Sections
While in the Lufthansa First Class lounge in New York-JFK, we had to scurry and find a place to stay in Frankfurt the following night. Since we had just switched our flights hours before take off, we didn’t have very much notice but were very glad to have an opportunity to visit Frankfurt–a new city!
Booking
Because I have Diamond status with Hyatt and Platinum status with Starwood, I preferred to book a property at either one of those chains. When I jumped online, I found that my only Hyatt option for “Frank…” would be Franklin, Tennessee:
The good news is that Starwood has a few more options:
After burning lots of miles and points over the past few months (read: All about our Honeymoon trip: Bali, Jakarta, Singapore and the Maldives), it was time to start racking up them again for the next trip. Here was our haul:
Our Haul
McCown:
AAdvantage World MasterCard / Citi Platinum Select = 50,000 American Airlines AAdvantage Miles + $0 annual fee 1st year US Airways Premier World MasterCard = 40,000 US Airways Dividend miles + $89 annual fee Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express = 30,000 Starpoints + $0 annual fee 1st yearJeffrey:
AAdvantage World Elite MasterCard / Citi Executive = 100,000 American Airlines AAdvantage Miles + [...]The “SPG Hot Escapes” list is out for the week of July 25, 2014. They offer discounts of 20-50% off of typical rates for a few hundred select properties worldwide. The flash sale lasts for about 3 days and allows you to book the properties for the next 6 weeks:
The Deal
SPG Hot Escapes for the week of July 25, 2014 allow you to book selected Starwood properties for 20-50% off. Some of the highlights include:
Sub-$100 U.S. Properties:
Worldwide deals:
How to Get It
Head to the SPG Hot Escapes website Browse properties Book!Don’t forget:
You must book by 12 a.m. midnight Saturday [...]We made a very last minute, overnight trip to Philadelphia a few weeks ago and needed a place to stay. We were looking for a place in the heart of the city (within walking distance to everything) and decided on Le Méridien Philadelphia.
BOOKING
I made a booking the day before check-in after planning our last minute trip to Philadelphia. When I looked on Monday, literally every hotel in the city was sold out. Nothing at Starwood, Hyatt or Marriott. Worried that our only option was going to be the airport hotels, I kept checking back a few times a day. By Tuesday, some availability opened up at a Hyatt property and I jumped on it using 12,000 Hyatt GP points. [...]
Although we haven’t covered it much in the past, Starwood Hotels & Resorts releases a list of flash deals every Wednesday, called “SPG Hot Escapes.” They offer discounts of 20-50% off of typical rates for a few hundred select properties worldwide. The flash sale lasts for about 3 days and allows you to book the properties for the next 6 weeks:
The Deal
SPG Hot Escapes for the week of June 18, 2014 allow you to book selected Starwood properties for 20-50% off. Some of the highlights include:
U.S. Only, lots of New York properties for ~$150/night:
Worldwide, great deals in Thailand (thanks to the military coup): [...]
As I wrote about back in April (Deal Blitz: Starwood “Hear the Music” 2014 Promo – $50 Ticketmaster Cash for Every 2 Nights), Starwood was running a promo that gave you a $50 Ticketmaster e-voucher for every 2 paid nights at a Starwood property between between April 3 and May 31, 2014. The only catch was that you had to make the bookings using a SPG mobile app.
This was a pretty phenomenal promotion because it was based on paid nights, not paid stays during a 2-month period. Anyway, I’m happy to report that the promotion ended just about a week ago and the e-certificates have started to email!
While I’m glad I got at least 4 of [...]
W Hoboken Hotel – Starwood Category 5 225 River Street, Hoboken, NJ 07030 Award Redemption: 12,000 pts or 6,000 pts +$110 (very limited Cash & Points availability) Normal rate: Around $269-350 avg, ranging from $224 – $414 Starpoints return: 1.88 – 3.45 cents/point – Average to REALLY GOOD
Booking/Check-inI had a last minute-ish stay required in New York and it happened to be on opening day of the United Nation General Assembly in Manhattan. As a result, all hotels were fully booked in New York, so the best I could do was Hoboken, New Jersey. I booked a “Cozy Room: King Bed,” and, despite the busy week, I was able to get a pretty good rate. On my [...]
Starwood’s Summer 2014 promo, “Earn Away, Get Away” was just announced:
The Deal
From May 1 – July 31, 2014 you’ll earn:
2x Starpoints on all stays (for a total of 4x points/$ spent) 3x Starpoints on all stays that include a Sunday night (total of 6x points/$ spent)How to Get It
Register here: SPG Promos: “Earn Away, Get Away” by June 30. Book your SPG stays, remembering that Sunday nights will get you 3x Starpoints. Bonus points will post to your account within 2-4 weeks. AnalysisHere’s what you stand to gain on a typical $250 stay:
The value of the promotion really [...]
Starwood has just announced a new “Hear the Music” promo, very similar to the one it ran last year (Free $50 in Ticketmaster/Live Nation Cash with Starwood stays).
The DealTo encourage use of its mobile apps for booking, Starwood is offering a $50 gift certificate to Ticketmaster for every 2 nights you stay at a Starwood property that is booked on either the iPhone, iPad, or Android app.
How to Get It Head to the SPG Promos page to register before May 29: SPG Head the Music, See the World Promo Book all stays using the Starwood mobile app on either iPhone, iPad, or Android. Done! For every 2 nights you stay between April 3 and May 31, 2014, [...]The St. Regis Atlanta – Starwood Category 6 Eighty-Eight West Paces Ferry Road, Atlanta,Georgia 30305 United States Award Redemption: 20,000 pts or 10,000 pts +$180 Normal rate: Varies b/t $385-$485, average around $450 + tax Starpoints return: 1.9 cents points – 3.0 cents/point = below average – average return
Booking/Check-inI booked the base “Superior Room” at appx 2 weeks before check-in and received a corporate rate of $275. When we arrived, the check-in agent was very polite and extremely enthusiastic and happy to see us–a great trait to have as an employee that has dozens of check-ins/check-outs per day. He confirmed that we were in [...]
