How Hyatt Is Helping Me Get Higher SPG Status (And Why I Chose Suite Awards, Again)
Suite Night Awards, credit cards, elite status, ambassadors. So many changes, so many decisions. What do you think of my choices?
Suite Night Awards
I Guess I’m A Moron. I Picked SPG Suite Night Awards Again
The true value of elite status comes from how often you can use the benefits. If you never earn a first class upgrade on an airline, getting them for free as a benefit is pretty useless. Similarly, if I don’t get suite upgrades from a hotel chain, the free upgrade benefit is kinda like a pet rock.
I’m Letting All Of My SPG Suite Night Awards Expire Again This Year
Is the definition if insanity doing the same thing and hoping for a different result? Help me make this decision for next year.
How Marriott And Starwood Feel About Suite Upgrades For Elite Members
Folks who stay in hotels enough to earn loyalty benefits over the course of a year maintain their loyalty because of the benefits they receive. People have different opinions on their favorite benefit, but few would deny they enjoy a beautiful suite if they don’t have to pay for it.
Starwood Preferred Guest has offered suite upgrades to their top elite members for quite some time. Marriott has not. I asked SPG how they feel about their suite upgrade policy now and also asked how Marriott feels about this benefit for the future.
What’s Next After Marriott Gets Final Approval On Their Merger With Starwood?
Now that the merger between Marriott and Starwood is officially approved, what can we expect next?
Starwood Introduces New Platinum Elite Benefits!
It’s been a few years now since Starwood introduces Suite Night Awards (to much fanfare, I might add). I was pumped when they announced it, but have been disappointed ever since.
SPG has gone back to the drawing board a couple times trying to tweak this benefit. They’re introducing new benefits again, and I think we’ll like these ones a lot more than previous choices. You might even choose one of the alternatives to Suite Night Awards!
The (Small) Silver Lining Of SPG’s New Suite Night Alternatives
In case you missed the announcement recently, Starwood Preferred Guest announced alternatives for folks who stayed more than 50 nights last year but wanted an alternative to Suite Night Awards. The choices themselves weren’t that compelling: 10 Suite Night Awards (status quo) 4 free…
Starwood Announces Their Suite Night Alternatives
A few years ago, Starwood Preferred Guest introduced a new concept called Suite Night Awards. These were targeted at frequent travelers who stayed more than 50 nights a year with SPG. They were meant to help improve the upgrade process, giving elites the ability to…