Travelling has changed a lot for me over the years. When I was young, and travelled with my parents, we stayed mostly in hotels because they could afford it.
Then when I started travelling alone or with friends I started doing hostels and couchsurfed. It was always about stretching the dollar and spending as little money as possible. Two and half months in Europe with a SGD$5k budget? Two weeks in Cambodia and Thailand with a SGD$250 budget? Been there done that! Occasionally I will pamper myself and head over to expedia.com to book a hotel. At that point in time I was like majority of consumers out there. I was brand-agnostic. I did not know the difference between a Hilton or a Marriott. All I wanted was the cheapest room that looked fancy.
Fast-forward one year later, a friend introduced me to the world of hotel loyalty programs and I got hooked immediately. I will always remember the first time I stepped into the Le Meridien Bangkok where my travelling companion was a Starwood Preferred Guest Platinum member. I was completely blown away by the suite upgrade, the lounge access, the complimentary in room gifts, the complimentary breakfast and guaranteed late checkout. I knew immediately that I wanted to travel like this and hence started chasing for status too.
The opportunity presented itself to me when I did my exchange in the United States and there were little hostels around. It was out of necessity that I had to stay in hotels and I chose to remain loyal to the Hilton brand (They have a huge footprint in the states compared to Hyatt or SPG). After 30 stays I attained Diamond status and with that they have treated me extremely well. Clocked in more than 100 nights in 2015 with a suite upgrade 80% of the time, which has ranged from Junior Suites all the way to Presidential Suites.
I used to be a hardcore Hilton supporter but recently with all the status matches they have been doing, standards have been dropping, and I have no choice but to switch to SPG.
And then here I am with Platinum status with SPG.
With Platinum status I get
Three Starpoints® for every U.S. dollar spent on eligible stays — a 50% bonus over Preferred.
A choice of welcome gift upon arrival — choose from bonus Starpoints, continental breakfast or local amenity.
An upgrade to best available room at check-in — including a Standard Suite.
Complimentary in-room, premium Internet access.
Complimentary health-club, Club-level and Executive-level access.
4pm late checkout.
Guaranteed room availability when your room is booked by 3 p.m., 72+ hours prior to arrival.
Will I stop staying at Hilton? Absolutely not. They have one of the largest hotel footprints in the world. One is more likely to find a Hilton than a SPG Hotel. But I will only stay with them if there are no better Starwood options.
I absolutely cannot wait to live the #SPGlife.