A Starwood member is a preferred guest of the Starwood hotel chains, which include the Westin, Sheraton, Le Meridian and St. Regis hotels. This three-tiered rewards program provides "Starpoints" for free hotel rooms, room upgrades or airline tickets; you receive a certain number of points for every dollar you spend at a Starwood hotel. Those on the basic tier, called Preferred Guest, receive two Starpoints for every dollar spent, while Gold Preferred and Platinum Preferred members receive three Starpoints for every dollar. Becoming a Starwood member is free, and is easily completed online.
Visit the website for the Starwood membership program (see Resources below) and click on "Join."
Enter and retype your email address and click "Continue."
Enter your personal contact information and select your hotel room preferences from the drop-down menus, including bed size, pillow type and smoking or non-smoking rooms.
Create a password that you will use to log into your account. Your email address is automatically assigned as your username. Finally, select your email preferences by placing a check mark next to the box for each type of email Starwood will send you. Click "Review and Confirm."
Review the information you entered to ensure it is accurate. If so, click "Complete." If not, click "Edit" to go back and make the necessary corrections.
Make a note of your Starwood membership number that will be displayed. Use this number when making a reservation for any Starwood hotel. You will not be mailed a membership card until your first stay at a Starwood hotel using your new number.
Start earning two Starpoints for every dollar you spend at Starwood hotels. You will start out on the basic tier as a Preferred Guest member. Once you reach 10 visits at any Starwood hotel during a single year, you will be upgraded to Gold Preferred status. Stay 25 times during the year and you will be entitled to Platinum Preferred status.
Redeem your Starpoints by visiting the Starwood website and selecting "Redeem Starpoints" from the menu under "Quick Links." You will need approximately 3,000 Starpoints to receive a free hotel room for one night. More points may be needed to stay at a luxury hotel or resort.
