If you want to know why so many stars love Montecito, look no further than Caruso's.
28.01.2025 - 22:17 / thepointsguy.com
A brand beloved in the points and miles community is making a comeback.
Hotelier Barry Sternlicht is reviving the Starwood brand, according to The New York Times. This is music to the ears of those of us who loved the hotel chain and were huge fans of its groundbreaking loyalty program.
Sternlicht created the Starwood brand in the 1990s and launched the incredibly popular Starwood Preferred Guest program in 1999. He left the company eventually, and it was sold to Marriott nine years ago in a $13 billion deal that made Marriott the world's largest hotel chain. By the time it was sold, the Starwood umbrella had included now-iconic brands such as W, Westin, Sheraton, Four Points and St. Regis. Sternlicht was behind amenities like Westin's Heavenly Bed, which helped make the Westin chain so popular with many loyal guests.
But his best idea was a stellar loyalty program.
SPG was known for its generous perks for elite members, including innovations like guaranteed 4 p.m. late checkout, an ambassador program and generous suite upgrades. Thus, many SPG elite members (myself included) were very sad to see the loyalty program go.
I was an SPG Platinum Preferred Guest, and as you can see from the screenshot below, SPG also had membership innovations like Crossover Rewards (which allowed members to earn Starpoints with Delta SkyMiles), frequent bonus-points promotions and lucrative offers that would give guests 1,000 points just for declining housekeeping with its "Make a Green Choice" program.
Elite SPG members who transitioned to the Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program were not always happy with the benefits that Marriott offered. Now, a lot of longtime SPG fans are hopeful about the resurgence of the Starwood brand and what it could mean for a future loyalty program.
"At a time when most large hotel chains are favoring the needs of hotel owners over customers, a pioneer of customer loyalty is getting back into the fray," said Edward Pizzarello, a small-business owner and longtime SPG elite member (Pizzarello is also a contributor to TPG).
"Barry Sternlicht's laser-sharp focus on guest experience created a loyal customer base previously unseen in the hospitality industry. Road warriors and luxury travelers alike should be eagerly awaiting this return," said Pizzarello.
The revival of the Starwood brand is just the latest move in Sternlicht's plan to create another hotel empire. In recent years, Sternlicht has been busy ideating new hotel chains within his current company, SH Hotels & Resorts. These smaller brands will now instead fall under the revived Starwood name, including Baccarat Hotels, which licensed the name of the luxury French glassmaker to create upscale properties like the Baccarat Hotel New York.
Ster
If you want to know why so many stars love Montecito, look no further than Caruso's.
Stepping inside the Viceroy in Snowmass, Colorado, feels exactly like what you'd expect from a luxury hotel.
Cast your eyes across the Victorian façade of Hotel del Coronado and you might recognize it as the place where Marilyn Monroe strummed a ukulele in Some Like It Hot. This spring the iconic San Diego resort, which has hosted 11 presidents and been designated a National Historic Landmark, unveils a head-to-toe restoration that breathes new life into its 137-year-old finishes. The original stained glass windows are back, and a veranda, designed to replicate the 1888 original, will host cocktails. There will also be plenty of contemporary bells and whistles in the guest rooms, as well as a brand-new Nobu. Style yourself accordingly by packing a wardrobe of earth tones to complement the mahogany of the storied lobby; add a simple flash of gold to invoke the glamour of hotel's past and present day.
There's something magical about being on the slopes for the first time — the crisp air, stunning mountain views, and the rush of trying something new. However, skiing for the first time can also be a nerve-racking experience.
This spring, Universal Orlando Resort plans to open its Epic Universe theme park. In anticipation, the property is also launching three new hotels: Stella Nova Resort, Terra Luna Resort, and Helios Grand Hotel.
As a frequent traveler, I cherish my Global Entry status.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Vitus Stenhøj Schiøtz, 23, a Danish traveler who got a working holiday visa to live in Japan. He moved to Japan in late 2024 and works as a chef in a restaurant in Nozawaonsen, a small town northwest of Tokyo . It's been edited for length and clarity.
Eight months after my 30th birthday, I realized that I did, in fact, want children. In my 20s, I was never really sure. I thought of it as a kind of eventuality, something I’d get to once my life no longer revolved around friends and travel and chasing the next story. Something for the next, much more grown-up phase of my life. Then I learned that the choice might not be mine to make. My egg reserve levels were teetering on the edge of “critically low” and all signs pointed towards early menopause, a condition I now know runs in my family.
Once a bohemian enclave popular among surfers and backpackers, the Oaxacan town of Brisas de Zicatela (or “La Punta,” as locals call it), just south of Puerto Escondido, has evolved into a buzzing tourist spot, its big waves and boisterous mezcal bars now attracting a still young but decidedly less countercultural crowd. Hotel Humano, the latest offering from Mexico City-based Grupo Habita, both embraces the area’s lively ambience and offers a refined respite from it. The 39-room, three-level property opened in late December on a busy street that becomes a party strip every evening, but its striking design creates an elegant barrier between the action outside and the considered details within (while an enforced municipal ordinance also requires loud music to stop at 11 p.m.). The building, designed by Jorge Hernández de la Garza, follows the current fad, in local architecture, of disguising heavy concrete structures with earthy textures meant to evoke vernacular constructions; here, breeze walls made of pale clay bricks provide privacy and shade, allowing air to sweep through. Linen lampshades, toffee-hued glazed tiles and big stainless steel sinks by Madrid-based Plantea Estudio add a lighter, contemporary touch, most effectively in eight suites featuring terraces with soaking pools. Guests and visitors alike can enjoy Humano’s casual cafe and juice bar in the double-height lobby, French fare by the self-taught chef Marion Chateau served in the palapa-covered poolside restaurant and the rooftop bar’s concrete bleachers — La Punta’s best spot to take in the sky at dusk.
When we think about room service, our questions tend to be whether we should get salad or fries on the side, treat ourselves to dessert, and how early is too early for a glass of bubbly.
When you hear about a company retreat, you might imagine traveling to an urban destination with massive hotel complexes just to sit for hours in windowless conference rooms and spend evenings schmoozing over room-temperature drinks. You probably don't imagine jetting off to a charming, nature-filled town along the Pacific Ocean.
Preferred Hotels & Resorts is the world’s largest independent hotel brand, and it’s looking to grow even more with the addition of ten new member properties that became members between October 1 and December 31, 2024.