Official Announcement: SPG Transformation with effect from March 1st, 2012

Dear members,

Today is an exciting day for the SPG program and our members. We are officially announcing a set of member benefits that will go into effect starting March 1. These new benefits are on top of the existing benefits members have today. Based on feedback we’ve received from members over the years plus extensive research and analysis, we feel these changes will help give our elite members more flexibility and more choices at the times it matters to them the most. The new changes are the following:

1. We are launching a welcome gift at check-in for all Gold members. Gold’s will be able to choose from bonus Starpoints, free in-room internet access, or a complimentary beverage as their gift with each stay.

http://milepoint.com/forums/threads/discussion-new-gold-welcome-amenity-choices.27732/

2. Continental breakfast will now be an available option as part of the Welcome Gift choice for Platinum’s at check-in. Platinum’s can choose from the breakfast, bonus Starpoints, or a local gift at each stay.

http://milepoint.com/forums/threads...me-amenity-choice-for-platinum-members.27733/
3. Platinum members who reach 50 nights in calendar year will receive 10 Suite Night Awards to upgrade to a suite or premium room. This benefit is in addition to our existing benefit of offering upgrades at check-in to best available room, including standard suites.

http://milepoint.com/forums/threads...-plats-with-50-nights-in-calendar-year.27734/

4. Platinum members who reach 75 nights in a calendar year will receive 4 Starpoints per eligible dollar earned, plus receive access to Your24, a new benefit which allows members to choose their check in time. For example, if you check in at 9 pm, you can stay until 9 pm day of departure.

http://milepoint.com/forums/threads...-plats-with-75-nights-in-calendar-year.27735/

5. Platinum members who reach 100 nights will receive access to their own personal ambassador to help with all of their travel planning.

http://milepoint.com/forums/threads...r-for-platinum-members-with-100-nights.27738/

6. And finally, we’re pleased to be announcing SPG Lifetime™ Gold and SPG Lifetime™ Platinum status. Members with 250 eligible nights and 5 years of elite SPG status will earn SPG Lifetime Gold eligible. Members with 500 eligible nights and 10 years of Platinum status will earn SPG Lifetime Platinum status.

http://milepoint.com/forums/threads...gold-and-spg-lifetime™-platinum-status.27742/

These changes are on top of the most recent program change that occurred in October 2011, where all award stays and nights now qualify toward elite status.

Members who completed 50 or more nights in 2011 will receive the nights benefits listed above.

All of the new information will be on SPG.com starting March 1st, including Lifetime status and Suite Night Awards if applicable for you. Member kits that will start arriving this month will also reflect the new Lifetime status if you have it.

Please go over to spg.com/morepower for all the details regarding the changes, including a full list of FAQ’s. But if you have additional comments or questions, us Lurkers are here to help.

spgchampion@starwoodhotels.com
Thyetus Lee | Social Media Specialist
Starwood Customer Contact Centre (AP) Pte Ltd

Thank you Theytus for the updates. Sounds fantastic.

Thanks for the post. Nice to see more lifetime options .

What constitutes eligible nights for this? FAQ just mentions nights since joining - but wanted to check if there are other restrictions (e.g. Is it whatever the number on "Since yyyy, you have a total of x stays and z nights"? Or any other restrictions such as 3rd party/group/etc rates ineligible?).

Terrific!

Only eligible stays and nights will count towards this. Award stays will count as of October 1, 2011.

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Social Media Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

spgchampion@starwoodhotels.com

Definitely a hit out of the ball park (my UK work colleagues have no idea what that means!). Well done, SPG, and thanks!

Well this has raised my interest in SPG again! Nice job Starwood!

The free Platinum breakfast option makes me think, "it's about time!" It really was a distinct disadvantage. During a stay at the Park Hyatt Paris Vendome, the free breakfast went for 48 Euro per person - and made it seem like Starwood was way behind.

I am upset about the 10 "guaranteed" suite upgrades for Super-Platinums. The execution of it shows that Starwood had the ability to be involved in the upgrade process all along but chose not to and left it for us to have to argue our way into benefits that the program already mandated. My sense is that such upgrades will become even harder for the lower level Platinums like me.

And the strange thing is that I have trouble imagining that many people will really care about 10 such suite upgrades per year (they might appreciate them but still wouldn't be such a big deal). Most people who travel that much (I would guess tho surely could be wrong) are business people traveling alone. I would urge Starwood to reconsider this as they move forward. I think there are many like me who would be thrilled with 2-3 per year, so that on the big vacations I take with my wife, we could truly feel the Starwood love!

Starwood was the first chain that really excited me and I'm glad to see that they are back in the game. I do understand the further need to stratify but do, as I said, hope they will throw us lowly regular Platinums a bone!

There are many times when, as much as I enjoy the suites, I'm traveling alone and find myself in a massively spacious place, more than any one person may "need", and when said expansive suite is in a property sans club lounge, would think a breakfast option instead of this might be useful.

