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SPG Announces First Promo Of 2014, Underwhelms

ByEdward Pizzarello

Starwood Preferred Guest has announced it’s 1st quarter 2014 promo, Bring On The Nights:

 

Underwhelms

 

The promo calls for a 2,500 point bonus for every 5 nights up to a total of 25 nights. If you hit 25 nights, SPG will award you an extra 5,000 Starpoints.

SPG is one of my favorite hotel programs, but the value of recent promos certainly doesn’t take my admiration to a higher level.  This is clearly worse than the current promo they’re running, Take Two.  Take Two awarded double points on all stays plus 2,500 bonus points for every 5 nights.

While I personally prefer night-based promotions, they’re certainly harder to max out for those folks who have shorter stays or choose to mattress-run to earn points.

Look, I don’t expect great promos in January and February.  And, there’s plenty of signs pointing to the fact that the hotel industry is getting healthier.  Most studies point to an occupancy rate of between 65% and 70% over the course of 2013.  And RevPAR (revenue per available room) continues to rise.

But, January and February still aren’t easy months to fill, with hotels generally filling less than the 65-70% average the industry sees right now.  We haven’t seen the other hotel promos yet, but if this is an indication of what will be in the market, promos in the 1st quarter won’t be a reason to consider shifting your travel patterns.

ETA:  Giving SPG their due, I thought I had mentioned that all hotels are participating in this promo as opposed to previous ones where a noticeable chunk opted out.  So, definitely a plus here.  Thanks to Glenn’s comment for reminding me I hadn’t pointed that out.  I still prefer Hyatt’s approach of not bothering to look for a list of properties excluded.  😉

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My goal in life is to fill my family’s passports with stamps, creating buckets of memories along the way. You’ll find me writing about realistic ways for normal people to travel the world, whether you’re on a budget or enjoy luxury. I also enjoy taking us on the occasional detour to explore the inner workings of the travel industry.

5 Comments

  1. The difference for me is that in this case the promo includes ALL their properties while the Q4 promo excludes every single hotel in the San Jose area. As a result of that and given that Hyatt was running a great promo, I shifted all of my stays to Hyatt instead. While this promo isn’t great, I guess we’ll see how it compares to what the other chains announce. Its the start of a new year and I certainly want to get my 50 stays in at some point…

    Reply

    1. Glenn, when you say 50 stays, do you mean 25 stays or 50 nights? What level of Plat are you requalifying for?

      Reply
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