Fleet of Mercedes

We came upon a huge fleet of Mercedes Kompressors and we jumped in one with chilled towels (with the Keraton logo) and a small snack waiting on us in the backseat. It was my fanciest exit from an airport to date.

Ready to ride in style!

Map:

It was the first time we’d traveled by car at more than 30 mph that week (island time in Bali), so a “50 minute” ride to the hotel turned out to be more like 35 minutes. Of course, by that time, we’d grown used to the cars being checked thoroughly by security before driving onto the hotel grounds (still a little disturbing), but, once finished, we were driven up to the small hotel lobby. The check-in and concierge area was small but very nice, modern and clean.

The agent checked us in efficiently and accompanied us to our room. On our way up, she asked if we wanted the points amenity or breakfast. But, since the breakfast was for just one person, we opted for the 500 points.

Room

Our room (we were upgraded to a Junior Suite Executive, which is now called the Executive Room after some rebranding…) was very sleek, very large and very elegant — everything a business traveler from any part of the world would love.

It was definitely a business traveler’s hotel (not exactly homey; more like a penthouse NYC condo) and we were probably the very first honeymoon couple they’d ever seen, but we were more than happy with the decor and size. Jeffrey still talks about the room as his favorite hotel room ever, so that’s kind of a big deal.

The ceilings were gigantic – probably 10-12 feet tall and the floor-to-ceiling windows (in a corner room) overlooking the city were the highlight of the room.

Well, I should say they were the highlight of the room for me. Jeffrey’s highlight was the personalized stationery that he found waiting for him on the desk — yes, Jeffrey’s name was printed on hotel stationery (letterhead, envelopes, and business cards). He was so impressed with himself that he even sent a letter home to his parents.

The bathroom area was quite nice, too, with plenty of room and a huge, rainfall shower, which is always a plus.

Similar to the St. Regis hotels, we were assigned a butler who will pack/unpack luggage and press up to two items daily.

The hotel’s location along Jakarta’s popular Jalan Thamrin street couldn’t have been better – we were connected to Plaza Indonesia, a huge, luxury shopping mall (lots of Louis Vuitton, Gucci, etc.). The area is probably the most luxurious in the city and also a great jumping off point to explore other areas (we walked all over!). There are plenty of Starbucks just steps from the hotel, which is always a sign that you are in a very Western area, whether that’s a good or bad thing…

Restaurant

Another cool aspect of the hotel is their lounge and full-service restaurant, Bengawan. With all the executive rooms, you get complimentary tea, coffee and soft drinks in your room.

But, you also get complimentary evening drinks (5 hours of happy hour!) and an a la carte menu in their restaurant. We had dim sum, iga kambing bakar and nasi goreng. The food is delicious and it’s a great way to try new dishes. And, talk about a good deal!

BOTTOM LINE: All in all, we loved our time at the Keraton at the Plaza and would definitely recommend it to anyone planning a stay in Jakarta. It’s ultra fancy with all the special touches (even personalized stationery!) and a fantastic view from the huge windows.

The post Keraton at The Plaza, Jakarta – Hotel Review – Jakarta, Indonesia first appeared on Weekend Blitz.

Here’s a map of all of the properties that are changing in value:

For those based in North America, the most interesting ones might be the properties in the US, Mexico and Canada that are decreasing in value:

You can view the full list here: 2016 SPG Category Changes.

Here’s a list of the current award redemption rates:

Some of the most notable changes on the list are:

• The W Retreat & Spa Bali – Seminyak increased by as much as 50%, from 20-25k per night to 30-35k per night.
• Le Méridien Bora Bora actually went down from a Category 7 to a 6.
• The Four Points by Sheraton Penghu had the most drastic increase, from a Category 1 to a 4!

The post Your SPG Starpoints Just Got More Valuable at 114 Properties Starting March 1, 2016 first appeared on Weekend Blitz.

Bangkok was our first foray into Asian culture back in 2011 and we’ve found ourselves daydreaming about the city ever since we left. The food, the people, the glistening gold temples — everything about this place we loved and we were thrilled to return.

