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Starwood launches new Autumn promo – how does it compare?

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UPDATE – APRIL 2024:  This article is now out of date, but don’t worry.  We produce a monthly summary of the top hotel bonus point offers – please click HERE or use the ‘Hotel Offers’ menu above.

Marriott Bonvoy is offering 1,000 bonus points per night and double elite night credits on stays between 13th February and 29th April. Click here to read more and click here to register.

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The stand-out hotel promotion for Autumn for many people is going to be the IHG (Holiday Inn, Crowne Plaza etc) ‘Accelerate’ deal which I covered here.

‘Accelerate’ is based on personalised targets, however, and if yours was totally unsuitable for your travel plans then you will need an alternative.

Hilton HHonors (see here) and Marriott Rewards (see here) have come out with variants on ‘double points’.  Carlson and Hyatt have not launched anything.  Accor has a short-term promotion which is VERY generous but is only for bookings made by 20th September – see here.

SPG Starwood 350

That leaves Starwood Preferred Guest, the Westin / Sheraton / Le Meridien / Aloft etc chain.

Whilst you cannot register yet, Starwood has revealed the details of its Autumn offering.

Called ‘Stay For More‘, it will run from October 1st to December 20th.  Registration will not open until September 20th, at which point I will run a reminder.

It is not hugely exciting.  You will earn:

double Starpoints on stays of 2+ nights

an additional 500 points on stays of 4+ nights

There is little to differentiate this from the Hilton and Marriott promotions.  You should obviously sign up if there is a chance you may have some Starwood stays during this period but it is unlikely to persuade anyone to move over an existing booking.

‘Accelerate’ still looks like the one to beat – in my case, 4 IHG nights (as long as they are at the right brands on the right days of the week) would get me £440 of IHG Rewards Club points.  Double SPG points isn’t going to top that.


How to earn Marriott Bonvoy points and status from UK credit cards

How to earn Marriott Bonvoy points and status from UK credit cards (April 2024)

There are various ways of earning Marriott Bonvoy points from UK credit cards.  Many cards also have generous sign-up bonuses.

The official Marriott Bonvoy American Express card comes with 20,000 points for signing up, 2 points for every £1 you spend and 15 elite night credits per year.

You can apply here.

Marriott Bonvoy American Express

20,000 points sign-up bonus and 15 elite night credits each year Read our full review

You can also earn Marriott Bonvoy points by converting American Express Membership Rewards points at the rate of 2:3.

Do you know that holders of The Platinum Card from American Express receive FREE Marriott Bonvoy Gold status for as long as they hold the card?  It also comes with Hilton Honors Gold, Radisson Rewards Premium and MeliaRewards Gold status.  We reviewed American Express Platinum in detail here and you can apply here.

The Platinum Card from American Express

40,000 bonus points and a huge range of valuable benefits – for a fee Read our full review

You can also earn Marriott Bonvoy points indirectly:

and for small business owners:

The conversion rate from American Express to Marriott Bonvoy points is 2:3.

Click here to read our detailed summary of all UK credit cards which can be used to earn Marriott Bonvoy points

(Want to earn more hotel points?  Click here to see our complete list of promotions from the major hotel chains or use the ‘Hotel Offers’ link in the menu bar at the top of the page.)

Comments (6)

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

  • RIccati says:

    Note if the hotel operates Green Choice scheme, there is usually a limitation for consecutive nights, eg, in the UK Sheratons if you stay 4th night, you get 500 points on this promotion but generally loose 500 points on Green Choice or moving to another hotel.

    For comparison, we have a reduced version from SPG each season,

    Sep-Nov 2014
    More For You. Earn TRIPLE Starpoints on eligible stays that include a Friday or Saturday night

    Jan – Apr 2015
    Double Play. Earn double Starpoints on eligible stays of two or more consecutive nights form January 5, 2015 to April 15, 2015

    The 1,000-Starpoints bonus: Registered members are eligible to receive a 1,000-Starpoints bonus for every eligible five nights (the nights were counted from any combination of stays, each 5th night of stay with SPG triggered a bonus).

  • thesaver79 says:

    Would this apply to reservations that have been made already?

    • AndrewC says:

      Yes, these seasonal promotions for Starwood always (in recent years at least) include existing bookings. Often some hotels are excluded though so check the terms and conditions for a list of excluded hotels when registration opens.

  • Jonathan says:

    For non-IHG members I’m looking at those free nights.

    I recall reading Will checked-in to a hotel to get status, but didn’t stay for 2+ weeks and at the end rang the hotel to say he couldn’t check out at the front desk.

    Can you consistently do this? It appears that I could spend ~£280 on 8 nights (I.e. 4 nights each for 2 new members) at a holiday inn express and get 4 free premium nights elsewhere.

    • Jonathan says:

      Just to clarify I’m asking about not checking out in person – I.e. Calling the hotel.

      Don’t really want the extra drive if I can avoid it!

This article is closed to new comments. Feel free to ask your question in the HfP forums.

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