Starwood Hotel Rewards
The #4 hotel reward program under examination is Starwood Preferred Guest, which includes the Westin and Sheraton brands as well as several other exclusive properties. The point requirement for a free night with Starwood is less than the point requirement of the Marriott and Hilton hotels.
At first glace this may look great, but you only get 2 points for every dollar spent on Starwood Hotel stays and 3 more points with the Starwood credit card for a total of 5 points. Both Marriott and Hilton will give you 10 points for being a member and 15 points if you use their credit cards!
Read the table below according to this example: Getting 10,000 points requires spending $2,500 on Starwood stays assuming 4 points/dollar spent. A free night at an $150/night category 4 hotel costs 10,000. $150 divided by $2,500 is about 6%.
| 1 Night at: | Points Required | Dollars Spent (assume 4 points/dollar) | Typical Room Cost per Night | % Rebate |
| Category 1-2 | 3,000-4,000 | $750-$1,000 | $120-$250 | 16%-25% |
| Category 3-4 | 7,000-10,000 | $1,750-$2,500 | $75-$310 | 4%-12% |
| Category 5 | 12,000-16,000 | $3,000-$4,000 | $150-$525 | 5%-13% |
| Category 6 | 20,000-25,000 | $5,000-$6,250 | $415-$830 | 8%-13% |
| Category 7 | 30,000-35,000 | $7,500-$8,750 | $1,100 (only 1 in New York 35,000 pts/night) | 12% |
Starwood Reward Points
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Rate this hotel! |
5 points per dollar
If you want the credit card you will also get
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Gold Preferred Status
- Requires staying 25 nights or 10 stays annually
- Automatic room upgrades
- 4 pm late check out
Platinum Preferred Status
- Requires staying 50 nights or 25 stays annually
- All Gold Benefits
- Free welcome amenity
Conclusion
Quite frankly, the Starwood Hotel reward program is just disappointing. The program took home 10 different awards at the Freddie Awards this year, but I just don’t see how this is even possible.
The only benefit of the Starwood program is a slightly higher conversion of points to airline miles. As I have mentioned before, I’m not a fan of airline miles since they give you the least bang for your buck.
The Starwood reward program is not even competitive with Marriott and Hilton in my opinion. The program gives you fewer hotel choices, fewer points, and makes it more difficult to get gold preferred status. Unless you’re gung-ho about staying at one of Starwood’s posh luxury resorts then don’t waste your time with this one.
10 Ways to Save in 2010
[...] for me and it just depends on the type of traveler you are. I was not that impressed with the Starwood Reward Program, but it has won many awards over the years. Starwood definitely has some unique hotels, but I think [...]