View from our room on the 26th floor

We hurriedly booked our nights at the same hotel we’d stayed in before (back when it was brand new) because, while we love exploring new parts of cities we’ve visited before, there’s something so special about the nostalgia of staying in the same hotel as before. And, we knew we really loved the area of the hotel so it was fun to explore the new sights and sounds (and the old, familiar ones) of the street. It had really changed and grown a lot in the 4 years in between our visits.

BOOKING/CHECK-IN

We booked two nights at the Aloft Bangkok a few weeks out at 4,000 points per night. Once we’d landed and taken the train into the city, we checked in around 7pm and casually asked about an upgrade. He confirmed that the property doesn’t participate in SPG Platinum Upgrades (which we knew), but said that he’d check – and he quickly upgraded us anyway. We had booked the “Chic” room and were “upgraded” to the “Breezy” room, despite there being a few suites available (you can’t win ’em all).

Aloft Bangkok’s lobby

The work-stations and hang-out areas on the lobby floor

More lobby fun

ROOM

The best part about the room was the good view of the city from the 26th floor (there are 32 floors total). The room was a typical Aloft-style room with two beds, and the bathroom running the length of the bedroom by the entrance. No matter where you are in the world, every Aloft room looks the same to me, which can be comforting (or pretty boring, depending on my mood).

The “Breezy” room

Great work area right in the room – a nice upgrade from Myanmar hotels!

RESTAURANT

When we checked in, we were both completely worn out from traveling all day and, despite wanting to immediately pop out and enjoy the city we both love, we opted for room service for some quick red curry. We can’t get enough of Bangkok’s street food, but the wide-open city was a bit overwhelming for us when we’re utterly exhausted and the room service was simple, easy and delicious.

Room service red curry… yum!

The Platinum check-in amenity was points (250, I assume?) or breakfast. Once we confirmed that the breakfast wasn’t just the grab-and-go option from the lobby but instead was the sit-down international buffet on the 8th floor, we opted for the breakfast amenity.

Breakfast buffet on the 8th floor

Breakfast lasts from 6am – 10:30am each morning and is a fantastic value when it’s free (with the Platinum amenity). Buffet choices include dim sum, an omelette station, fruit, lots of pastries (croissants, muffins, etc.), a huge selection of cheeses (blue, brie, emmental…). All of the food was delicious – and, after spending a few weeks in Myanmar, we were more than happy with the refreshing Western options. Then, we could happily dive back into the Asian fare with the never-ending amounts of glorious street foods right outside the hotel doors.

Way too much food for breakfast!

As far as the WXYZ Bar and Splash pool bar, full-on big city Western hotel pricing is in effect. $10-12 cocktails, $5-6 beers. No discounts around this place! But, it’s understandable because about 99% of the hotel’s guests are Westerners.

If you’re in a hurry, the grab-and-go station in the lobby is a good alternative to the buffet breakfast.

POOL/AMENITIES

The pool right in the middle of Bangkok is a small oasis – located on the rooftop of the 10th floor, the views are great and it’s a welcome respite from walking around in the heat. We did spend a few minutes lounging by the pool, but much preferred to be walking around to sitting by the pool most times. It is a tad small for the size of the hotel, so people were jousting for lounge chairs.

Aloft Bangkok’s rooftop pool

View from the pool

It’s not a real hotel pool without at least one man in a speedo

The gym is right next to the pool and we used it for a few minutes. It, too, is smaller but I suspect most travelers in Bangkok aren’t wasting time in the gym when they could be on Soi Cowboy or chugging red curry sauce. It had everything you need in a gym – weights, treadmills, ellipticals and a few other machines for a standard work out.

The small but mighty gym

INTERNET

The WiFi works exceedingly well, and the ethernet in the room is 2 – 3 times faster than just WiFi. These high speeds were such a welcome relief from our time in Myanmar, where we struggled to check and send just 1 or 2 important emails per day.

The post Aloft Bangkok Hotel Review first appeared on Weekend Blitz.

The hotel recently went through a $25 million renovation, completed in April 2014. Along with updates to the guest rooms, the lobby looks brand new and the wine bar was looking pretty fancy, too. The lobby was large and open, very spacious with many sitting areas. The bones of the hotel looked to be an Embassy Suites in a past life (the tell-tale perimeter of rooms with no ceiling for the lobby was a dead giveaway), but the designer (New York-based Anna Busta) had done well in changing the design to make the 1975 building look modern and fresh.

