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New Orleans Food and Wine Festival and Other Events with SPG Moments

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Starwood has long offered the opportunity to redeem Starpoints for SPG Moments.  These are various unique experiences curated specially for Starwood Preferred Guest members.

The experiences are often one-time events – tickets to concerts, sporting or culinary events, or unique experiences arranged specially for Starwood and often part of their marketing partnerships.  They can include insider access features such as VIP or luxury suite seating, hotel accommodations, or special receptions.

Some SPG Moments allow members to bid Starpoints for the opportunity to win the prize or package.  Those bid packages close at a specific time and are awarded to the highest bidder so members merely participate in an auction.  Others, however, can be instantly confirmed for a specific Starpoint value where points are instantly redeemed.

Depending on how you value your Starpoints, some of the SPG Moments can be a nice trade for a desirable experience.  I would swap my Starpoints for VIP concert tickets for a band I enjoy, for example.  Other offers have included unique celebrity chef dining evenings, Broadway theatre packages, and special sporting events.

Current offers

Right now Ariana Grande, Shawn Mendes, Take That, and Iron Maiden at O2 in London, for example, so I could pass on all of those (don’t tell Jim about Iron Maiden!)  But I’ve seen bands like U2 come up in the past for major tours in luxury suites and festivals like Coachella.

If you are in Los Angeles, there are luxury suite seats available for Thursday (Kings), Friday (Lakers), and Sunday (Lakers) of this week.

And in one of the best packages I’ve seen, right now there are five Connoisseur packages available for the New Orleans Food and Wine Festival over Memorial Day weekend for 40,000 Starpoints.

New Orleans Food and Wine Festival (May 25-28, 2017)

From the SPG Moments page:

Enjoy fine food and wine for an entire weekend at the New Orleans Wine & Food Experience with The Connoisseur package. This package will allow you to enjoy all of the events at the Experience throughout the weekend, including Vinola!, the Royal Street Stroll, the Grand Tasting and the Big Gateaux show. These events feature everything from wine pairings to pastry competitions, all with a uniquely New Orleans flair. You’ll also get to choose four seminars to attend, giving you an educational, hands-on wine experience.

The Connoisseur package includes:

—Early entry to VINOLA! on Friday, 26 May 2017, at 2:00 p.m. EST

—Meet & Greet with behind the scenes tour by Brennan’s Restaurant owner Ralph Brennan and James Beard Foundation Award Nominated Chef, Slade Rushing. After the meet & greet, enjoy a Champagne Sabering by Sommelier Joe Billesbach on Friday, May 26, 2017, at 5:00 p.m. EST

—Early entry to the Royal Street Stroll on Friday, 26 May 2017, at 5:30 p.m. EST

—Early entry to the Grand Tasting on Saturday, 27 May 2017, at 6:00 p.m. EST

—The Big Gateaux Show on Saturday May 27, 2017, at 9:00 p.m. EST

—Access to 4 seminars of your choice

Summary

It is worth bookmarking the SPG Moments webpage and checking it periodically.  Starwood occasionally sends members email reminders about the program.  But I have found that some of the best offers get posted – and quickly grabbed up – outside of those publicized times!

Have you redeemed for a SPG Moments experience?  If so, was it worth it?


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