The suites are nice, especially when my stays were 3+ days. The biggest benefits for me when it comes to hotel status are: 1) lounge access / free breakfast

The suites are nice, especially when my stays were 3+ days. The biggest benefits for me when it comes to hotel status are: 1) lounge access / free breakfast 2) points for personal hotel stays (though I typically spend my hotel points on flights). I basically pay for my vacations in points. 3) The ambassador with Starwood would basically handle all of my bookings and make sure if there were any issues I was taken care of. Anytime I had a flight cancellation or change of plans, I could shoot them an e-mail or call and know it would get handled.