Starwood is Reducing Their Booking Window, Changes Award Prices at 17% of Hotels

by Gary Leff

Starwood is reducing the booking window — how far out you can make reservations — on February 11.
You’ll only be able to make reservations 350 days in advance instead of 550 (not all hotels loaded inventory 550 days out previously).

  • This moves Starwood closer to Marriott. And most members don’t make reservatoins that far out, and wouldn’t have a problem making them closer in. However it means it’ll be harder to jump on hotels in major event cities that sell out – like the Superbowl – before hotels have a chance to game their inventory and prevent award reservations.

  • At the same time Marriott no doubt believes it doesn’t maximize revenue to make reservations over a year in advance when they simply don’t have good informatoin about what levels of bookings to expect.

In addition Starwood has announced award category changes for 2018 which will go into effect March 6th. A hotel’s category is based on its projected average daily room rate for the year. Hotels that they believe will earn higher room rates cost more in points, and those they expect to earn lower rates than the expectation a year earlier go down in points (provided those changes push a property into a different band).

If you are already booked at a hotel getting less expensive, great, you keep the lower-priced booking. If you are booked at a hotel that’s going down in category you will want to reprice it after the changes go into effect. If you are interested in a hotel that is getting more expensive, book it now before the changes.

Here’s what’s happening. Overall 276 hotels or 17% of properties are changing categories — with reductions slightly outpacing increases. Most of the action is in North America while most of the increases outpacing reductions are in Europe.


  • Africa: 1 hotel drops 2 categories, 23 drop 1 category, 6 go up 1 category, 1 goes up 2 categories
  • Asia: 1 hotel drops 2 categories, 27 drop 1 category, 35 go up 1 category, 1 goes up 2 categories
  • Caribbean: 2 hotels go up 1 category
  • Central & South America: 8 hotels drop 1 category, 2 go up 1 category
  • Europe: 1 hotel drops 3 categories, 16 drop 1 category, 38 go up 1 category
  • North America: 54 hotels drop 1 category, 59 go up 1 category, 1 goes up 2 categories

We have one new category 7 hotel, the St. Regis Osaka and 18 new category 6 hotels.

Notable hotels getting more expensive are the Westin Whistler, Westin Grand Cayman, Sheraton Tel Aviv, W Atlanta Midtown, St. Regis Moscow, Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit

Notable hotels getting less expensive are the W New York, W Miami, W Dubai Al Habtoor City, W Las Vegas, W Doha, W Brisbane, Westin Arlington. That’s a lot of Ws.


W Doha

Here’s the full list of changes:

