I value greatly on Starwood points as they are so useful for airline transfer purposes. The points though are difficult to get. The sign up bonus of 25,000 points is not very high either, but I love the fact that I can redeem for their category 1 hotel for as low as 2,000 Starwood Points.

In general, when I am trying to book a Starwood hotel, I usually do the math first to make sure I am using the right point for the right price hotel. For instance, if a category 1 Starwood hotel costs me $150 on the weekend night, the use of Starwood point redemption would make the most sense here.

HERE IS WHY?
Starwood Points can be purchased at $0.035 cents per point. On a category 1 hotel, it requires 2,000 points for a free night stay on the weekend. So 2,000 x $0.035 = $70 saving me $80. I have two options:

  1. I could use he accumulated points in my account and redeem the free night stay, OR
  2. I could save those points, and purchase 2,000 points for $70. I give up $70 cash here instead. 
Use the list above and find the hotel that interests you. Then search for the regular price for the night stay and compare it to the cost of points below. 

$0.035 cents per Starwood Point

Category 1:
Weekend Night: 2,000 Starwood Points = $70 
Weekday Night: 3,000 Starwood Points = $105

Category 2: 
Weekend Night: 3,000 Starwood Points = $105
Weekday Night: 4,000 Starwood Points = $140

Category 3:
7,000 Starwood Points = $245

Category 4:
10,000 Starwood Points = $350

Category 5:
Depending on the season, between 12,000 or 16,000 Starpoints
12,000 Starwood Points = $420
16,000 Starwood Points = $560

Category 6:
Depending on the season, between 20,000 or 25,000 
20,000 Starwood Points = $700
25,000 Starwood Points = $875 (20,000 points purchase is the limit + 5,000 points for $175)

Category 7:
Between 30,000 or 35,000
30,000 Starwood Points = $1,050
35,000 Starwood Points = $1,225

As you can see, the price of points for higher categories hotels is getting ridiculous. Personally, I prefer staying at Category 1 and 2 hotels.

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