Starwood’s Cyber Sale 2017 Is Now Bookable….But It’s Terrible

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Earlier I posted details of what Marriott is attempting to pass off as it’s biggest sale of the year (it’s woeful) and now it’s Starwood’s turn to dazzle or disappoint with its Black Friday/Cyber Monday offering for 2017.

Considering Starwood is now owned by Marriott I didn’t exactly have high hopes for this promotion after seeing the non-event that Marriott has come out with…and I was right to keep my expectations low.

Link to promotion page

Starwood Cyber Sale Headline T&Cs

• Offer is only valid at participating SPG® Hotels & Resorts in the U.S., Canada, Caribbean and Latin America.
• A limited number of rooms may be available at these rates.
• Blackout dates and other restrictions may apply.
• Starting from rates vary by property.
• In order to be eligible for SPG Member rates (rate plan SPGDI), guests must be an active member in good standing of the Starwood Preferred Guest program. Guests who are not SPG members may join the free program online at www.spg.com or at time of booking.
• Offer valid for bookings made November 23 – November 27, 2017 and valid for stays December 7, 2017 through January 15, 2018. Available stay dates may vary by property.
• Arrival day and length of stay restrictions may vary by property.
• Advance reservations are required and should be made using Rate Plan DAILYDI or SPGDI or asking for “Our Biggest Sale of the Year.”
• Advance purchase required. Credit card will be charged at time of booking.
• Cancellations are non-refundable; if cancellation takes place, guests forfeit total room charge plus tax.
• An eligible stay is defined as one or more consecutive nights paying a qualifying rate in the same hotel regardless of the number of check-in or check-outs that occur.
• Rates are per room, per night, based on single/double occupancy and availability at time of reservation and do not include additional per room, per night charges that may be imposed or state/local taxes.
• Offer not applicable to groups.
• Not to be combined with other offers or promotions and subject to change.

Thoughts

Oh dear…..this is absolute garbage!

The promotion is only valid for stays during a 39 day window and that window happens to coincide with one of the most expensive times of year for families to travel.

On top of this we’re told that there may be blackout dates (so there may not even be the full 39 day window available), there may be restrictions on what day you can check in and there’s a limited number of rooms available which offer this deal.

Why did Starwood bother?!

I took a quick look at what kind of “deals” were available and I came up with things like this:

This is a randomly chosen date for the Westin Kaanapali on Maui and it illustrates just what a non-event this so-called-sale is.

The Cyber Sale rate is less than 15% lower than the “Preferred Rate” and the preferred rate is full refundable and flexible. I can get this deal (or better) most of the rest of the year so how is this in any way a “sale”, “offer” or “deal”?

The nonsense doesn’t end there either.

Starwood has 16 properties in the Caribbean (per it’s own hotel directory)….

…but when you try to check what “Cyber Sale” rates are available at these properties it turns out that only 2 of the 16 properties are actually participating:

To Sum Up

• You may or may not have a window of up to 39 days during which the Cyber rates are valid
• There are limitations on the days you can check in
• Only properties in North America, Latin America and the Caribbean are taking part
• Not all properties in the participating regions are taking part (in the Caribbean less than 13% are included in the Cyber Sale)
• The discounts on offer appear to be pathetic
• There’s a better deal for Amex Cardholders that I’ll be posting later in the day

Bottom Line

Go back to your family, enjoy a fantastic Thanksgiving and don’t waste your time looking for deals here – it’s unlikely there are many (if any) to be found.