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Going once, going twice, gone! The St. Regis Princeville hotel in Kauai, Hawaii is leaving Marriott-Starwood after its recent sale. The hotel was purchased by Starwood Capital (I know, leaving Starwood for a company with Starwood in its name kind of confusing) and will be affiliated with the 1 Hotel chain.
Starwood Capital bought the property for $230 million and is reportedly planning to invest another $80 million into sprucing up the St. Regis as it transitions to the 1 Hotel Hanalei Bay. So what does this mean for those looking to stay on Kauai with Marriott points?
If you’re looking for other hotels you can book for free with points in Hawaii, check out our list of the best options for doing just that. And if you want to be the first to know about fare sales to Hawaii and other travel deals, subscribe to our newsletter.
This hotel is no longer available to reserve with your Marriott points. In fact, although the hotel still shows up when you run a search for St. Regis, Kauai, when you go to book a room you’ll see a message indicating this isn’t an option. This is a bit of a bummer because the St. Regis was one of the most popular hotels for Starwood and Marriott guests to use their points at. For a while rooms could be booked for 60,000 Marriott points, which is a great deal for a luxury resort on Kauai where hotels can range from $250 to $1,500+ a night!
This is a setback, but there are still plenty of Marriott hotels in the area, including the Westin that’s just down the road from the St. Regis in Kauai. Even with this hotel removed from Marriott, there are still several ways to get creative with your points to book rooms in Kauai.
Alternative Ways to Book a Hotel With Points on Kauai
For those who are looking to cash in Marriott points in Kauai, take a look at the upscale Westin Princeville Ocean Resort. This time of year, rooms range from $350 to $550 a night. Throughout the year, you can book a room for 60,000 points, so that’s on par with the what you’d spend at the St. Regis. Although, starting in 2019 Marriott will be introducing peak and off-peak prices for award stays. So a Category 7 hotel, like the Westin Princeville, will cost 50,000 to 70,000 Marriott points depending on the dates.
There are a total of eight Marriott properties where you can book a room with points on Kauai, but this resort is the closest in location to the St. Regis. So if you’re looking to stay on this part of the island, Westin Princeville is a good option. You could also use your points at these other Marriott hotels:
- Courtyard Kauai at Coconut Beach – Category 4
- Marriott’s Kauai Lagoons – Kalanipu’u – Category 7
- Kauai Marriott Resort – Category 6
- Marriott’s Kauai Beach Club – Category 6
- Koloa Landing Resort at Poipu, Autograph Collection – Category 6
- Sheraton Kauai Resort – Category 5
- Marriott’s Waiohai Beach Club – Category 7
You can book rooms at the Category 4 Courtyard Kaua’i at Coconut Beach for only 25,000 Marriott points per night! And the most expensive Category 7 hotels will cost you 60,000 Marriott points per night. If you’re looking to book a Marriott hotel stay I suggest doing it before January 1, 2019, because after that date Marriott’s peak and off-peak prices will be in effect. And if the price drops you should be able to cancel and rebook at the lower price, just be sure to double check the cancellation terms of booking first if that is a strategy you want to use.
Also, you can borrow the Marriott points you need and earn them back later. Joseph explains how to do that with this post. Or if you need more Marriott points you could apply for a card like the Starwood Preferred Guest® Credit Card from American Express, which comes with a 75,000 Marriott-point bonus after you meet the minimum spending requirements. And be sure to check out our guide on all the ways to earn Marriott points.
You can also use sites like Hotel Hustle and AwardMapper to search for other hotels in the area that you can book with points. But Hawaii hotels can be the some of the hardest to book with points. Hotels can quickly run out of available award nights, so it can make sense to pay for your accommodations with points.
If you have the Chase Sapphire Reserve® every Chase Ultimate rewards point is worth 1.5 cents towards travel (hotels included) when you book directly through the Chase Travel Portal. And you pay for hotels that way, you don’t have to worry about blackout dates or limited award nights.
Have you ever stayed at the St. Regis in Kauai? Would you consider booking a room there when it’s remodeled as a 1 Hotel group property? Let me know your thought in the comments section below!
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