Hotels
Five “must have” hotel benefits with your extended stay
by coach on Aug.12, 2010, under Business Travel, Hotels
Don’t be afraid to ask for the services that you’d normally have to earn or pay for at the hotel. Below are the things that you should ask for and would most likely get:
1. Ask for an upgraded room or simply a better room (like closer to the elevator or away from the ice machine, etc.). There’s no reason why your request wouldn’t be met.
2. Ask for a discounted or client rate by letting the staff know that you’ll be there for an extended period of time for a client. This works especially well if you are in a group (i.e., traveling with team members)!
3. Ask the hotel staff to book your future reservations so you don’t have to call or reserve online every week (don’t worry, you have up to the previous day of arrival or 6pm on the date of arrival to cancel for each reservation).
4. If the hotel charges for Internet, ask for the service to be complementary or get the hotel manager to get your hotel status to a level where it is free (see previous post). You may not get platinum status day one but it will help in the long run.
5. If you do not have hotel status, ask the manager to make it happen. We have gotten entry level silver and gold status at Hilton and SPG (Four Points, Sheraton, etc.) when we were rookies. Hotels still honor loyalty unlike airlines.
SPG offers a free weekend night after every three stays
by Captain G on Apr.21, 2010, under Hotels
Similar to the SPG 2009 Free Weekend Nights offer (see last year’s post as FYI), SPG is bringing back free weekend nights in 2010. Simply stay three (3) times at a Starwood property between May 1, 2010 to July 31, 2010 and you’ll earn a free weekend night. You must redeem your free SPG weekend nights by December 19, 2010. This year’s redemption process should be very similar to the 2009 SPG free weekend night redemption process.
Your 2010 SPG free weekend night should appear on your account 3 to 5 days after your third SPG stay. Keep in mind that “hotels stays” are not the total amount of nights you stay at a hotel. A “hotel stay” is every time you checkin to a hotel.
The 2010 SPG Free Weekend Nights offer is a bit less generous compared to the 2009 offer. The SPG 2009 Free Weekend offer only required two stays to get one free night vs. the 2010 offer. The good news is you can earn unlimited free weekend nights if you chose to check-in and check-out every night.
Here’s the official link to register and official FAQ page. You must register by June 30, 2010 to qualify.
SPG now offers free internet access!
by Terminal D on Mar.11, 2010, under Business Travel, Hotels, Vacation
Now there’s all the more reason to room hop for those extra nights! SPG is offering free Internet service to Platinum members:
“As a Platinum member, you have access to our highest level of benefits, which now includes complimentary in-room Internet access. Now when you travel with SPG you’ll enjoy in-room Internet access — on us — at any of our more than 940 participating properties worldwide.”
In addition to the free Internet access, you can get double, triple, and quadruple Starwood points between now and March 31, 2010. Check out my previous post in case you have missed it. Enjoy!