Region Hotel Country/
Region		 State/
Province		 City Brand 2017 Category 2018 Category
Europe The Westin Palace, Madrid SPAIN MADRID Westin 5 6
North America Sheraton Hamilton Hotel CANADA ON HAMILTON Sheraton 3 4
Europe Sofia Hotel Balkan, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Sofia BULGARIA SOFIA The Luxury Collection 2 3
North America Four Points by Sheraton Norwood UNITED STATES MA NORWOOD Four Points by Sheraton 3 4
North America Sheraton Parkway Toronto North Hotel & Suites CANADA ON RICHMOND HILL Sheraton 3 4
Africa/Middle East Sheraton Tel Aviv Hotel ISRAEL TEL AVIV Sheraton 5 6
Asia Pacific Sheraton Grande Sukhumvit, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Bangkok THAILAND BANGKOK The Luxury Collection 4 5
Europe Sheraton Frankfurt Airport Hotel and Conference Center GERMANY FRANKFURT Sheraton 3 4
Asia Pacific Sheraton Grand Mirage Resort, Port Douglas AUSTRALIA PORT DOUGLAS Sheraton 4 5
Asia Pacific ITC Windsor, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Bengaluru INDIA BENGALURU The Luxury Collection 2 3
North America Walt Disney World Dolphin UNITED STATES FL LAKE BUENA VISTA Sheraton 4 5
North America Sheraton Vancouver Guildford Hotel CANADA BC SURREY Sheraton 3 4
North America Sheraton Albuquerque Uptown UNITED STATES NM ALBUQUERQUE Sheraton 2 3
North America Four Points by Sheraton Kingston CANADA ON KINGSTON Four Points by Sheraton 3 4
North America Sheraton Portland Airport Hotel UNITED STATES OR PORTLAND Sheraton 3 4
North America The Westin Southfield Detroit UNITED STATES MI SOUTHFIELD Westin 3 4
Caribbean The Westin Grand Cayman Seven Mile Beach Resort & Spa CAYMAN ISLANDS GRAND CAYMAN Westin 5 6
Europe Four Points by Sheraton Brussels BELGIUM BRUSSELS Four Points by Sheraton 2 3
Asia Pacific The Westin Taipei TAIWAN TAIPEI Westin 4 5
North America The Westin Resort & Spa, Whistler CANADA BC WHISTLER Westin 5 6
Europe The Westin Dublin IRELAND DUBLIN Westin 5 6
North America Four Points by Sheraton Hotel & Conference Centre Gatineau-Ottawa CANADA QC GATINEAU Four Points by Sheraton 3 4
North America The Westin Charlotte UNITED STATES NC CHARLOTTE Westin 4 5
Europe Sheraton Porto Hotel & Spa PORTUGAL PORTO Sheraton 3 4
Europe Sheraton La Caleta Resort & Spa, Costa Adeje, Tenerife SPAIN ADEJE TENERIFE Sheraton 4 5
North America Four Points by Sheraton Houston Greenway Plaza UNITED STATES TX HOUSTON Four Points by Sheraton 2 3
Asia Pacific Sheraton Hanoi Hotel VIETNAM HANOI Sheraton 2 3
North America Four Points by Sheraton Toronto Airport CANADA ON MISSISSAUGA Four Points by Sheraton 3 4
Caribbean Sheraton Puerto Rico Hotel & Casino UNITED STATES PR SAN JUAN Sheraton 3 4
Europe Sheraton Fuerteventura Beach, Golf & Spa Resort SPAIN FUERTEVENTURA Sheraton 3 4
North America The Westin Dallas Fort Worth Airport UNITED STATES TX IRVING Westin 3 4
North America Four Points by Sheraton Sacramento International Airport UNITED STATES CA SACRAMENTO Four Points by Sheraton 3 4
Central & South America Sheraton Presidente San Salvador Hotel EL SALVADOR SAN SALVADOR Sheraton 2 3
Europe The Westin Valencia SPAIN VALENCIA Westin 4 5
Asia Pacific Le Méridien Noumea Resort & Spa NEW CALEDONIA NOUMEA Le Méridien 4 5
Asia Pacific Le Méridien Phuket Beach Resort. THAILAND PHUKET Le Méridien 4 5
Europe Hotel Bristol, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Warsaw POLAND WARSAW The Luxury Collection 4 5
Europe Hotel National, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Moscow RUSSIAN FEDERATION MOSCOW The Luxury Collection 4 5
Europe Le Méridien Stuttgart GERMANY STUTTGART Le Méridien 4 5
Asia Pacific Le Méridien Kota Kinabalu MALAYSIA KOTA KINABALU Le Méridien 2 3
Europe Le Méridien St. Julians Hotel & Spa MALTA ST. JULIANS Le Méridien 3 4
Asia Pacific Le Méridien Chiang Mai THAILAND CHIANG MAI Le Méridien 3 4
North America Aloft Montreal Airport CANADA QC MONTREAL Aloft 3 4
North America Aloft Tallahassee Downtown UNITED STATES FL TALLAHASSEE Aloft 3 4
North America Aloft Ontario-Rancho Cucamonga UNITED STATES CA RANCHO CUCAMONGA Aloft 2 3
