now 4
-W Bogota Hotel, Colombia, was 5, now 4
-S. Regis Moscow, Russia, was 5, now 4
-W Istanbul Turkey, was 5, now 4
-W New Orleans French Quarter, LA, was 6, now 5
-Westin Austin Downtown, was 6, now 5
-Park Central San Francisco, CA, was 6, now 5
-Westin Copley Place, Boston, MA, was 6, now 5
-W Mexico City, was 6, now 5
-Great Northern Hotel London, England, was 6, now 5
-The Westin Palace, Milan, Italy, was 6, now 5
-Le Metropolitan, Paris, France, was 6, now 5
-Four Points by Sheraton Havana, Cuba, was 6, now 5
-St. Regis Doha, Qatar, was 6, now 5
-Les Bains, Paris, was 7, now 6
-Atlantis by Giardino, Zurich, Switzerland, was 7, now 6
-Cervo Hotel, Italy, was 7, now 6
-S. Regis Langkawi, Malaysia, was 7, now 6

HT: mochjas, via DDF

Where will you be booking before 3/7 and where will you be booking afterward? Hit the comments!