Earlier this year, I redeemed a ton of Starpoints earned with the co-branded American Express credit cards for more than a dozen hotel nights. Two of the three stays I booked have been completed, with the most recent being at the Sheraton Munich Westpark during Oktoberfest.
This Starwood property is located just two U-Bahn (metro) stops away from Theresienwiese, the festival grounds. My fiancé and I stayed there for six nights. The room itself was nothing special, with a king bed, a work desk and a mediocre view of the train tracks, but there were a couple of things about this stay that are worth mentioning.
Related: How I Redeemed 116,000 Starpoints for 16 Nights
Sheraton Lounge Access
Upon check-in, I presented my Starwood Preferred Guest Business Credit Card from American Express and asked a receptionist if my stay included club lounge access, even though I knew it did. He didn’t know but asked his colleague who confirmed the lounge was available at no extra charge to cardholders. The benefit typically is available to guests who pay for access or are SPG Platinum members. The lounge included salad fixings and soft drinks during the day and more substantial food and alcohol in the evenings.
Additionally, the receptionist said the SPG Business Amex card also included complimentary breakfast, which was a surprise to me. Sheraton Munich Westpark charges €14 per person for breakfast, but simply holding the card allowed my fiancé and me to eat free breakfast every day. I couldn’t say no to free breakfast, especially as nice as the Sheraton’s, and the perk allowed us to save quite a bit of money on food in Munich.
To be eligible for the Sheraton club lounge access, you must book your stay directly with Starwood, and you can pay with either cash or points. Third-party bookings aren’t eligible. The perk applies to Sheraton stays only, which means other brands in the Starwood portfolio do not offer the same benefit.
Make a Green Choice
Also at check-in, the front-desk employee asked whether we wanted housekeeping to come by every night. Starwood’s Make a Green Choice incentive is designed to conserve water and energy, but also probably labor costs, which saves the hotel a lot of money. You can choose between 500 points or $5 food or beverage voucher by declining housekeeping.
I personally do not use fresh sheets or towels every day at home, so why would I do so at a hotel? It’s an easy way to earn some extra Starpoints, which are so hard to come by, and I scored 500 points for each night I declined housekeeping service.
Make a Green Choice program is available on stays of at least two nights. The final night of your stay is not eligible for the bonus points, or $5, because housekeeping cleans the room after the last night. I earned 2,500 Starpoints for my six-night stay. For some reason, not all the points posted to my account at once, but a quick email to SPG Program Services fixed the problem.
Have you used your SPG Business Amex Card to get free lounge access? Have you participated in the Make a Green Choice Program? What was your experience?
[Image Source: Starwood Hotels]
Sheraton Munich Westpark: Free Lounge Access Plus Free Points posted first on http://elsanobanano.com/
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