Europe Castillo Hotel Son Vida, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Mallorca SPAIN PALMA DE MALLORCA The Luxury Collection 5 6
Asia Pacific Sheraton Grand Bangalore Hotel at Brigade Gateway INDIA BENGALURU Sheraton 3 4
Asia Pacific Sheraton Hsinchu Hotel TAIWAN ZHUBEI CITY Sheraton 3 4
Asia Pacific W Guangzhou CHINA GUANGZHOU W Hotels 4 5
North America W Atlanta Midtown UNITED STATES GA ATLANTA W Hotels 4 5
North America Aloft Richmond West UNITED STATES VA GLEN ALLEN Aloft 2 3
North America Four Points by Sheraton Philadelphia Northeast UNITED STATES PA PHILADELPHIA Four Points by Sheraton 2 3
Asia Pacific The St. Regis Osaka JAPAN OSAKA St Regis 6 7
Europe Sheraton Prague Charles Square Hotel CZECH REPUBLIC PRAGUE Sheraton 3 4
North America Four Points by Sheraton Cambridge Kitchener, Ontario CANADA ON CAMBRIDGE Four Points by Sheraton 2 3
North America Four Points by Sheraton Raleigh Durham Airport UNITED STATES NC MORRISVILLE Four Points by Sheraton 2 3
Asia Pacific The Westin Mumbai Garden City INDIA MUMBAI Westin 3 4
North America Four Points by Sheraton Niagara Falls Fallsview CANADA ON NIAGARA FALLS Four Points by Sheraton 2 4
Africa/Middle East W Amman JORDAN AMMAN W Hotels 4 5
Africa/Middle East Le Méridien Towers Makkah SAUDI ARABIA MAKKAH Le Méridien 2 4
Asia Pacific W Shanghai The Bund CHINA SHANGHAI W Hotels 5 6
North America Element Palmdale UNITED STATES CA PALMDALE Element 3 4
North America Sheraton Vancouver Airport Hotel CANADA BC RICHMOND Sheraton 3 4
Asia Pacific ITC Gardenia, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Bengaluru INDIA BENGALURU The Luxury Collection 3 4
Asia Pacific Sheraton Qingyuan Lion Lake Resort CHINA QINGYUAN Sheraton 1 2
Asia Pacific Le Méridien Mahabaleshwar Resort & Spa INDIA MAHABALESHWAR Le Méridien 4 5
Europe Sheraton Batumi Hotel GEORGIA BATUMI Sheraton 2 3
Europe Sheraton Rhodes Resort GREECE RHODES Sheraton 3 4
Asia Pacific The Castle Hotel, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Dalian CHINA DALIAN The Luxury Collection 4 5
Europe The Westin Hamburg GERMANY HAMBURG Westin 5 6
North America Four Points by Sheraton Tucson Airport UNITED STATES AZ TUCSON Four Points by Sheraton 1 2
North America Four Points by Sheraton Newark UNITED STATES DE NEWARK Four Points by Sheraton 3 4
North America Sheraton Redding Hotel at the Sundial Bridge UNITED STATES CA REDDING Sheraton 3 4
Central & South America Aloft San Jose Hotel, Costa Rica COSTA RICA SAN JOSÉ Aloft 1 2
North America Element Vancouver Metrotown CANADA BC BURNABY Element 4 5
Asia Pacific Le Méridien Qingdao West Coast Resort CHINA QINGDAO Le Méridien 1 2
Asia Pacific ITC Grand Chola, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Chennai INDIA CHENNAI The Luxury Collection 2 3
North America Four Points by Sheraton Mexico City, Colonia Roma MEXICO MEXICO CITY Four Points by Sheraton 1 2
Europe Four Points by Sheraton Kecskemet Hotel & Conference Center HUNGARY KECSKEMET Four Points by Sheraton 1 2
North America Element Vaughan Southwest CANADA ON VAUGHAN Element 3 4
North America Le Méridien Arlington UNITED STATES VA ARLINGTON Le Méridien 4 5
North America The St. Anthony, a Luxury Collection Hotel, San Antonio UNITED STATES TX SAN ANTONIO The Luxury Collection 4 5
North America Sheraton Hartford South Hotel UNITED STATES CT ROCKY HILL Sheraton 3 4
Africa/Middle East Sheraton Annaba Hotel ALGERIA ANNABA Sheraton 3 4
North America Aloft Guadalajara MEXICO GUADALAJARA Aloft 1 2
North America The Westin Sacramento UNITED STATES CA SACRAMENTO Westin 4 5
North America Four Points by Sheraton Dallas Fort Worth Airport North UNITED STATES TX COPPELL Four Points by Sheraton 2 3
North America Four Points by Sheraton Midland UNITED STATES TX MIDLAND Four Points by Sheraton 2 3
Asia Pacific Four Points by Sheraton Ahmedabad INDIA AHMEDABAD Four Points by Sheraton 1 2
Europe King George, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Athens GREECE ATHENS The Luxury Collection 5 6
