The Renew Your Soul package is pricing for $60+tax at the Westin Times Square.
- In addition to the link above which pre-fills in the relevant package, you can search for the “Renew Your Soul Package” rate in the “Promotions and Packages” section. Search for your desired dates. Pick the Westin Times Square and then “promotions and packages” and make sure you are searching one adult only. That will bring up the rate if the package is available.
- This is available on some but not all Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights between September and December.
- The package includes a $10 minibar credit, an in-room movie, a $10 Metrocard, and a $10 coffee card.
As I say, this only comes up when searching for 1 person per room. If this is ultimately honored (don’t buy non-refundable airfare just yet!) then they well could enforce the one person per room limit. So if you are two people, you might want to book two rooms as a precaution. And if that’s how things work out, you at least get two minibar, movie, coffee, etc. credits and a still-amazing $120 per night for the Westin Times Square.
This is pre-paid non-cancellable though I would guess that they’d rather refund your money than have you stay so it’s always possible you may be able to cancel for a refund later if this is ultimately honored. The fact that this is prepaid makes it more likely that it’ll be honored, though.
(HT: SalesStud)
Update: 10:30am Eastern it is getting tougher to book, inventory is disappearing, so plenty of folks are saying this is dead. But I’m also still getting reports of success for dates in September and in December, as of just a few minutes ago. Maybe it’s on its way out, but it doesn’t seem quite dead yet.
Update: 10:50am Eastern it does now appear to be gone. Now we wait to see whether it will be honored or not!
Can’t find availbilty for any dates…woke up too late to see this post :p
Gerard are you seriously trying to write my posts now?
I *LINKED* to the Flyertalk post where I found this.
This wasn’t a long post.
There was no secret, nothing I was trying to conceal.
Sorry if you would have preferred the link at the top of the post, to each there own I suppose.
If Gary doesn’t post these things, how would people learn about them? I am happy Gary posts this stuff.
If you really don’t see the problem of honestly crediting your source (no, two words under a post isn’t it) and doing some homework like validating if the original info is correct (it wasn’t, a lot off dates not only thu/sun were available) then there’s not much more to say……
You could go work for a newspaper, you might even get suspended :-).
Gary, we appreciate your posting these deals since not all of us get to check Flyertalk first thing every day. Deals come and go and that’s part of the chase.
Is there a “ban” button on this thing??
I just dont understand WHY you want to share.
The original was posted on flyertalk. Leave it at that and let other people have a hard time finding the information – therefore more flyertalk members benefit.
Why share the community’s information with the general public?? It seems silly to me.
@Gerard
This isn’t hard hitting journalism like The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, or The Economist. It’s a travel blog where readers go to pick up tips and learn of “potential” and “confirmed” deals. You are free to move on to read another site. It’s free press and freedom to choose what you do and do not read. Gary is providing a service to people who love travel. I could read his site for years and never give him a dime through an affiliate link, just like you can.
If you need to bully someone, go start your own site and whine there. Grow up and be a mature adult yourself.
Gary, keep up the great work, even though I think Lucky is right about the valuation of Hilton points!
@clayd333 – Yes there is a way to ban commenters. I have never done that. In fact I have always published all comments — except for spam and one comment that involved posting extraneous personal information about a person in an attempt to make them uncomfortable, that was only one non-spam post that i can recall deleting in 10 years.
Maybe the wrong policy but I am always open to criticism. I prefer the criticism is polite. But when it isn’t I assume it reflects more on the person making the comment than it does anythnig else.
Thanks for reading!
Too bad I was out running this morning and missed this deal. But, thanks as always, Gary.
“So blaming me for something going away, when it was going to be very short-lived and then goes away as expected, is a bit strange”
So, then why not just leave it on Flyer Talk and let people find it there? The reality is that most travel bloggers are providing an ‘informational’ service, but the cold, hard truth is that you guys get ‘something’ with every click & visit you notch up, perhaps not cold, hard cash, but in the end it helps your bottom line and appeal to advertisers. OF COURSE this biz model includes FT and I have issues with them as well. I’m not gonna argue with anyone, because people have to make a living somehow. I don’t think you stole anything, however I might use the word poach, as I think they accurately describes what happened.
Thanks for posting this, Gary. I have a friend with a trip planned to NYC who I sent this to and she was able to grab it before it disappeared.
The only reason she was successful is because I sent it to her 2 min after getting your Tweet. I read FT daily, but I’d never have found it there in time and I/she would have missed this opportunity had you not posted it here.
And for what it’s worth, out of all the bloggers I read daily you are by FAR the best at giving credit to your sources. Ignore the critics and just keep doing what you do.
I can’t understand all the nasty comments. Once something is posted on Flyer Talk, it’s hardly a secret. Does anyone really think that Starwood only checks this blog and not FT and that without Gary the deal would have remained good forever? That being said, I’m wondering what are the odds of Starwood honoring the rate for my one-night September stay? At any rate, THANK YOU GARY!
