Is it easy to book Swan/Dolphin using Cat4 10k SPG Points - how often unavailable?

[disneyberry]

[SIZE=+0]For those of you who are Starwood Preferred Guest members w/ lots of Starpoints:

1. How easy is it to book the Swan/Dolphin using the standard Category 4 award that requires 10k Starpoints?
2. Is this level of award always available?
3. Are there certain times of year that the award is sold out or unavailable?
4. What has been your personal experience redeeming Starpoints for free nights at the S/D? Were you able to get the dates you wanted?

I'm trying to decide if I should use the Starwood AMEX as our primary rewards-earning credit card. TIA![/SIZE]

 

[Lives4Disney]

Just wanted to bump you up. I am interested too. Just returned from the Royal Hawaiian and found I have over 11,000 points. Don't know really what they mean or are good for or how many points you need to make enough of a difference to mean something! I just recently joined SPG.

Lives4Disney

 

[javaj]

I also would like to know the answer to this. Also, are SPG50 rates ever available at Swan/Dolphin?

 

[AndyMcV]

Hi

We're going to the Dolpin this June. We have a lake view room booked for $169 for 11 nights. When we travel we'll have over 12000 points and are hoping to upgrade to club level.

I would just call the hotel directly and ask what the chances are of getting free nights on your points. I'm curious to hear what they tell you.

1-800-227-1500

Regards,
Andy

 

[elf]

For the last four years I've been using various amounts of points and I've never had a room unavailable. I usually go in off times though. Late Nov, early December, mid August, March (non easter break time).
Actually I have one night available and booked it Easter eve (had to cancel) but it was available.

 

[maggiew]

The free nights rewards at the Starwood hotels are supposed to have no blackout dates. So it should work fine. I tried to book a room for this June and both the Swan and Dolphin were full. Then I tried to use my points and they took the reservation.

The 50% off deal with 1000 points is only good as available.

Maggie

 

[Tinkaroo]

I used points once for the Swan, and booked the award nights less than a month out (and the Dolphin was available, too)! That was for late May 2003 - late the week following Memorial Day. I think as long as there are rooms available, you can use your points. Nights are 10,000 points, and/or you can use points to upgrade 1-2 categories.

I have enough points to use next year with the 4 reward nights/ 5th night is free SPG deal. Good luck!

 

[wuv tigger]

You can usually get rooms, unless it is a big convention or holiday. I could not get all the nights I wanted for Easter week, so had to make another arrangement this year. If it is a convention they usually release the blocked rooms a little before the convention, so you just have to keep calling.

 

[magicaddict]

I had no problem getting my five free nights for mid-June.

 

[NancyIL]

No blackout dates means that if a room is available, you can reserve it using points. However, they may not have the room type available that you want. I reserved the Sheraton Safari for 1 night in June using SPG points (both the Swan and Dolphin were sold out) and wanted a king non-smoking room. Even though I could've paid for a room with a king bed, only 2-bedded rooms were available using points.

 

[bobbiwoz]

When using the points for the night, how much out-of-pocket expense does the night cost you? Parking, resort fee, any other fees?

Thanks.
Bobbi

 

[DBC]

When using the points for the night, how much out-of-pocket expense does the night cost you? Parking, resort fee, any other fees?

Thanks.
Bobbi

Parking is $7 and the resort fee is $10.

Free internet access and the health club make it worth it to us, we use both.

BTW, we usually book the first 2 or 3 days as soon as we have 20 or 30,000 points available and book the rest using a credit card (we use the cards for everything we can, including groceries so we can get 30-40K each year). They let us swap those charged rooms over to points when we get enough of them. There is a chance you will need to swap rooms when you do it this way though, and you do have 2 seperate reservations which seems to confuse them a bit at the desk and with housekeeping.

We usually book in May or so for next Feb and have never had any problems getting rooms. We got a room at the Safari (for 4K points) for the in-laws right before we left with no trouble.

 

[bobbiwoz]

Thank you for the tips! We're hoping to get a room in September, and from what I've read, it's going to be possible.

Bobbi

 

[zurgswife]

I have used points for 3 visits...

Dec 26, 27, 28 2003 for a 2 bdrm suite (20,000)points found out later I should have been charged 30,000 but hey it wa in my favor and I loved it..

Dec 10, 11 2004 for a 1 bdrm suite (20,000) points...It sleeps six and I wasn't about to spend 30,000 points to get my favorite 2bdrm.

March 25, 26 2005 (easter week) 2 bdrm suite (20,000) I hit the lottery again...

Some trips I have been charged the resort fee but this last trip I was not and infact I recieved a credit for the Starwood promise of $15 but no charge for the 2 nights resort fee...

The first 1/2 hour of parking is free which worked out great because we had only rented a car to get to the hotel and were returning it soon after we unloaded...

I haven't ever had a problem booking but I do book way in advance....so I'm sure that helps..

 

[Hieatt]

Zurgswife... we are intent on getting a 2 BR Executive Suite again for our NYE trip this year... last year we didn't use SPG points. When you booked your suites with points, did you do it through SPG or directly with the Dolphin?

I am at about 30K points right now, might get to 50K by the trip, and trying to decide best use of points for 6 night stay. Considered booking one of the bedrooms using the 5 nights for 4 and then just paying for the rest at the 1BR rate for those 5 nights. If I could just book a regular room and use 10K points a night to upgrade to full 2 BR suite, no question I would do that, but sounds like for the 10K suite upgrade you get a Jr. Suite or a 1 BR Exec Suite if you're lucky. Maybe book two regular rooms, upgrade one to a 1 BR Executive suite and ask that the other regular room be connected as the second bedroom of the suite???

Any advice? I actually already have a 2BR suite booked at a paid, discounted rate... we booked it immediately after our last stay. I guess I probably should just give them a call to discuss my options... whatever I do, it's going to be a bit complicated, so I am going to need someone down there that really knows what they are doing!

 

[madge]

[SIZE=+0]For those of you who are Starwood Preferred Guest members w/ lots of Starpoints:

1. How easy is it to book the Swan/Dolphin using the standard Category 4 award that requires 10k Starpoints?
2. Is this level of award always available?
3. Are there certain times of year that the award is sold out or unavailable?
4. What has been your personal experience redeeming Starpoints for free nights at the S/D? Were you able to get the dates you wanted?

I'm trying to decide if I should use the Starwood AMEX as our primary rewards-earning credit card. TIA![/SIZE]

I used points last summer for a free night without any trouble at all. This was Memorial Day weekend. Starwood does not have blackout periods, but I don't know if they hold back rooms for SPG members using points.