Win with the SPG Pack Your Bags Giveaway - Best Exotic Escapes category

To celebrate the launch of the new SPG.com/resorts, we're awarding 10 Grand Prize trips with the SPG Pack Your Bags Giveaway. Choose from the list of SPG Member Favorite resorts in nine spectacular categories to win a trip of a lifetime. We'll swap out a new category every Tuesday and Friday through April 14, 2011, for more destinations to choose from. The first trip we're giving away is from the Best Exotic Escapes category which includes these 12 resorts listed below. Did yours make the list?

• Sheraton Rio Hotel & Resort, Rio De Janeiro, Brazil
• The Grand Mauritian Resort & Spa, Mauritius
• Sheraton Maldives Full Moon Resort & Spa
• W Retreat & Spa - Maldives
• Tambo del Inka Resort & Spa, Valle Sagrado, Urubamba, Peru
• Le Méridien Fisherman's Cove, Mahé, Seychelles
• The Westin Denarau Island Resort & Spa, Fiji
• The St. Regis Princeville Resort, Kauai, Hawaii, United States
• The St. Regis Bora Bora Resort, Bora Bora, French Polynesia
• Al Maha Desert Resort & Spa, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
• Mystique, Santorini, Greece
• Blue Palace Resort & Spa, Elounda, Greece

Enter daily at SPG.com/packyourbags for your chance to win a 5-night stay - plus airfare for two. Good luck!

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Online Guest Feedback Coordinator
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

guest.forum@starwoodhotels.com

 

Good luck everyone!

 

just entered. yay

 

odd they have 4 properties valued at $3500/nt for contest

looking at actual rates i see al maha rates are down under starwood

 

Strange, not open to all EU/non-USA people ?

2. Eligibility: Sweepstakes is open only to legal residents of Argentina, Australia, Austria, Brazil, Canada (excluding Quebec), China (excluding Hong Kong), Indonesia, Ireland, Finland, France, Germany, New Zealand, Portugal, United Kingdom, the fifty (50) United States (including D.C.), Singapore, South Korea, Switzerland, Taiwan and the United Arab Emirates who are eighteen (18) years of age or older and a Starwood Preferred Guest ("SPG") member as of date of entry. Void in all other countries and where prohibited or restricted by law. Employees, officers & directors of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. ("Sponsor"), Votigo Inc. ("Administrator"), and their parent companies, subsidiaries, affiliates, partners, dealers, advertising and promotion agencies, manufacturers or distributors of Sweepstakes materials and their immediate families (parents, children, siblings, spouse) or members of the same household (whether related or not) of such employees/officers/directors are not eligible to enter. All federal, state, provincial, country and local laws and regulations apply.

 

Not that strange, actually. Anyone wanting to run a sweepstakes in a given country has a lot of hoops to jump through. Often, there is either not enough time to get clearance from the country in question or they simply make it too cost-prohibitive/encumbered to make the effort worthwhile.

Still, SPG managed to include more countries than in any sweepstakes prior to this one, so they are trying to be more inclusive.

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Social Media Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

guest.forum@starwoodhotels.com

 

I am really pleased to see that Starwood went through the hoops to get Australia included in the sweepstakes! Its a great contest...now if I could just win one of those dream locations .

 

Bummer... So, how/where do I send you and the other SPG Champion's some (legal) Dutch treats to make you think of us Dutchies in the future ?

 

LOL. It would be better for you to work on easing any restrictions the Dutch government may have on sweepstakes of this type, whether it is a tariff or a legal obstacle.

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Social Media Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

guest.forum@starwoodhotels.com

 

What is the definition of a day for the purposes of this promo? Does it start at midnight in NYC or is it based on the time of one's address or current location? Or could it be 24 hours after one's last entry?

 

In reference to when one can register? I found this in the FAQ:

How often can a member enter? A member may enter once every 24 hours.

That's screaming 24 hours after one's last entry to me.

If it is about when the promotion starts, that is published in the T&C's

For the purposes of the Sweepstakes, a day will start at
Sweepstakes Period Rounds:
ROUND 1 - Best Exotic Escapes
* Photos posted: 3/15/11 @ 12:00:01 a.m. ET
* Submission deadline: 3/17/11 @ 11:59:59 p.m. ET

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Social Media Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

guest.forum@starwoodhotels.com

 

Looking through the T&C there is an ARV listed which appears somewhat high for these awards (around $17,500). Would I be liable for taxes on this amount?

 

That is my understanding of how it works.

Best regards,

William R. Sanders
Social Media Specialist
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide

guest.forum@starwoodhotels.com

 

SPG.com lists W Maldives at $760/night (randomly chosen, in June), but ARV is listed at $3500/night. Unless you live in a tax haven or have very creative tax specialists, you'll be paying much more if you win, compared to just booking a standard room.

Am I wrong?

I still entered and would love to visit one of the Retreat and Spa properties, but not if it costs me more to win it for free....?

 

This is probably the most frustrating contest ever. It's like winning $5000, but paying taxes on $20,000, so you're guaranteed a loss if you win, come April 15 next year.

Can anyone on this forum justify registering? If so, how? If ARV was based on the actual award value (cost of booking comparable room), then this would make more sense to me.

 

Can the $17,000 on the IRS 1099 form be contested, and a lower amount be reported , with documentation ? ( print copy of actual reservation page on SPG site, and attach)

 

From my (limited) experience with 1099 requirements, Starwood would need to acknowledge the lower reporting amount.