One of my favorite aspects of the lobby was the 25-story glass chandelier which added more than a little chic-ness to the space.

Glass Chandelier that stretched the entire 27 floors

And the glass chandelier keeps going…

Coupled with the floating wooden staircase, the hotel was hipper than any Embassy Suite ever dared to be. The wine bar, although we didn’t spend much time in it, was fancier than I’d expect (it even had a fireplace!) and a great place to grab a drink– especially if you’re staying at the hotel for business. It had a couple of guests when I dropped by early in the afternoon, so apparently I’m not the only one to like it.

We were assigned a handicapped room which gave us more space but made the bathroom a little difficult to maneuver (light switches + shower controls lower than normal).

Bedroom

Work space

Closet

Bathroom with walk-in shower

The bedroom was comfortable and homey– decorated with plenty of picture frames and remembrances from Nashville. The big window overlooked the city center (the building is the 12th tallest in Nashville), so ask for a higher floor at check-in for a better view.

If you’re looking for a good hotel located right in the downtown area within easy walking distance to everything — and The Heritage and The Omni are a little over budget for your weekend getaway — the Sheraton Nashville is a great option. Plus, the new renovations make the hotel so fresh and clean.

The post Sheraton Nashville Downtown Review – Nashville, TN first appeared on Weekend Blitz.

The Deal

From January 5 – April 15, 2015, you’ll earn:

• 2x Starpoints on all stays of 2+ nights (for a total of 4x points/$ spent for normal member, 5x points/$ spent for SPG Gold and Platinum, and 6x points/$ spent for SPG Platinum-75)
• 1,000 bonus Starpoints for every five nights, up to 4,000 Starpoints total (essentially 200 bonus Starpoints per stay)

How to Get It

1. Register here: SPG Promos: “SPG Double Play” by March 31, 2015.
2. Book your SPG stays, remembering only stays of 2 or more nights will get you the 2x Starpoints bonus.
3. Bonus points will post to your account within 2-4 weeks.

Analysis

Here’s what you stand to gain on a typical $250 stay:

Compared to the past 3 promos, Starwood has been offering less and less incentive in the form of promotions to book at Starwood. This current promo is essentially a less attractive version of the Fall 2014 “More For You” promo that offered up to 3x bonus points (Blitz Deal: Starwood Fall 2014 Promo: Up to 3x Starpoints Through Dec 15) and that promotion was a weaker version of the Summer 2014 “Earn Away, Get Away” promo (Blitz Deal: Starwood Summer 2014 Promo: Up to 3x Starpoints on All Stays).

Compared to Starwood’s most recent promo that ran in the fall of 2014, it’s basically identical but has removed the option of earning the 3x points per night bonus.

Don’t forget: 

• As always, this is only on “eligible nights” i.e. Award nights, Cash + Points Award nights and bookings through third party sites like hotels.com, travelocity.com and expedia.com do not count.
• There are 113 properties that aren’t participating (view them all here: SPG® DOUBLE PLAY — NON PARTICIPATING HOTELS AND RESORTS)
• Bonus points are only calculated on base Starpoints earned–does not include additional SPG Gold or SPG Platinum elite points.
• “There is no limit to the number of total bonus Starpoints a member can earn.” But, the 1,000 point bonus for every 5 nights can only be earned 4 times for a total of 4,000 Starpoints.

BOTTOM LINE: This promo is ok at best; there are many other competing brands with better promos so I would probably suggest taking your business elsewhere if possible. For those that are loyal to Starwood, there’s no sense in not registering for this promo as you’ll be increasing your overall earning per dollar from 2-3x to 5-6x, on average.

The post Starwood Winter 2015 Promotion “SPG Double Play”: 2x Starpoints first appeared on Weekend Blitz.

But, upon arrival at the W, our excitement quickly took over and we couldn’t wait to explore the grounds and get to our private pool villa (say what?!) ASAP. I have always loved the fun, quirky atmosphere at W Hotels, but this W blew the others away by a long shot. Everything was done perfectly – from the outdoor reception area to the (standard) funky jams blaring through the speakers to just the right amount of young, hip hotel guests – everything about our first impression was a winner.

More details on the property are coming in a future post, so this one will stick to our booking/check-in process and our room.

