I think this is probably a question best answered by one of the Lurkers, but have not seen it asked elsewhere and thought it might be helpful for others as well. I have never exercised my Platinum benefit of a guaranteed room if booked 72 hours in advance. I was wondering though, if a hotel were booked solid and you did have to exercise this right, could you use an SPG50 to cut the rack rate (which you have to pay if you "force" a reservation) in half? It seems like you should be able to use the SPG50 anytime you are paying the rack rate, including in this scenario, but perhaps someone more familiar with SPG's terms and conditions is aware of something that would prevent you from doing this.
Sorry, but any successful 72-hour Platinum forced availability request comes at the RACK rate only. Best regards, William R. Sanders Social Media Specialist Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide guest.forum@starwoodhotels.com
It turns out that guaranteed room availability is subject to exceptions; I tried to book at a couple of hotels in Chicago and was told that they did not have any Platinum override availability. (Two other hotels did, but the rack rate was so high that I couldn't accept it.)