North America Aloft Cancun MEXICO CANCUN Aloft 2 3
Asia Pacific Aloft Jakarta Wahid Hasyim INDONESIA JAKARTA PUSAT Aloft 1 2
Europe Four Points by Sheraton Ljubljana Mons SLOVENIA LJUBLJANA Four Points by Sheraton 1 2
Asia Pacific Le Méridien Thimphu BHUTAN THIMPHU Le Méridien 4 5
Asia Pacific Four Points by Sheraton Surabaya INDONESIA SURABAYA Four Points by Sheraton 1 2
Asia Pacific Le Méridien Putrajaya MALAYSIA PUTRAJAYA Le Méridien 1 2
North America Aloft New York LaGuardia Airport UNITED STATES NY EAST ELMHURST Aloft 4 5
Asia Pacific Sheraton Petaling Jaya Hotel MALAYSIA PETALING JAYA Sheraton 1 2
Asia Pacific Sheraton Guangzhou Nansha Hotel CHINA GUANGZHOU Sheraton 1 2
Europe The St. Regis Moscow Nikolskaya RUSSIAN FEDERATION MOSCOW St Regis 4 5
North America Aloft El Paso Downtown UNITED STATES TX EL PASO Aloft 3 4
North America Aloft Columbia Downtown UNITED STATES SC COLUMBIA Aloft 3 4
North America Element Moline UNITED STATES IL MOLINE Element 3 4
Asia Pacific Le Méridien Paro, Riverfront BHUTAN PARO Le Méridien 4 5
Europe The St. Regis Astana KAZAKHSTAN ASTANA St Regis 5 6
Asia Pacific ITC Grand Bharat, a Luxury Collection Retreat, Gurgaon, New Delhi Capital Region INDIA GURGAON The Luxury Collection 5 6
North America Four Points by Sheraton Raleigh North UNITED STATES NC RALEIGH Four Points by Sheraton 2 3
Europe Great Northern Hotel, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel, London UNITED KINGDOM LONDON Tribute Portfolio 5 6
Europe Element Amsterdam NETHERLANDS AMSTERDAM Element 3 4
North America Element Houston Katy UNITED STATES TX KATY Element 3 4
North America Aloft Seattle Sea-Tac Airport UNITED STATES WA SEATAC Aloft 3 4
Europe The Westin La Quinta Golf Resort & Spa, Benahavis, Marbella SPAIN MARBELLA Westin 4 5
North America Aloft South Bend UNITED STATES IN SOUTH BEND Aloft 3 4
Asia Pacific Four Points by Sheraton Manado INDONESIA MANADO Four Points by Sheraton 1 2
North America Four Points by Sheraton Detroit Novi UNITED STATES MI NOVI Four Points by Sheraton 2 3
North America Aloft Hillsboro-Beaverton UNITED STATES OR HILLSBORO Aloft 4 5
North America Aloft Wichita Northeast UNITED STATES KS WICHITA Aloft 3 4
North America Element Dallas Love Field UNITED STATES TX DALLAS Element 3 4
Asia Pacific Sheraton Zibo Hotel CHINA ZIBO Sheraton 1 2
Asia Pacific Aloft Taipei Zhongshan TAIWAN TAIPEI Aloft 3 4
Asia Pacific Sheraton Hokkaido Kiroro Resort JAPAN YOICHI-GUN Sheraton 4 5
North America Sheraton Bay Point Resort UNITED STATES FL PANAMA CITY BEACH Sheraton 3 4
North America Element Bentonville UNITED STATES AR BENTONVILLE Element 3 4
North America Element West Des Moines UNITED STATES IA WEST DES MOINES Element 3 4
North America Four Points by Sheraton Milwaukee Airport UNITED STATES WI MILWAUKEE Four Points by Sheraton 2 3
Africa/Middle East Four Points by Sheraton Arusha, The Arusha Hotel TANZANIA, UNITED REPUBLIC OF ARUSHA Four Points by Sheraton 2 3
Asia Pacific Four Points by Sheraton Hakodate JAPAN HAKODATE Four Points by Sheraton 2 4
Africa/Middle East Four Points by Sheraton Nairobi Hurlingham KENYA NAIROBI Four Points by Sheraton 3 4
Europe Hotel J, Stockholm, a Member of Design Hotels SWEDEN NACKA STRAND Design Hotels 3 4
Europe The Pure, Frankfurt, a Member of Design Hotels GERMANY FRANKFURT Design Hotels 3 4
Europe Hospes Las Casas del Rey de Baeza, Seville, a Member of Design Hotels SPAIN SEVILLE Design Hotels 4 5
Asia Pacific The Park Bangalore, a Member of Design Hotels INDIA BENGALURU Design Hotels 1 2
Europe Lánchíd 19, Budapest, a Member of Design Hotels HUNGARY BUDAPEST Design Hotels 2 3
Europe Roomers, Frankfurt, a Member of Design Hotels GERMANY FRANKFURT Design Hotels 4 5
North America Rosas & Xocolate, Mérida, a Member of Design Hotels MEXICO MÉRIDA Design Hotels 4 5
Europe The Cambrian, Adelboden, a Member of Design Hotels SWITZERLAND ADELBODEN Design Hotels 5 6
Europe EKIES All Senses Resort, Sithonia Halkidiki, a Member of Design Hotels GREECE SITHONIA HALKIDIKI Design Hotels 5 6
