Triangle Trip

Starwood (SPG) just issued a promotion to get a $100 gift card from Amazon. All you need to do is stay twice at a Westin property in the US or Canada between now and May 13, 2010. You will have to checkin from Sunday to Thursday as weekend stays do not count. This shouldn’t be an issue for our readers as we’re mostly business travelers. Here’s the link to register. By the way, you’ll need to register by April 30, 2010. There is also a limit of three Amazon cards per SPG account.

Following up from my post on August 18, 2009, Prediction: SPG Rollover Nights is on the way…, Starwood sent emails to its 2009 Platinum members to register for what they called their “Nights Advance” promotion — “An opportunity to get started on Platinum re-qualification for 2010.” With the nights advance promotion, all the nights AND stays from October 1, 2009 to December 31, 2009 will count toward SPG elite status for 2010. Furthermore, stays and nights earned during the promotional period will count towards Platinum level re-qualification for 2009 and 2010. Make sure you register by November 30, 2009 (here’s the link).

For more information, here’s a link to SPG’s FAQ which is extremely helpful. According to the FAQ, you will see the “rollover nights” show up by January 31, 2010.

This is a great move by SPG to keep its current and future Platinum members happy and loyal to SPG properties. Personally, this new rollover nights promotion is a huge incentive for me to continue booking at SPG properties; I was actually contemplating on switching to Hilton for the rest of the year before the announcement.

Additionally, SPG has not taken away the 500 bonus points reward option; Platinum members that have reached status for the next year can still enjoy extra points, complimentary drink, or a movie when they check in. Lets hope the hotels continue to give us the free water every night.