But first, a quick peek at the entrance to the hotel and the long driveway down to the hotel’s main entrance (to get you as far from the busy street as possible…. And, to build anticipation):

The hotel entrance off of the main road

Long drive into the hotel

BOOKING

From Jeffrey: I knew that we wanted to go to Bali and I had an idea that I wanted to use some combination of hotel points given that I had been saving them up for this trip and that my hotel status can sometimes have value (free upgrades to suites, free breakfast, free internet etc…). The two programs that I had been using were Starwood Preferred Guest and Hyatt Gold Passport; I was happy staying with either program. Here’s an overview of the Starwood and Hyatt properties in Bali: Ultimate Honeymoon: Which Starwood Property In Bali?

When I had it narrowed down, I emailed a few of the properties to see about making an award booking and then confirming a suite using a cash upgrade; most of the hotels were helpful:

W Bali Response: ….should you wish to have a confirmed upgrade, the extra charges for each night will be the following :

• Upgrade to Marvelous Suite : extra USD 325 plus taxes per night
• Upgrade to 1 Bedroom Villa : extra USD 225 plus taxes per night

After I pushed back a bit on the $225 upgrade price (I read about offers of $90/night online) I got the hotel to agree to an upgrade price of $175/night: “We are more than happy to offer USD 175 plus taxes per night as the extra charge for a 1 bedroom villa upgrade. Trust that it is the best offer we can do for that period. Please let us know once your booking is made, so that we can assign the villa accordingly.”

So in the end, I was able to book the 1 Bedroom Villa at a rate of 13,000 Starpoints (thanks to a 35% off award booking coupon– normally, it’s 20k Starpoints/night) + $175 ($211.75 after tax) per night. Normal rates for the “Marvelous One Bedroom Pool Villa” for this period were appx $726 per night, so I end up with a return of:

($726 – $211.75) / 13,000 Starpoints = 3.95 cents/Starpoint. I consider this a fantastic return on my Starpoints for a great room at a great property. If you were considering a booking and didn’t have the 35% off award coupon, this would still be a pretty good use of Starpoints at 2.57 cents/Starpoint.

AIRPORT TRANSFER

At the time of booking, the hotel emailed me to offer a few extra services to help with our arrival:

We ended up booking the Toyota Innova airport transfer for $23 + the Express Immigration Service for $30 per person and were pleased with both services.

CHECK-IN

Once the driver dropped us off at the outdoor “lobby”, we headed straight for the check-in/reception desk that was just beyond the driveway.

We were immediately offered a tasty, exotic fruit juice and the process of check-in was fast, easy and painless. And, bonus: the check-in desk is right next to the bar and between the pool and hotel rooms, so we were able to get started people watching right away. I couldn’t decide what I wanted to do first: pool, beach, private pool? My head was spinning.

At check-in, we were offered a few choices for a SPG Platinum amenity and chose the breakfast, which entitled us to the eat at any of the restaurants every morning.

We were taken (by golf cart) on a semi-winding route to our row of villas. While the pool/lobby area is loud and makes you feel like you’re in the middle of an awesome party, they’ve done a fantastic job of keeping it quiet in the villas’ area.

The “lobby”

Outdoor “lobby”

Check In / Reception Area

More reception – this one is only for SPG Members

THE ROOM

On the narrow road to our villa:

The entrance to our very own villa!

I’ve never had a hotel room with a private pool before and this was the most perfect start to our honeymoon. A private pool!?! I never wanted to leave. We ended up spending a good bit of time in our cabana and enjoying some quiet time by the pool. Although we really loved the big pool and being in the middle of all the activity going on there, it was nice to have an escape and rest while still enjoying the beautiful weather outside.

View from our front door

After oohing and ahhing at our very own pool, we were led inside the villa and shown around. The inside was almost as large as our apartment at home – and way trendier.

The door from the pool area opened up to our “bedroom” with the bed facing towards the pool. To the right was a sitting area with a welcome amenity waiting on us. The bathroom area was to the left with a dividing wall. The bathtub was nestled in the corner with a view of the pool area and cabana. There was plenty of closet space and sink space to really settle in and make ourselves at home.