Europe New Hotel, Athens, a Member of Design Hotels GREECE ATHENS Design Hotels 4 5
North America Papaya Playa Project, Tulum, a Member of Design Hotels MEXICO TULUM Design Hotels 5 6
Europe Sense Hotel Sofia, a Member of Design Hotels BULGARIA SOFIA Design Hotels 3 4
North America Hotel Escondido, Puerto Escondido, a Member of Design Hotels MEXICO PUERTO ESCONDIDO Design Hotels 5 6
Europe Nira Montana, La Thuile, a Member of Design Hotels ITALY LA THUILE Design Hotels 5 6
Africa/Middle East Elma Arts Complex Luxury Hotel, a Member of Design Hotels ISRAEL ZICHRON YA’AKOV Design Hotels 5 6
Europe HUUS Hotel, Gstaad, a Member of Design Hotels SWITZERLAND GSTAAD Design Hotels 4 5
Europe Torre de Palma Wine Hotel, Monforte, a Member of Design Hotels PORTUGAL MONFORTE Design Hotels 4 5
North America Sheraton Chicago O’Hare Airport Hotel UNITED STATES IL ROSEMONT Sheraton 4 3
North America Sheraton Cleveland Airport Hotel UNITED STATES OH CLEVELAND Sheraton 3 2
Africa/Middle East Sheraton Riyadh Hotel & Towers SAUDI ARABIA RIYADH Sheraton 6 5
Central & South America Sheraton Grand Rio Hotel & Resort BRAZIL RIO DE JANEIRO Sheraton 5 4
North America Sheraton Mexico City Maria Isabel Hotel MEXICO MEXICO CITY Sheraton 4 3
Europe Sheraton Ankara Hotel & Convention Center TURKEY ANKARA Sheraton 3 2
Africa/Middle East Sheraton Abuja Hotel NIGERIA ABUJA Sheraton 4 3
North America Sheraton Anchorage Hotel & Spa UNITED STATES AK ANCHORAGE Sheraton 4 3
Africa/Middle East Sheraton Grand Doha Resort & Convention Hotel QATAR DOHA Sheraton 6 5
Africa/Middle East Sheraton Montazah Hotel EGYPT ALEXANDRIA Sheraton 2 1
Asia Pacific Sheraton Xian Hotel CHINA XIAN Sheraton 2 1
North America Sheraton Portsmouth Harborside Hotel UNITED STATES NH PORTSMOUTH Sheraton 5 4
North America Four Points by Sheraton San Diego UNITED STATES CA SAN DIEGO Four Points by Sheraton 3 2
North America Sheraton Tysons Hotel UNITED STATES VA TYSONS Sheraton 4 3
Europe Sheraton Parco de’ Medici Rome Hotel ITALY ROME Sheraton 3 2
North America Sheraton Clayton Plaza Hotel St. Louis UNITED STATES MO ST. LOUIS Sheraton 4 3
Africa/Middle East Sheraton Amman Al Nabil Hotel JORDAN AMMAN Sheraton 5 4
Central & South America Sheraton Pilar Hotel & Convention Center ARGENTINA PILAR Sheraton 4 3
Africa/Middle East Sheraton Tunis Hotel TUNISIA TUNIS Sheraton 4 3
North America The Westin Arlington Gateway UNITED STATES VA ARLINGTON Westin 5 4
North America Sheraton Minneapolis Midtown Hotel UNITED STATES MN MINNEAPOLIS Sheraton 4 3
North America The Westin Mount Laurel UNITED STATES NJ MOUNT LAUREL Westin 4 3
Asia Pacific Sheraton Changsha Hotel CHINA CHANGSHA Sheraton 3 2
North America The Westin Minneapolis UNITED STATES MN MINNEAPOLIS Westin 5 4
North America Sheraton Brooklyn New York Hotel UNITED STATES NY BROOKLYN Sheraton 5 4
North America Sheraton Fort Worth Downtown Hotel UNITED STATES TX FORT WORTH Sheraton 4 3
North America Hotel Colonnade Coral Gables, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel UNITED STATES FL CORAL GABLES Tribute Portfolio 5 4
Africa/Middle East Le Méridien Re-Ndama GABON LIBREVILLE Le Méridien 4 3
Africa/Middle East Hotel Mandji GABON PORT-GENTIL 5 4
Africa/Middle East Le Méridien Ogeyi Place NIGERIA PORT HARCOURT Le Méridien 5 4
Africa/Middle East Le Royal Méridien Beach Resort & Spa UNITED ARAB EMIRATES DUBAI Le Méridien 6 5
Africa/Middle East Grosvenor House, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Dubai UNITED ARAB EMIRATES DUBAI The Luxury Collection 6 5
Africa/Middle East Le Méridien Abu Dhabi UNITED ARAB EMIRATES ABU DHABI Le Méridien 3 2
Asia Pacific Four Points by Sheraton Hangzhou, Binjiang CHINA HANGZHOU Four Points by Sheraton 2 1
Asia Pacific Sheraton Wenzhou Hotel CHINA WENZHOU Sheraton 3 2
Central & South America Sheraton Grand Panama PANAMA PANAMA CITY Sheraton 3 2
Europe W Istanbul TURKEY ISTANBUL W Hotels 4 3
Africa/Middle East W Doha Hotel & Residences QATAR DOHA W Hotels 5 4
North America Sheraton Atlanta Perimeter North Hotel UNITED STATES GA ATLANTA Sheraton 4 3
