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Cyber Monday is the Monday following Thanksgiving (this year it falls on 28 November) and was originally introduced as an online alternative to the mad crush that is Black Friday. Things are a bit different now and Cyber Monday has expanded way beyond its original remit to encompass dates from the third week in November through the first week in December – actual sale dates vary from vendor to vendor.
The things that haven’t really changed are the deals…they can still be pretty good.
Marriott & Starwood (now the same company) have both announced the dates for their Cyber Monday sales event and both have also offered up a sneak peek into what travelers can expect in their respective sales. I’ve posted Marriott’s preview in a separate post which is live right now.
Starwood Cyber Monday Sale – Sneak Peek
Sale Dates: 21 November – 4 December 2016
Stay Dates: Through 4 September 2017 (no mention of start date)
Participating Brands:
- Westin
- Sheraton
- Le Méridien
- W
- St. Regis
- The Luxury Collection
- Four Points by Sheraton
- Aloft
- Element
- Tribute Portfolio
Participating Locations: No exclusions are mentioned so I’m assuming that the promotion will be valid worldwide.
What Starwood has to say:
This holiday season, Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG), an award-winning and innovative loyalty program of Marriott International, Inc. encourages shoppers to unwrap the world through its most impressive Cyber Monday sale ever, offering remarkable discounts globally at more than 1,100 hotels and resorts.
To keep the holiday spirit alive into the new year, guests can book for stays through Labor Day 2017, so whether it’s a winter, spring or next summer escape, SPG has you covered with savings. Plan long weekends with loved ones, enjoy a quick staycation or an exotic holiday to recharge and refresh.
Example Rates per Starwood:
- Boston from $99
- Chicago from $99
- Dubai from AED 306 ($85)
- London from GBP 179 ($225)
- New York City from $199
- Paris from EUR 122 ($135)
- San Diego from $99
- San Francisco from $169
Thoughts
As I mentioned in the Marriott preview post, it’s interesting to note how different the Marriott and Starwood Cyber Monday promotions seem to be (follow this link to view the Marriott preview):
- Marriott’s booking window is just 4 days long while Starwood’s is 14 days long
- Marriott is offering up to 25% off while Starwood is offering up to 35% off
- Marriott has excluded Asia from the promotion while Starwood has made no mention of any excluded areas
- Marriott has provided a very limited travel window for large parts of the globe while Starwood has announced its discounts will be valid through Labor Day 2017 with no exceptions mentioned.
- Marriott makes no mention of Ritz-Carlton properties while Starwood has included the likes of St Regis and The Luxury Collection (Ritz-Carlton may come out with its own Cyber Monday sale but so far it hasn’t mentioned one)
Clearly we’ll have to wait to see which properties will offer the full 35% discount but, on the face of things, this could be a very good promotion.
I’m not overly excited about the London properties starting from $225 as I can’t see too much value there… but Paris from $135 and Dubai from $85 could be very appealing.
I’m not a fan of a lot of Starwood’s properties in New York (I’ve found the Westins to be disappointing and the less said about the W’s the better) so prices starting at $199 aren’t going to interest me….but Boston and Chicago from $99 could be very good.
Personally, I’ll be waiting to see what good deals I can find in Asia. I’ve got a few trips to Asia next year and, now that I have SPG Platinum status thanks to the status match from Marriott, I’d like to see what Starwood has to offer without having to pay regular rates.
do you know if the discount is only off the rack rate, or can we assume we’ll be able to get up to 35% off any rate (including prepaid, breakfast packages, etc.) we can currently find on the website?
I’ve been trying to find the answer to this and the truth is that I’m not 100% sure. I suspect the discount will apply to the “best available rate” so that should include the prepaid rate but will not necessarily include things like breakfast packages. I’ve emailed Marriott to ask but I’m still waiting on an answer.