Written By: Chris Austin, Vice President of Global Leisure and Luxury Sales, Starwood Hotel and Resorts
We are almost halfway through August and I am certain many of your customers have had wonderful summer experiences thanks to your hard work and dedication. I am checking in to see if you have taken advantage of your SPG® points to book yourself a Starwood getaway this summer? Have you earned yourself Elite Status and upgrades?
At Starwood Hotels & Resorts, we know how important it is for you to understand the products you are selling to your clients and we also know how important it is for you to get some vacation time of your own!
As we join with Marriott International, together, we become the largest luxury hotel operator in the world. This means more brands, more destinations and choices for you and your clients.
Our SPG loyalty offering for both travel professionals and guests will remain as is through the end of 2016 and we will continue to update you on plans for the future as we work to connect our rewards programs and more. This is truly an exciting time for us all.
SPG® Pro offers travel professionals the ability to earn SPG elite status, upgrades and Starpoints® for B2B business booked at any of Starwood’s hotels and resorts around the world. Plus, any SPG member who books an eligible event, whether that’s a corporate business meeting, holiday party, wedding, family reunion or social event will earn Starpoints and status for the business you influence.
Hopefully you are reaping the rewards of all your hard work to secure the most fabulous vacation experiences for your clients. Remember, any Starpoints earned through SPG Pro can be redeemed for free nights, free flights, merchandise or even VIP access to exclusive music, sports and culture events With SPG Moments. Plus, you also have access to your exclusive STARPRO rates to experience one of our hotels or resorts for yourself during the summer season. Travel professionals and meeting planners can access these rates upon completing the Loyalty and Brands module in our ProLearning library reserved exclusively for SPG Pros. STARPRO rates are always at least 5% off of the lowest published rates found on Starwood consumer websites and often present discounts of 25 to 30 percent or more. And unlike our lowest consumer rates that are restricted with penalties, pre-paid and not cancelable, your STARPRO rate is fully cancelable if done at least 24 hours in advance of the check in date or hotels should match their local policy on BAR cancelation conditions. Two rooms can be booked on the STARPRO rate plan. The SPG Pro member must be staying on one of the reservations.
SPG Pro’s full portfolio of learning modules are designed to help you in your day to day business. All modules offer destination content, transportation information, full property details for all Starwood hotels in each country and story selling examples to help travel professionals better qualify and satisfy their customers. We offer nearly 30 destination immersion options.
Thank you for your continued support of Starwood and be sure you are getting the full advantage of being an SPG Pro!
And always make sure you enter your SPG Pro number at the time of booking to earn your Starpoints for your client’s travels!
HERE’S HOW:
On spg.com — logged in
Log in to spg.com and your SPG Pro number will automatically be applied to your booking.
On spg.com — logged out
Enter your SPG Pro number in the appropriate field.
Through Starwood Customer Contact Centers
Give the Customer Service Agent your SPG Pro number. For a list of Customer Contact Centers worldwide, visit spg.com/contact. Or, from the U.S., call 1-888-625-4988.
Through Global Distribution Systems (GDS)
- Log in to the GDS and use our chain code SW to search for a Starwood hotel or resort in the city search.
- While making a booking, enter SPGTA followed immediately by your SPG Pro number and a space in the “Special Instructions” or “SI” field. For instance, if your SPG Pro number is 123456789, you would enter: SPGTA123456789 . The space will help us ensure that any additional comments are kept separate. Even if you don’t have additional comments, you must enter the space.
Thanks, as always, for your business and for entrusting your clients to us.