North America Sheraton Houston West Hotel UNITED STATES TX HOUSTON Sheraton 4 3
North America Sheraton Louisville Riverside Hotel UNITED STATES IN JEFFERSONVILLE Sheraton 4 3
North America Aloft Tulsa UNITED STATES OK TULSA Aloft 2 1
North America Aloft New York Brooklyn UNITED STATES NY BROOKLYN Aloft 5 4
North America Element Houston Vintage Park UNITED STATES TX HOUSTON Element 4 3
North America Le Méridien Philadelphia UNITED STATES PA PHILADELPHIA Le Méridien 5 4
Africa/Middle East Le Méridien Cairo Airport EGYPT CAIRO Le Méridien 2 1
Asia Pacific Four Points by Sheraton Penghu TAIWAN MAGONG Four Points by Sheraton 4 3
North America Aloft Austin Northwest UNITED STATES TX AUSTIN Aloft 4 3
Africa/Middle East Le Méridien Oran Hotel & Convention Centre ALGERIA ORAN Le Méridien 4 3
Asia Pacific Sheraton Bailuhu Resort, Huizhou CHINA HUIZHOU Sheraton 2 1
Africa/Middle East Aloft Riyadh SAUDI ARABIA RIYADH Aloft 4 3
Africa/Middle East Aloft Dhahran SAUDI ARABIA AL KHOBAR Aloft 4 2
Asia Pacific The Astor Hotel, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Tianjin CHINA TIANJIN The Luxury Collection 3 2
Asia Pacific Sheraton Shenzhou Peninsula Resort CHINA WANNING Sheraton 3 2
Asia Pacific The Westin Hefei Baohe CHINA HEFEI Westin 3 2
Europe Sheraton Fuschlsee-Salzburg, Hotel Jagdhof AUSTRIA HOF BEI SALZBURG Sheraton 3 2
North America Four Points by Sheraton Niagara Falls UNITED STATES NY NIAGARA FALLS Four Points by Sheraton 3 2
Asia Pacific Sheraton Grand Xishuangbanna Hotel CHINA JINGHONG Sheraton 2 1
North America Aloft Cleveland Downtown UNITED STATES OH CLEVELAND Aloft 4 3
Asia Pacific Sheraton Zhenjiang Hotel CHINA ZHENJIANG Sheraton 2 1
Europe Le Méridien Istanbul Etiler TURKEY ISTANBUL Le Méridien 4 3
North America Aloft Oklahoma City Downtown – Bricktown UNITED STATES OK OKLAHOMA CITY Aloft 4 3
Central & South America Aloft Panama PANAMA PANAMA CITY Aloft 2 1
Asia Pacific Sheraton Huangdao Hotel CHINA QINGDAO Sheraton 2 1
Europe Sheraton Baku Airport AZERBAIJAN BAKU Sheraton 2 1
North America Sheraton Pittsburgh Airport Hotel UNITED STATES PA CORAOPOLIS Sheraton 3 2
Europe Sheraton Zurich Hotel SWITZERLAND ZURICH Sheraton 5 4
Central & South America Four Points by Sheraton Miraflores PERU LIMA Four Points by Sheraton 3 2
Africa/Middle East The St. Regis Dubai UNITED ARAB EMIRATES DUBAI St Regis 7 6
Africa/Middle East W Dubai Al Habtoor City UNITED ARAB EMIRATES DUBAI W Hotels 6 5
Asia Pacific Sheraton Changde Wuling Hotel CHINA CHANGDE Sheraton 2 1
Europe Element Frankfurt Airport GERMANY FRANKFURT Element 3 2
Central & South America Sheraton Vitoria Hotel BRAZIL VITORIA Sheraton 2 1
Africa/Middle East Four Points by Sheraton Riyadh Khaldia SAUDI ARABIA RIYADH Four Points by Sheraton 3 2
Asia Pacific Four Points by Sheraton Dhaka, Gulshan BANGLADESH DHAKA Four Points by Sheraton 5 4
North America The Westin Sarasota UNITED STATES FL SARASOTA Westin 6 5
North America Four Points by Sheraton Sherwood Park CANADA AB SHERWOOD PARK Four Points by Sheraton 4 3
North America Aloft Durham Downtown UNITED STATES NC DURHAM Aloft 4 3
North America Four Points by Sheraton Houston Energy Corridor UNITED STATES TX HOUSTON Four Points by Sheraton 3 2
North America Sheraton Lisle Naperville Hotel UNITED STATES IL LISLE Sheraton 3 2
North America Sheraton McKinney Hotel UNITED STATES TX MCKINNEY Sheraton 3 2
Europe The St. Regis Istanbul TURKEY ISTANBUL St Regis 6 5
North America Aloft Austin Downtown UNITED STATES TX AUSTIN Aloft 5 4
North America Aloft Syracuse Inner Harbor UNITED STATES NY SYRACUSE Aloft 4 3
Africa/Middle East Sheraton Grand Conakry GUINEA CONAKRY Sheraton 5 4
Asia Pacific Sheraton Samoa Beach Resort SAMOA MULIFANUA Sheraton 4 3
Africa/Middle East Aloft Al Ain UNITED ARAB EMIRATES AL AIN Aloft 3 2
North America Four Points by Sheraton Cincinnati North UNITED STATES OH WEST CHESTER Four Points by Sheraton 3 2
Africa/Middle East Le Méridien Bahrain City Centre BAHRAIN MANAMA Le Méridien 5 4
