Starwood Preferred Guest Members Gain the Advantage with Exclusive Access to the US Open Through SPG Moments™ And The Opportunity For A Private Clinic With Chris Evert

SPG Members Will Sit Courtside at the Biggest Matchups, Tour the Iconic Arthur Ashe Stadium and have the opportunity to have a private clinic with Chris Evert

 As a leader in loyalty, Starwood Preferred Guest® (SPG®), is serving up premier tennis experiences with the launch of its 2015 US Open SPG Moments. SPG members get access like no other to the US Open with experiences including SPG Luxury Suites, courtside seats to exciting matches, behind-the-scenes tours of Arthur Ashe Stadium, and much more. Starting today, members will have the chance to bid their coveted Starpoints® for once-in-a-lifetime opportunities every tennis fan would love.

“Not only do our members get to watch some of the greatest moments in the sport from the SPG Luxury Suite or courtside seats, they get exclusive access to the US Open that they won’t find anywhere else.”

“Our US Open SPG Moments are some of the most highly-anticipated packages of the year for our members, and we take a lot of pride in securing the best tennis experiences possible. This year we’re giving our members even more for their loyalty,” said Mark Vondrasek, Senior Vice President, Commercial Services for Starwood. “Not only do our members get to watch some of the greatest moments in the sport from the SPG Luxury Suite or courtside seats, they get exclusive access to the US Open that they won’t find anywhere else.”

SPG Wins the Match Point with 2015 US Open Moments

The SPG 2015 US Open Moments bring members unforgettable tennis experiences including:

• Private VIP clinic with Chris Evert
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• Behind-the-Scenes private tours of Arthur Ashe Stadium and US Open Media Center, including interview rooms, player dining areas, and more
• Hitting session on the court in Arthur Ashe Stadium with courtside seats to that day’s session
• Breakfast for two in the Player’s Dining Room at Arthur Ashe Stadium
• Courtside seats at matches throughout the tournament in the iconic Arthur Ashe and Louis Armstrong Stadiums
• Access to watch matches from the SPG Luxury Suite at Center Court with delicious catered food and beverages
• The chance to attend a post-match press conference or media tour
• SPG US Open Booth offering SPG Members special giveaways including free nights and a week-long luxury vacation to their choice of 1,200 hotels worldwide.
• Talent meet & greet at Arthur Ashe Kid’s Day

“Open the World of SPG”

This year, all SPG members and tennis fans can “Open the World of SPG” by playing SPG’s interactive game to win instant prizes including Starpoints, gift cards and the grand prize – 250,000 Starpoints redeemable for a weeklong luxury vacation at participating Starwood hotels.

• At the US Open: Members attending the US Open can visit the SPG booth from Aug. 29 to Sept. 13, 2015 to win the grand prize, a Free Night Award or a $10 American Express gift card.
• Anywhere, Everywhere, Online: Members catching the excitement from home, work or the on-the-go can play online daily at spg.com/opentheworld beginning Aug. 29 until Sept. 30, 2015 to win the grand prize, $25 or $50 Amazon gift cards, or additional Starpoints from 1,000, 5,000, 10,000, and 25,000 increments.

“From Subway to Stadium”

All guests arriving to the US Open via subway will have the opportunity to experience the SPG sponsored pedicabs providing complimentary rides to the entrance gates.

For more information about SPG Moments and to see the entire collection of events available, visit spg.com/Moments.

About Starwood Preferred Guest

Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG®) (NYSE:HOT) is an innovative, award-winning frequent traveler program that unites each of Starwood’s 10 distinctive hotel brands and includes more luxury hotels in more destinations around the world. SPG reinvented the hospitality loyalty landscape when it launched in 1999 with its breakthrough policy of no blackout dates, and over the years has continued its tradition of innovation with enhancements such as Cash + Points, SPG Moments^SM, and most recently Your24™ and SPG Lifetime™. In addition to Free Night Awards at more than 1,200 hotels and resorts and Award Flights on over 350 major airlines without blackout dates, the Starpoints® that members earn through SPG can be redeemed for access like no other to experiences in music, sports and the arts through SPG Moments. SPG offers the opportunity for meeting and travel professionals to earn rich rewards including Starpoints and elite status through SPG Pro. SPG also has an ongoing commitment to digital innovation to meet the needs of today’s connected global traveler – from the SPG app for iPhone that utilizes state-aware technology to create a more personalized hotel stay to Starwood’s Best Rate Guarantee on SPG.com, to SPG’s integration within various social media platforms. Offerings such as these have helped SPG build a passionate member base among the world’s most frequent travelers. Learn more at spg.com, spg.com/pro and spg.com/moments and connect with us on facebook.com/spg, twitter.com/spg, foursquare.com/spg,pinterest.com/spglife, and youtube.com/spg.

Seven Tips To Score Travel Deals On Social Media

(Photo: Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Travel providers lure social media stars with special perks, discounts and freebies nowadays. Check-ins on Foursquare or Facebook, tweets, retweets and Instagram posts are traded as currency in exchange for loyalty points or discounted rates. In most cases, the more followers you have, the larger your reward. But even an everyday traveler with a less-than-impressive fan base can leverage tweets and likes to save money on travel.