The studio feel made the villa seem even bigger, but the dividing wall between the bathroom and bedroom areas gave plenty of privacy and tons of extra closet room. And, even though the villa was basically a studio, there was plenty of separation, which helped Jeffrey to catch up on some work at times without me staring over his shoulder.

THE BATHROOM

For a decent chunk of change ($75+?), they were willing to come in and draw a romantic bubble bath for you. Awkward? We didn’t try it…

And, for a final personal touch, we were greeted with a celebratory package of (what looked like homemade) chocolate candies and pomegranate martinis — intricately displayed with a pig and a scale. While we’re not sure the meaning of the pig (or the scale…?), it was quirky and cool, just like the W.

BOTTOM LINE: If you’re interesting in celebrating a special occasion in Bali, the W is the perfect destination. Filled with young, trendy vacationers, this place has both a party atmosphere and fancy restaurants as well as plenty of private space to rest and relax. And, these private pool villas are hard to beat.

The post W Retreat & Spa Bali Seminyak – Bali, Indonesia – Hotel Review Part 1 first appeared on Weekend Blitz.

CHECK-IN

We arrived at the hotel after one 10-hour, nearly sleepless flight (Delta Flight 147 – Atlanta-ATL to Santiago-SCL – B767-300ER) and one van ride from the airport– looking pretty rough around 10am, I’m sure. Thankfully, the front desk agent confirmed that our room was, in fact, ready for us immediately, giving us a chance to take some much needed showers.

THE ROOM

Jeffrey booked the room with Cash + Points for 6,000 Starpoints + $110 per night and, on top of that, applied two SPG Platinum Suite Night Awards to the reservation. The SNAs cleared exactly 5 days out and we received a confirmation that we had been booked into a Marvelous Suite.

The room was, well, Marvelous. It was extremely “W-esque,” with tall ceilings, very modern decor and the signature W soundtrack. The Marvelous Suite had a nice, big balcony with a table and chairs and a breathtaking view of the Andes Mountains (who knew they were so close to the city?!). Truly, the view of the city and the majestic mountains just a stone’s throw away is the best part of this hotel (and city, for that matter).

THE BATHROOM

The bathroom — for all of the strides toward modernity, was completely open to the bedroom. Fortunately, the toilet (but not the shower or bathtub) had a separating door, but it would still make for quite an awkward experience if traveling with a friend or family member.

The bathroom off of the living room — in case we have guests…

After checking out our freakin’ awesome room (and taking a small nap), we checked out the rest of the hotel. One of the staff members made sure to tell us about the nightclub that the W houses:  Whiskey Blue. Unfortunately, we didn’t get to see Whiskey Blue for ourselves, since he told us that it doesn’t really get crowded until 4am… what?!

THE LOBBY

NOSA RESTAURANT

We did get plenty of chances to experience the restaurant and lobby bar. Being an SPG Platinum Member, Jeffrey always chooses the free breakfast option when traveling with me. We’re never big breakfast eaters, but make it a point to eat late in the morning and essentially turn it into a significant head start on lunch. Breakfast for SPG Platinums at the W Santiago gets you the breakfast buffet at NoSa, the in-house restaurant. Typically, the breakfast amenity will only get you a continental breakfast at most properties, but there’s only one choice at NoSa: the sprawling buffet. I’m not quite sure how much it normally costs for breakfast, but they had a sign advertising a Sunday afternoon brunch for 23,000 CLP ( = $24.82 USD each at today’s exchange rate, or~$41 USD each at the exchange on the date we were there) and the offerings sounded identical to the morning breakfast.

The buffet selections were varied and fresh — exactly what you’d wish for — with a chef to specially make omlettes with your choice of toppings. And, best of all, we were there over the weekend and had access to their self-serve, bottomless mimosa and Bloody Mary bar. Not bad at all for a free breakfast at the W.

BOTTOM LINE:  There’s never a bad stay at any W Hotel, but this W Santiago is especially glamorous– boasting A+ views of the Andes Mountains and free, bottomless Bloodys for breakfast on the weekends. What more could a traveler looking for a little glamor want?

The post W Santiago Hotel Review – Santiago, Chile first appeared on Weekend Blitz.