Asia Pacific Four Points by Sheraton Melbourne Docklands AUSTRALIA MELBOURNE Four Points by Sheraton 4 3
North America Four Points by Sheraton Fargo UNITED STATES ND FARGO Four Points by Sheraton 2 1
North America Aloft Corpus Christi UNITED STATES TX CORPUS CHRISTI Aloft 3 2
North America Four Points by Sheraton Las Vegas East Flamingo UNITED STATES NV LAS VEGAS Four Points by Sheraton 3 2
Asia Pacific W Brisbane AUSTRALIA BRISBANE W Hotels 5 4
Asia Pacific Aloft Taipei Beitou TAIWAN TAIPEI Aloft 3 2
North America Four Points by Sheraton Miami Airport UNITED STATES FL MIAMI Four Points by Sheraton 4 3
North America Aloft Newport on the Levee UNITED STATES KY NEWPORT Aloft 4 3
North America Four Points by Sheraton Grande Prairie CANADA AB GRANDE PRAIRIE Four Points by Sheraton 4 3
Asia Pacific Four Points by Sheraton Seoul, Namsan KOREA (SOUTH) SEOUL Four Points by Sheraton 3 2
North America Element Austin Downtown UNITED STATES TX AUSTIN Element 5 4
North America Four Points by Sheraton Houston Intercontinental Airport UNITED STATES TX HOUSTON Four Points by Sheraton 4 3
Europe Grand Hotel River Park, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Bratislava SLOVAKIA BRATISLAVA The Luxury Collection 4 3
North America Four Points by Sheraton Williston UNITED STATES ND WILLISTON Four Points by Sheraton 3 2
North America W Las Vegas UNITED STATES NV LAS VEGAS W Hotels 5 4
Asia Pacific The Hermitage, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel, Jakarta INDONESIA JAKARTA Tribute Portfolio 5 4
Asia Pacific Four Points by Sheraton Srinagar INDIA SRINAGAR Four Points by Sheraton 4 2
Europe Le Méridien Visconti Rome ITALY ROME Le Méridien 5 4
North America Aloft Cleveland Airport UNITED STATES OH NORTH OLMSTED Aloft 3 2
North America The Westshore Grand, A Tribute Portfolio Hotel, Tampa UNITED STATES FL TAMPA Tribute Portfolio 4 3
North America W Miami UNITED STATES FL MIAMI W Hotels 6 5
Asia Pacific Sheraton Shanghai Chongming Hotel CHINA SHANGHAI Sheraton 3 2
Asia Pacific Sthala, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel, Ubud Bali INDONESIA UBUD Tribute Portfolio 5 4
Europe Four Points by Sheraton Kolasin MONTENEGRO KOLASIN Four Points by Sheraton 4 1
North America Magnolia Hotel Denver, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel UNITED STATES CO DENVER Tribute Portfolio 5 4
North America Magnolia Hotel Houston, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel UNITED STATES TX HOUSTON Tribute Portfolio 5 4
Central & South America Auberge du Vin, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel, Tupungato ARGENTINA TUPUNGATO Tribute Portfolio 5 4
Central & South America Arelauquen Lodge, a Tribute Portfolio Hotel, San Carlos de Bariloche ARGENTINA SAN CARLOS DE BARILOCHE Tribute Portfolio 5 4
North America Aloft Celaya MEXICO CELAYA Aloft 2 1
Asia Pacific Le Méridien Seoul KOREA (SOUTH) SEOUL Le Méridien 6 5
Africa/Middle East AnaYela, Marrakesh, a Member of Design Hotels MOROCCO MARRAKESH Design Hotels 5 4
Asia Pacific Wanderlust, Singapore, a Member of Design Hotels SINGAPORE SINGAPORE Design Hotels 4 3
Europe Hotel Galery69, Stawiguda, a Member of Design Hotels POLAND STAWIGUDA Design Hotels 4 3
North America Hotel La Semilla, Playa del Carmen, a Member of Design Hotels MEXICO PLAYA DEL CARMEN Design Hotels 5 4
Europe LA MAISON hotel, Saarlouis, a Member of Design Hotels GERMANY SAARLOUIS Design Hotels 4 3
Asia Pacific The Anya Hotel, Gurgaon, a Member of Design Hotels INDIA GURGAON Design Hotels 2 1
Asia Pacific GLAD Hotel Yeouido, a Member of Design Hotels KOREA (SOUTH) SEOUL Design Hotels 3 2
Europe The House Hotel Cappadocia, Ortahisar, a Member of Design Hotels TURKEY ORTAHISAR Design Hotels 2 1
Europe Provocateur, Berlin, a Member of Design Hotels GERMANY BERLIN Design Hotels 5 4
Europe Le Roch Hotel and Spa, Paris, a Member of Design Hotels FRANCE PARIS Design Hotels 7 6
Asia Pacific Glad Live, Seoul, a Member of Design Hotels KOREA (SOUTH) SEOUL Design Hotels 3 2
North America W New York UNITED STATES NY NEW YORK W Hotels 6 5