I’m really amazed that the general consensus is that’s it’s okay to “steal” postings from the public travel boards for your own “benefit”.
Sure, it’s a good thing bloggers reach a different audience and that the information is presented in a more readable format. And it’s really nice that you can take advantage from offers you wouldn’t otherwise know existed. That’s even why I read them myself.
But do you really feel that it’s okay to take credit for other peoples work without recognition (and that’s in my opinion exactly what is intended with a hidden link in two words after the post) where it came from and then blatantly copying content without any additional information. This is a lot different than repeating offers that are offered to the general public.
And that’s even ignoring calling it a mistake fare (something that was wisely not done in the original posting) and that way even calling more attention to this mistake and therefore making sure it’s gone even faster….
I missed out on this deal because I slept in late but I too am thankful Gary posts this type of information. Thanks Gary!
How do I know what time this post was initially created? There isn’t a great incentive to putting the time you updated the post, if you don’t also put the time the post was created.
@Gerard if I were ‘stealing’ the information I wouldn’t have linked to where I found it. If I were trying to take credit for it,I wouldn’t have identified the person (not me) who found it. I think you’re trying a little too hard here?
As for it being a mistake rate, it clearly was.
@PSL “Once something is posted on Flyer Talk, it’s hardly a secret. ” EXACTLY. I have never posted anything that’s been shared with me in confidence. But when it’s being discussed openly on the interwebs… Starwood has more than one employee dedicated to being on Flyertalk.
As for whether this will actually be honored or not, does anyone have at least a pending authorization showing on their credit card?
Gary, I’m sory… But I still think it is a very lame way to credit someone elses find. Clearly intended so that people don’t realize the information is poached (indeed a better word than stolen) from FT.
I wasn’t aware you were operating this way. But now I know you are involved with a competing company and that you have regularly poached FT for information without crediting them (easily found on FT) I won’t be reading your blog anymore. No big loss for you, I admit :-).
And for calling it a mistake….. I guess trafic here is again more important than not drawing any more attention. But hey it will probably gain you a few more followers on Twitter and that’s most important.
thanks gary, and dont listen to the haters
@Gerard I hope you find whatever else you prefer to read out there, and wish you the best. I wrote the post in a hurry and took special care to add a link to where I found the deal. And to say who found it. As I and others have observed, I take great pains to credit where I came across information, more so than most.
It’s sort of a strange thing to say, that I wrote my post intending to obscure where the information came from, if that was my intention I certainly wouldn’t have provided a link to where it came from!! But we all have our own standards I suppose! Could I have fallen over myself more to spell out the thank you? Absolutely! Dashed up the post so that folks could take advantage of the deal, this wasn’t going to last long! So if anyone feels slighted in this, that certainly wasn’t my intention…!!
As for posting things that could be “easily found on Flyertalk” well that’s fine, as I say, I credit where I find things and this one came from Flyertalk so that got a link in the post.
@jason Indeed, “haters gonna hate”
Jesus, Gerard. Give it up already. 99% of travel blog posts are information that can be found elsewhere. The entire benefit of Gary’s blog is that it consolidates good deals and ideas into a single, easily understandable resource. So sorry that this post didn’t meet your professional blooging referral guidelines that you made up.
If something is posted on flyertalk, it’s public domain. You should aim your anger at the OP over there. He’s the one who really ruined it for you…but then you would have never known about it either.
Your argument is really coming off as pathetic at this point. Unless you were the original finder of the deal, and you sent the info to Gary in confidence, your argument has no merit.
Gary, thanks for the tip. Not one I could use this time, but always appreciated.
@ Cdiddy
I totally second what you’ve written. Keep up the GREAT work Gary.
Gary: just want you to know that most of the readers appreciate your work very much!
Gerard: your disappearance from this board will also be appreciated!
Let’s call it what it is, Gerard – greed. Sounds like you wanted all of the rooms to yourself. Why else would you be so hysterical over the post?
Gary had every right to share this public info with his readers and I thank him for doing so.
So is the bank card used to book these rooms really going to be required at time of check-in (or before check-in), or is there some other way around that?
Gerard apparently doesn’t understand the basic concept of the Internet, which is to LINK to stuff. It’s all about sharing information. Gary properly credited the source.
Not sure what bug Gerard has up his backside, but I think he’s had his say and then some at this point. If this were my blog, he’d have been banned after about the second repetitive post.
@GuWonder can’t IMAGINE they’ll want to see the card used for booking at checkin.
The only reason I asked was because there was something about having to present the card at check-in or make other arrangements if a non-guest’s card was used for the reservations.
The following is not that language, but it reflects in part why that may have come up:
[QUOTE]
USD 60.00 deposit is due on Sun, Aug 19, 2012 and will be charged to the credit card provided. [/QUOTE]
I don’t have a lot of prepaid, non-refundable SPG reservations, so perhaps the language on the website is not reflective of practice.