Many of these influencer promotions come and go. Last year, American Airlines gave complimentary airport-lounge passes to passengers with high Klout scores. In 2012, United ran a promotion bestowing airline miles upon Foursquare users who checked in at airports. Official tourism boards often run limited-time offers on sites like Pinterest and Facebook; follow your favorite destinations to keep an eye out. For the best offers that you can use now, I've focused on active promotions, many of them permanent (or at least semi-permanent) loyalty or reward programs that compensate social media activity.

Foursquare freebies

Foursquare, the location-sharing app that allows users to virtually check in, blast their activity to friends and trade tips about visited spots, is a terrific resource for travel coupons. Businesses around the world, from hotels to restaurants to attractions, offer discounts or perks via the app. (Users are awarded points and special badges for check-ins; discounts are often offered to those with points.) In the past, airlines have offered lounge access to avid Foursquare users. Although big-ticket Foursquare promotions from travel providers aren't as common today as they were a few years ago, there are still deals to be snagged. Right now, for example, Boston's Midtown Hotel offers free parking and Wi-Fi to guests who check in with Foursquare. Discover more up-to-date offers for various destinations by using the search tool on the Foursquare website or app.

It's important to note: Be careful about sharing check-ins on Foursquare when traveling. As a rule, it's unsafe to divulge up-to-the-minute location-based data on social media. You don't want the world knowing that your home is unattended and that you're on vacation. Use your Foursquare privacy settings wisely.

Starwood's SPG program

Starwood's loyalty program SPG offers Starpoints for enrolled travelers who link Facebook or Foursquare pages with their Starwood accounts then post check-ins to Starwood properties. You can redeem your Starpoints for hotel stays, flights, merchandise and other stuff. There are a lot of strings attached, though. To get the points, your property must be offering a special check-in promotion during your stay. You can't book through a third-party booking engine such as Expedia or Orbitz; those bookings don't count as "eligible stays." And sometimes you might need a confirmed reservation to get the points -- it all depends on the specific promotion. Check Starwood's Facebook or Foursquare pages to see what kinds of check-in promotions are available.

Marriott Rewards Plus Points

The social media angle of Marriott's rewards program is very similar to that of SPG. Connect your rewards account to your social pages, perform a "qualifying social action" (known to humans as a tweet or a Facebook or Instagram post), and earn points. Marriott Rewards points can be redeemed for stays at Marriott properties worldwide. Marriott has a handy little chart that tells just how many points a person will get for each post. A social check-in on Facebook, for example, is worth 25 points. Guests can even earn points for retweets, likely destroying any illusion of authenticity in the realm of personal social media accounts. If your Facebook friend begins obsessively posting about Marriott using the appropriate corporate-approved hashtags, you'll know why.

Kimpton Karma

Through Kimpton's new rewards program Karma, hotel guests can earn points for room upgrades, free stays and other perks by spending money at Kimpton properties -- and also by Facebooking or tweeting about Kimpton. It's a free program, and members get complimentary Wi-Fi and a $10 minibar credit during each stay, so it's worth joining whether you're a social media user or not. Unfortunately, though, Kimpton rewards for social media activity are not exactly guaranteed. Though Kimpton says you "might earn some additional Kimpton Karma love" through social media shout-outs, no real promises are made. And no language in the loyalty program's terms and conditions states a quid pro quo of points for posts. I get the feeling that having large numbers of followers will up the likelihood of Kimpton taking notice of your posts.

Hotelied

Here's the premise behind just-launched booking site Hotelied: "Taste makers" -- folks with heavy social media followings -- receive customized discounts on hotel stays. Hotelied does the dirty work by negotiating cheaper rates for online influencers. You link your social media accounts to the site, and Hotelied asks hotels to give you reduced rates based on your popularity. The company's website puts it plainly, if tactlessly: "Hotelied recognizes the fact that not all travelers present the same value to hotels and provides hotels with a platform to specifically target and customize their offerings to their most desirable traveler segments." The notion of straight-up linking customer value with social media clout is disturbing; apart from that, Hotelied might make some sense for travelers who spend a lot of time on sites like Twitter or Facebook. The largest discount available is 50%, yet Hotelied doesn't specify how many followers a person must accumulate before getting half off a stay.

The 'Instagram Hotel'

The 1888 Hotel in downtown Sydney is known as the "Instagram Hotel" thanks to the property's willful spotlight on the culture of snapping and sharing, in addition to the tangible rewards it offers social media connoisseurs. Its well-designed guest rooms are clean, graphic, and picture-perfect—ideal for Insta. Guests with more than 10,000 Instagram followers are eligible to receive a complimentary overnight stay, and Instagrammers who share property pictures tagged #1888hotel are entered to win a free night. If you like being the center of attention, this really is your place. 1888 has a "Selfie Space" with a special backdrop in the lobby. Give your selfie the hotel's signature tag and your image will appear on a screen near the reception desk. Smile and say "me"!

Tweets as tips when the bellhop is a robot

You might run into a waist-high, screen-faced robot gliding around the halls of Silicon Valley's Aloft Cupertino Hotel. This robotic bellhop is called Botlr. Botlr accepts tweets as "tips" when performing menial tasks like bringing snacks or a toothbrush from the front desk to a guest room. Although Botlr doesn't care how many followers you have (for now, at least), the robot embodies the newfangled social-posts-as-currency model. You'll even save a few bucks by tweeting via Botlr's touch-screen face instead of having to hand actual money to an actual working person.

Contributed by Caroline Costello, SmarterTravel.com

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