That said, suites seem to be a "your mileage may vary" issue with many travellers, and I suspect many different opinions on it.

I hadn't kept track of nights in the past b/c they didn't matter to me in my re-qual; that's changed now obviously.

Is there a way for me to see the nights I had in 2011 aside from adding up all of the stays manually?

I called my Plat Conc line and asked how many nights I had last year; he responded that I had 20 and 44. When I said that didn't sound right and that I had requal'd for Plat he told me I had achieved that via lifetime plat...that doesn't sound right to me either.

Just looking for some prior year numbers that I know will jive with what SPG will be using to determine eligibility for the new bene's. With promos, award nights, credit card benefits and so on, it can get confusing.

Members will soon be sent an email or a letter advising them of their status towards any new benefits. Customer Contact Center associates can see this information now, but if you suspect an error has been made, you can request for a supervisor to review it.

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Social Media Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

spgchampion@starwoodhotels.com

Thanks William. I suspect there is an error made on the part of the rep I spoke w/ just now but I also suspect there is some training to be done.

I checked my lifetime nights/stays online and there is no way I have achieved lifetime Plat status with those numbers; he told me I have Plat status in 2012 due to lifetime plat status being achieved. If so, thanks for the gift! (but it doesn't sound correct to me).

A more specific question: do nights / stays from the SPG AMEX count as actual nights / stays for all of these changes?

Wow... amazing. Frequent guests are going to love this... and me thinks that this move by Starwood will make other big players in the industry have to follow with something similar..... sounds like this will make things more interesting for most all of the traveling public...

Im no longer a serious frequent road warrior, but I did have a few good years with SPG and was a Platinum Member for a few of those years. Therfore, I would have the following two questions;

a) Is there some sort of cut off date from which the nights towards Lifetime Status will be counted or do all the "historical" nights you stayed while being a SPG member count...?

b) Do nights stayed while you are a "standard" member of the SPG program also count towards lifetime status...?

My understanding of it is yes they do.

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Social Media Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

spgchampion@starwoodhotels.com

From 1999 to present.

As far as number qualifying nights, yes; but there is also a minimum year elite membership status for Lifetime Gold and Platinum component.

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Social Media Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

spgchampion@starwoodhotels.com

Thanks for the prompt response. My follow up question would be as follows....

I can see from my account info on the web that I have 101 stays and 234 nights. Is there somewhere online where I can see how many years of elite status I had....?

Im guessing that my history doesnt qualify me for any lifetime status as my current status is showing me only as a Preferred Guest Plus... I assume that the system is already updated and will show lifetime status to those that qualify...?

Final question (I promise)... do the Elite Status Years have to be consecutive for them to qualify for Lifetime status or how does that work...?

Thanks for your patience.....

Cheers from EZE,
Gaucho

No, but a call to the Customer Contact Center can fix that.

As of March 1st, yes.

No. Just 5 years at elite for Lifetime Gold and 10 years at Platinum for Lifetime Platinum, in addition to the respective number of nightsrequired.

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Social Media Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

spgchampion@starwoodhotels.com

Massive upgrade that once again puts SPG at the top of the benefits list. Great job guys!

Mike

Thank you William for answering all my questions.... Im quite close to the 250 night requirement and my guess is that I have at least 3 years of Elite status under the belt, so I will get working hard on making Gold this year and perhaps join the select group of lifetimers sometime not in the too distant future....

Looking over the program, I think that overall, there are some very nice additions and options that SPG is offering. When the rumors began about 10 suite nights for Plat with 50+ nights, I was worried that this would result in those who earn their status on stays would be left out. The comprehensive Transformation looks good. Time will tell if the free suite upgrades are lessened for Platinum members (I think I was 1:3 last year). The other changes, incl benefits for Gold are a nice addition, as is the breakfast option (though I hope club lounges don't use this as a reason for downgrading their food options, as the Sheraton Toronto City Centre recently did)!

I do have a new goal -- lifetime Platinum!
(and I may even have a shot at 50+ nights)

I have never been anything but preferred plus and there will likely be no lifetime status in my lifetime, but I like that Gold status now gets a welcome gift. Before I felt that it wasn't a level worth aiming for. Now I could get free internet, which makes it more competitive with Hyatt Plat and Hilton Gold.

Great addition to benefits at a moment when it appeared that SPG was falling behind.

And I just received a call from SPG Platinum Concierge that I’ve been granted Lifetime Platinum status.

Thanks, SPG!

This is great news... I was waffling between staying at SPG properties or Hilton properties for this year, since I just got Hilton Gold.

This great new enhancement sealed my decision... It's SPG!

Thanks for the wonderful new enhancements!

Wow! That is all I can say. Not sure all the suite upgrades are that important, but everything else is. Nice job Starwood!!

These are great new benefits. I am definitely staying w/ SPG! Hopefully I'll make lifetime status!