Gary,
I was able to score one of the nights. Thank you for writing about the deal. And please continue to do so regardless of what people think.
On another note, after booking the room I used my Amex Platinum card to get SPG Gold status and it was updated instantly on my profile. Now hoping that the deal is honored, does it matter I turned Gold after I bought the package? Will I still be entitled to late check-out/upgrade when I check in? Or do I need to contact the hotel and notify them that I’m Gold when it gets closer to the actual date of booking?
Thanks.
@Gerard
Nuff already. This is internet. If you are so worried about honesty and preservation of information, why dont you go to ft and bitc* there? They all steal there too in your definition.
Gary adds value to many people. What do YOU do? only reason you can continue replying useless annyoance is because he LETS you. get a grip.
Go start your own site and whine there.
@Rik just make sure they refresh the reservation at checkin and you’ll be fine
@Gerard
Shut up.
As a West Coaster, I did not get in on the deal; however, I want to thank our local blogger because he has provided us a service that almost all appreciate. The dissenters remind me of the FT elitists who resort to “trick it” threads with Rosetta Stone lingo to keep deals in an incestuous cocoon.
@Justin(57): gleff shares this stuff that he poaches off flyer talk for simply one reason………….$$$$$$$. He along with all other bloggers need to share this kind of stuff to get more readers, so those readers will apply for credit cards via his cc affiliate referral links to line his pockets with money. He may deny it, but all of us with an ounce of brainpower know this is the case. Not much you can do about it but not share on flyer talk and DEFINITELY DON’T APPLY FOR ANY CREDIT CARDS VIA GLEFFS LINKS. Use a generic link instead.
@Gerald/Gregorygrady/etc- suspect they are all the same poster hiding under multiple aliases.
I appreciate what Gary does, recommend his blog to friend and use his affiliate links. There’s transparency about which links he gets commissions on, unlike your hatred hiding behind numerous pseudonyms.
Just forwarded on the “First credit card churn to a bunch of newbie friends, because I thought it was a very clear outline about a good palce to start.
And yes, I have more than an ounce of brainpower. But it does not cost me any extra to use Gary’s links, and I think its a fair reward back to him for the time he puts in finding offers and writing the blog.
Finally, though I read FlyerTalk frequently, I also appreciate Gary posting a mistake fare here for his readers, because I don’t regularly read Hotel Deals. Thanks!
Amex shows $72.45 charge at the Westin Times Square as pending.
Thanks, Gary, for posting!!
Dearest Haters,
I second @George.
In addition to providing useful commentary and comparisons, Gary aggregates great deals from several sources that I do not have the time to monitor myself. That is a product I find worth “paying” for, so I CHOOSE to use his links and will continue to do so.
Sorry that upsets you.
Warm regards.
“@Justin(57): gleff shares this stuff that he poaches off flyer talk for simply one reason………….$$$$$$$.”
sorry, but last time i checked FT isn’t exactly a 501c3 either. do you think they just give away their ad space for free? just because it’s fun?
and if you are so concerned about a blogger taking away precious money from internet brands inc., the parent company of FT who runs 100+ sites and had revenue near $100MM in 2010 when they were taken private for $640MM, well, congrats on standing-up for the man. but shouldn’t you also be blaming the airlines and credit card companies for having affiliate marketing programs in the first place that makes this possible? or is there a rule that i missed somewhere that says all credit card signups must go through flyertalk?
all of this so you can better take advantage of the mistakes of others to obtain things you could not afford or would not be willing to purchase at current market rate. and all down the drain because of a blogger.
people who spend a lot of time on the internet tend to think the world revolves around the internet a lot more than it really does.
and to gary…. thanks.
Sorry George, your suspicion is dead wrong. I can assure you that I am only posting as myself, and I don’t use Anon/other names to post under ever. There are those of us who will always dislike most blogs for prematurely ruining deals. And then there are leeches who can’t be bothered to do their own research/digging to find their own info. Those people will continue supporting blogs by applying for CCs via blogger referral links I assume, which I am sure is enough to make good bloggers such as gleff a pretty penny. The only thing the rest of us can do is whine about deals being ruined, stop sharing deals on public forums, and not use CC referral links of the bloggers as that just encourages things to go on as they are now.
FYI Gary, I recieved this email today:
Dear Westin New York Guest:
Thank you for choosing The Westin New York at Times Square.
Our records indicate that you have booked the Renew Your Soul package for your upcoming stay.
Please be advised that this special offer is limited to single occupancy and is valid for the dates confirmed at time of booking. Any changes in dates, number of occupants or room type will result in a rate change and render the $60.00 rate null and void in accordance with hotel room modification policy.
For assistance or for more information, please contact us at mars.01380@westin.com or call 212-201-4649 and select option 5.
Kind regards,
Reservations Department
The Westin New York at Times Square