The Deal

From September 15 – December 15, 2014 you’ll earn:

• 2x Starpoints on all stays of 2+ nights (for a total of 4x points/$ spent)
• 3x Starpoints on all stays that include a Friday or Saturday night (total of 6x points/$ spent)

How to Get It

1. Register here: SPG Promos: “More For You” by October 31.
2. Book your SPG stays, remembering that Friday or Saturday nights will get you 3x Starpoints.
3. Bonus points will post to your account within 2-4 weeks.

Analysis

Here’s what you stand to gain on a typical $250 stay:

The value of the promotion really depends on how much you typically spend at a Starwood. Two of 3 of SPG’s most recent promotions, the Fall 2013 “SPG Take Two” and Winter 2014 “Bring On The Nights”, essentially gave you 500 Starpoints/night for up to 25 nights (technically 1,000 bonus points for nights 21-25). The best way to compare the old promos to the new promo is by looking at the break-even values:

• For the 2x Promo Bonus you must spend $250 per night to earn 500 Starpoints.
• For the 3x Promo Bonus you must spend $125 per night to earn 500 Starpoints.

Compared to Starwood’s most recent promo that ran summer of 2014, it’s basically identical but has switched the 3x points night from Sunday to Friday/Saturday.

Whether or not you’ll find this promotion better than the past few is if you typically spend more than $125-$250/night at Starwood properties. You’ll love the deal if you have a week long stay coming up at someplace like the The Gritti Palace, Venice with rates of $2,247+/night where you’d earn a 47,000+ Starpoints bonus. For those of us staying at much cheaper properties, such as Four Points or Aloft and using corporate or AAA discounts, the typical stay is well under $250/night which makes this promotion an overall loser compared to the fixed rate of 500 Starpoints/night from the old promo. But, if you’re able to begin your stay on a Sunday then the hurdle rate is just $125/night, which is on the lower end of Starwood property rates. With a Sunday night, you’ll likely win on this promo. For those of us in that boat, the one good thing is that there’s no cap to the earning.

Don’t forget: 

• As always, this is only on “eligible nights” i.e. Award nights, Cash + Points Award nights and bookings through third party sites like hotels.com, travelocity.com and expedia.com do not count.
• There are 138 properties that aren’t participating (view them all here: SPG® MORE FOR YOU — NON PARTICIPATING HOTELS AND RESORTS)
• Bonus points are only calculated on base Starpoints earned–does not include additional SPG Gold or SPG Platinum elite points.
• “There is no limit to the number of total bonus Starpoints a member can earn.”

BOTTOM LINE: This is a pretty solid promotion, possibly better than the last few that Starwood has run but that all depends on how much you typically spend per night with Starwood. Quick rule of thumb, if you spend more than $250/night and don’t stay on Friday or Saturday nights then you’re winning with this promotion. If you stay over a Friday or Saturday night then any amount over $125/night makes you a winner.

The post Blitz Deal: Starwood Fall 2014 Promo: Up to 3x Starpoints Through Dec 15 first appeared on Weekend Blitz.

The Deal

Until September 30, 2014, you can enter 2x per day to win one of the following instant prizes:

• One of 195 Free Night Awards: Valid at at a Category 1-5 Starwood property
• One of 390 Starpoints Awards: Either 500 Starpoints, 1,000 Starpoints, or 5,000 Starpoint
• One of 156 iTunes gift cards: Value of $50
• One of 975 Ticketmaster Cash Code certificates: $50 value

Additionally, every time you play, you are given 1 entry to the grand prize:

• 1 Grand Prize winner will be award 250,000 Starpoints

How to Get It

1. Register in the SPG program if you are not already a member
2. Head to the Starwood promo site: Starwood “Tap Into Luxury”
3. Enter you SPG number, email and click “Go”
   
4. Select you “getaway style.” As far as I know, this has no effect on your chances of winning –> “Next”
   
5. “Click to Spin” –> “See If You’ve Won”
   
6. You’ll then see a screen highlighting one of their flagship properties (don’t forget this promotion is all about marketing properties they think you would like) –> click “See If You’ve Won”
   
7. This is where a prize would be displayed:
   
8. Click “Spin Again” once more (you can enter 2x per day max) to enter again.

Don’t Forget:

• Canadians must prove their worthiness: “If a potential Grand Prize winner is a resident of Canada, he or she must successfully answer a mathematical skill-testing question. Failure to successfully answer the question as stated will cause the prize to be forfeited.”
• Full T&Cs can be found here: SPG “Tap Into Luxury” Terms and Conditions
• All of the instant win Starwood prizes will be available within 3 weeks of September 30, 2014: “Award will be available in the SPG member’s account within three (3) weeks from the Game Period end date.”
• The iTunes gift cards will be delivered within 4 weeks of Sep 30: “Gift Card will be fulfilled by mail within four (4) weeks from Game Period end date.”
• The Ticketmaster cash codes will be emailed immediately: “Cash Code will be fulfilled via immediate confirmation email upon winning.”

