Triangle Trip

I signed up for the Starwood’s (SGP) free weekend night promotion (here’s a link to Captain G’s original post) and had two stays at two SPG properties.  According to the Free Weekend Promotion FAQ, you are supposed to get your Free Weekend Night credit after 3 to 5 days. My last stay at the SPG hotel was May 5, 2009 — more than a week ago.

I have been checking online at spg.com and waited for an email notification of the free weekend night (SPG is normally very good at emails).  After a few more days, I saw nothing so I gave Starwood a call.  The representative informed me I did indeed have a free weekend night, but I can’t see it online. The representative also told me SPG does not plan on sending out notifications.  I have learned the following:

1.  You have to call and find out how many nights you have earned – no status will be provided online

2.  You also have to call to redeem your free weekend night rewards.  When you call to redeem your free weekend nights, you should mention Award ID: 9FWFN to the agent in case he/she is not aware of your award status.

Normally I would find this a bit annoying, but Starwood representatives have been courteous and helpful most of the time.

As Captain G mentioned in his earlier post Starwood currently has a stay 2 stays get 1 weekend night promotion.  There are more reasons to take advantage of this promotion as Starwood is also offering 1000 Delta miles or 1000 Northwest miles with each stay.  The only catch here is that not all Starwood properties are participating in the 1000 Delta/Northwest miles promotion.  Here is a list of the participating Starwood properties.

Also, regarding the Priority Club free weekend nights promotion that I touched upon in my previous post, I recently read the fine print and realized the free weekend nights are in lieu of Priority Club points.  This essentially means you will not be receiving Priority Club points during this promotion period.  More reasons to stay at Starwood instead.

When traveling abroad, I generally like to stay with US-based hotels as they are pretty consistent in terms of quality of service, providing a clean room and being in convenient locations. You also get better value for your hotel rooms at international locations as US hotel chains rarely discount their international rooms compared to domestic rooms. All the major US hotel brands are in Hong Kong (Hilton Conrad, Hyatt, Marriott and Sheraton). Here’s an evaluation of each US hotel in Hong Kong:

I highly recommend you stay at one of the following hotels for convenience in Hong Kong:

JW Marriott or Conrad – Both hotels are located inside Pacific Place in Central. The MTR (train) station is also connected to Pacific place. The main bus terminal is right across the skywalk from Pacific Place. The Hong Kong JW Marriott and Hong Kong Conrad also offer great views of the city if you are on the top floors. Both hotels have hotel lounges that server food and alcohol. The JW Marriott lounge is one of my personal favorites in the world. The JW Marriott is by far the best hotel in Hong Kong.

Sheraton – Located in Kowloon’s Tsim Sha Tsui area, the Sheraton is in an extremely convenient location. The Hong Kong Sheraton is next to the famous Peninsula Hotel in Kowloon. You can go any where in Hong Kong or Kowloon from the Sheraton. The Kowloon MTR station is two blocks away and all major buses travel through Tsim Sha Tsui. You are also minutes away from Victoria Harbor where you can catch the Star Ferry to get to Hong Kong Central or Wanchai.

Renaissance – Located in Kowloon near Victoria Harbor. If you have a room with a water view, you will get a panoramic view of Hong Kong Island which is one of the best views in the world (on a sunny day of course). Like the Sheraton, the Renaissance is close to all major attractions and transportation. The Renaissance is actually a few blocks away from the Sheraton

I would shy away from the following US hotels:

Grand Hyatt or Renaissance Harbour View – Both hotels are in Wanchai, near the Hong Kong Convention Center. Hyatt is near the harbor so it becomes very inconvenient to by car or MTR. If you were taking the MTR train (to the Wanchai stop), you will have to walk ¾ of a mile to get to the Hyatt or Marriott. To compensate for the long walk from the Wanchai train station, you will find a great view from your room at the Marriott. I would not stay at either hotel unless I am attending a convention.

The W – The W is located in the newly developed section of Kowloon and attached to the Elements Mall. Aside from the mall, there is not much to do in the evening (or day). Public transportation can also be a challenge as only one MTR line goes to this station. You can always take cabs from the W to your destinations but it can be costly.

You can also check out my earlier post on: Where to go when you are visiting Hong Kong.