About Gary Leff

Gary Leff is one of the foremost experts in the field of miles, points, and frequent business travel - a topic he has covered since 2002. Co-founder of frequent flyer community InsideFlyer.com, emcee of the Freddie Awards, and named one of the "World's Top Travel Experts" by Conde' Nast Traveler (2010-Present) Gary has been a guest on most major news media, profiled in several top print publications, and published broadly on the topic of consumer loyalty. More About Gary »

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Comments

  1. Less than a month to these category changes? I’m outraged at less than a month’s notice.

    Seriously, based on other hotel changes I’d expect some more bad press here. I guess since it’s the new go to loyalty program the blogging world gives it some slack…

  3. I used to regularly book New Orleans hotels for Jazzfest 18 months out. The rates were already sky-high, often higher than they would be 9 months out, but award availability (at the normal rate) was generous. It was nice to solidify my 2015 fest plans while everyone else was scrambling looking for rooms for 2014.

  5. I’m surprised at how high the Thai SPG properties are climbing. They used to be steals — I remember a few years back when the Le Meridien Chiang Mai was a Category 2. Category 4 now? Wow.

  6. Do you foresee it being easy to reprice a cash and points award for a hotel that’s going down a category? I’m wondering because what happens if I book the C&P rate now while it’s a cat 5 but then there’s no C&P inventory available when I call after the property is becomes cat 4. Do you think Starwood will easily be able to modify the rate/refund the points difference despite C&P inventory potentially not being available?

  7. I wish they would hold off a couple more weeks on reducing the Starwood booking window – I have a trip planned for mid-August 2019 that I had been planning to book later this month…

  8. Marriott is finding lots of ways to hose members today. First you have the massively unfriendly advance booking change, then there’s the Starwood category changes that pretty much make any place you’d actually want to go more expensive, but let’s not forget the massive category changes Marriott is instituting for their own hotels, with the vast majority of changes being terrible. They must be so proud.

  9. With the loss of Park Lane a couple of years ago, and Great Northern this year, there are no SPG hotels in good central London locations for less than 20,000 points/night.

    Thank heavens for the 3:1 transfer ratio to Marriott – there are several good Mariotts available for 15,000 SPG points or less.

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