BOTTOM LINE: There’s nothing amazing about this promotion, but I like free stuff– so why not enter? Despite your odds of winning being pretty slim, it only takes about 15 seconds a day.

The post Starwood September 2014 Promo “Tap Into Luxury” Win up to 250k Starpoints first appeared on Weekend Blitz.

Booking

I had a conference here and booked a 3 night stay about 4.5 months in advance. I was able to get a corporate rate of $125 per night.

Check-in

I booked a 2 Queen room and, despite there being a large conference for the next few nights and the Coachella music festival starting on the weekend, rooms were still available for for the length of my stay. The agent said that they were able to give me an “upgrade” to a Deluxe golf course view room (Deluxe golf, non-smoking:  2 Queen Beds, 525 sq ft / 49 m²) but, after I asked, said that a suite upgrade wouldn’t be possible due to the high occupancy. I confirmed this on the Starwood app:  a suite with 1 king and a sofa bed was available but all of the 2 queen suites were sold out. At check-in, they gave me a voucher for a “special gift” to be picked up with the concierge.

I bought into their little gimmick and stopped by for my welcome gift. Turns out it was a coupon for the golf pro shop and spa. Real great gift, Westin. I’m glad that I stopped by however, because I learned that both restaurants at the property will give you a 20% discount on all food for showing your AAA card. This is a great deal, and who doesn’t have AAA anyway?

Coupons for already overpriced activities at the resort

The Room

The resort is very spread out and all rooms are in “villa” units spread around the property.

The good news is that many, if not all, rooms have a balcony and the most steps you’ll have to climb is one flight.

I’ve stayed at a few Starwood and Hyatt resorts, mostly in Asia, and can say that this Westin “resort” is a bit of a stretch. The room was bigger than a typical Westin but still nothing exceptionally resort-y feeling. That being said, the room was well appointed and more spacious than a typical Westin — and in good shape.

Deluxe Golf View Room: 2 Queen Beds

Deluxe Golf View Room: 2 Queen Beds

The Bathroom

The additional bathroom space was noticeable and highly convenient. This was a nice extra touch that pushed it past regular Westin territory and closer (but not all of the way) into “resort” territory. The tub/shower and toilet were in their own room and there were dual sinks and a closet in a separate area.

Property

The property was beautiful, a true “Desert Island” or whatever the area calls itself. The Westin is part of a much larger compound that must be hundreds of acres large. Adjacent to the “The Westin Mission Hills Golf Resort & Spa” was another Westin property: The Westin Mission Hills Resort Villas, Palm Springs. Although it was easy to walk freely between the 2 resorts, there was limited pedestrian access to the rest of the property. I jogged around and it seems like they’ve got a full range of neighborhoods from duplex-style condos to huge luxury homes. It is truly a lush oasis amid the desert, full of vegetation and bright green golf courses with the backdrop of hilly mountains.

Restaurant

There are 4 dining choices at the resort:  the full-service Italian restaurant (Pinzimini), Fireside Lounge, Season’s Grill and the market, Mission Hills Market & Café. I had lunch and dinner at Pinzimini and can say that it was great, much more on pace with resort quality.

Service

The service was fantastic. Check-in and concierge went over above; no complaints. The wait staff was always very polite and attentive, although it was obvious at times that English was a second language.

BOTTOM LINE: While the Westin Mission Hills Resort seems to be an older property, it has been renovated and is pretty much up to good quality resort standards. There are more golf courses and pools than you might know what to do with, but it’s one of the only tolerable places to be if you find yourself in the Palm Springs desert.

The post The Westin Mission Hills Golf Resort & Spa Review – Palm Springs, California first appeared on Weekend Blitz.