SPG Gold - Is it worth it?

[lilkid28]

Hi all, planning to book 5 award nights (book 4, 5th night free) in London on April 2016. Have never stayed in a Starwoood property before. Currently have the Westpac Black card and can get SPG Gold if booking 1 night stay, can possibly do so with a cost of AUD100 via booking in SE Asia and get a close friend to check-in with note that I will check in later to get points and qualified stay.

What are my chances of getting upgraded? Is it worth getting SPG Gold for this 5 nights?

 

[KitKat]

SPG Gold is less valuable than HH Gold.
Only real benefit is late check out for non resort properties
Hmm, your plan to get a friend to check in for you with a note in booking is not guaranteed...... to result in credit of stay and points. Not much room to argue if it does not post to your account. Some properties will demand to see your ID before they will credit the stay to you....
Too much hope involved in your plan for very little benefit IMHO
YMMV

Sorry to be discouraging

 

[cmon0005]

Check the Starwood upgrade thread, myself and others have got some pretty good upgrades as spg gold, otherwise you will at very least get a room on a spg floor includes bottled water free etc.

 

[Jack_OC]

I've had SPG Gold for over a year via the Altitude Black card, and I've stayed at SPG properties numerous times since. Can't say I've noticed any great benefit other than late checkout - that can be very useful, but of course it may or may not be of any use on the particular trip that you have in mind. I think I have got one genuine upgrade, but I also got an upgrade once at a Starwood property when I had no status. Free water is a nice benefit, but you'd need to get a lot of free water to recoup the $100 that you're planning to pay up front in order to qualify. Overall, I don't think I'd go out of my way to get SPG Gold status.