Westin Diplomat Leaving Starwood Preferred Guest October 30, 2014
Effective October 30, 2014, Starwood will no longer be affiliated with the Westin Diplomat in Hollywood, FL.
I was majorly bummed when I read this news on One Mile at a Time. I had read about the sale of the property recently but didn’t internalize that a change like this could come so quickly.
This property was always phenomenal about upgrading Starwood Platinum members to beautiful wrap-around suites in the oceanfront tower. They had tons of them (96, iirc), so upgrades were frequent. They had a VIP manager who made it a habit of reaching out prior to your stay to confirm your needs prior to arrival. They also have a club lounge located on one of the upper floors of the hotel with a great view and a decent array of food. As a category 5 property, it was 12,000 points a night. And, since it was near Fort Lauderdale airport (and not that far from MIA), it was an affordable property to vacation at, with reasonably cheap flights and rooms in an upscale property that didn’t set you back a ton of points.
In short, this was an ideal vacation spot for SPG folks in the Northeast looking to get away. I enjoyed a stay here with family and friends a few years ago and have recommended the property to others.
The rumor is that it will become a Hilton shortly. That’s a shame for SPG members, who lose a solid property in South Florida.
HT: One Mile at a Time and Loyalty Traveler
Really bummed to hear this. We used points for a stay on the club floor last year with a 4yo and 1yo and we’re looking forward to it again next year for 6 and 3. Great pool for the kids, and the club terrace was great for breakfast and dinner for the kids. They made sure to have fruit loops for us in the prep room (“vacation cereal”) and kept a high chair up there for us during the stay.
dmel, they always catered to special needs for us as well. Cabanas were great for poolside with the kids. Major bummer.
The Diplomat has always been one of my favorite hotels, for a mix of affordability (it’s not St. Regis or Four Seasons or Park Hyatt) and luxury. Love the location, love the common areas, and love the corner suites.
Gonna miss it!
The corner suites were awesome. It was affordable luxury.