Can Marriott Satisfy Starwood Superfans?

Starwood superfans face their deepest, darkest fear: Marriott mediocrity

- Patrick Clark

For their honeymoon, Alex Diacre and his wife, Sarah, traveled halfway around the world, from New York to the Maldives, a chain of atolls in the Indian Ocean. The breakfast menu at their hotel, the St. Regis, was a journey unto itself.

Each morning they’d find a table looking out over the ocean, sink their feet in the sand, and make the hard choices. Should Sarah try the eggs Benedict, Maldivian style, with soft-shell crab and hollandaise-infused coconut curry, or should she opt for the duck foie gras terrines with fricassee of morel mushrooms and fried quail egg? Would Alex restrict himself to breakfast pastries or indulge in the coffee opera cake with vanilla ice cream? There was lighter fare, too—fancy cereals, local fruits, and fresh pressed juices.

The meal, including buffet, tableside bloody marys, and a la carte offerings, ran about $65 per person after tax and service. At least that’s what it would have cost a paying customer. The Diacres booked their six-night stay with loyalty program points Alex had earned traveling for his job managing technical support teams for a big software company. Those nights on the road—most of them spent in Alofts, Westins, and other properties overseen by Starwood Hotels— had earned him “lifetime platinum” status, which meant breakfast was free. The perk saved the couple about $800 and set an appropriately decadent tone for their dream vacation. “It was not just about saving money,” says Diacre, who cashed in some 250,000 Starpoints to book the stay at a hotel that often costs $2,000 a night. “But the resort was hellishly expensive.”