Using SPG Rewards Starpoints (Starwood Hotels’ loyalty program), my family of four was able to enjoy the SPG Luxury Suite at Wrigley Field to see a Chicago Cubs game thanks to SPG points I accumulated. I earned the Starpoints by signing up for two SPG credit cards, one personal and one business. We paid nothing, nada, for our tickets thanks to SPG Moments!
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I used a portion of my Starpoints to purchase two packages of two tickets each for the SPG Luxury Suite for a Chicago Cubs game. This was through their SPG Moments program that lets you redeem points for experiences instead of hotel rooms. It was the first Cubs game for my two boys and for me — and it ended up being the year the Cubs famously won the World Series! We live in Indianapolis, so Chicago is an easy less than three-hour drive for us.
This was truly a wonderful experience and one of the many reasons I believe everyone needs to know about the amazing benefits of smartly using credit cards to travel nearly free. You can earn redeemable travel points JUST by purchasing your day-to-day items! This is why I write the Go to Travel Gal blog to share this with more people :).
We had amazing seats to see one of the best baseball teams in the MLB, who would in fact go on to WIN THE WORLD SERIES, with free food, drinks and service. Yes, please!
Getting Our Cubs Tickets Through SPG Moments
You can read more about how I redeemed my Starpoints for this awesome Chicago Cubs experience. We also redeemed part of our SPG Rewards points to see “School of Rock” on Broadway in New York City.
After redeeming the points, I received an email explaining how to collect my tickets. The email explained that I needed to go to Will Call, and was very detailed about how to get there, and provided a confirmation number. We showed up at Will Call, where there was no line, showed my ID and had our tickets within a minute.
The email also listed the name and contact information for an SPG employee who would be on site for the event should we have any problems. No problems, but very nice to have that reassurance.
Finding the SPG Luxury Suite at Wrigley Field
This was probably the hardest part of the whole process, which isn’t saying much, because everything went smoothly. It was not immediately obvious in Wrigley where the suites are despite following the signs to “Suites.” We had to ask someone, but to save you time: the key is to GO UP. The suites are between the upper and lower sections on their own level.
We showed our tickets to access suite level and were directed toward the SPG luxury suite, #37, just a few doors down.
Inside the SPG Luxury Suite at Wrigley Field
The suite is small but there is plenty of room to accommodate the 12 people it is designed to hold. There is a refrigerator with beer, soft drinks, waters and wine, a small table seating four and a bar with seating looking out on the field. There is also a TV playing other sporting events taking place at the same time.
This would be a great place to take a break from weather or the action for just a moment, though on this beautiful fall day, we spent all our time in the stadium seats outside the suite aside from refilling food and drinks.
There was an SPG employee in the suite to help with anything we needed (ie me opening a bottle of wine 🙂 and helping us get the kids’ package of gummy bears open). She was super nice and helpful, though we did not find we needed much.
Outside the SPG Suite at Wrigley Field
The suite seats are outstanding. You are literally right behind home plate with a fantastic view of the field. I could not imagine better seats or a better view. The seats are covered to keep you out of the sun on a hot day and out of the wind on a cool day. There was even a heater, which was not needed on this September day, above the seats for cooler weather.
There are three sets of four seats to accommodate 12 people. We took the back row and were perfectly content. We mostly shared the suite with another larger family who booked the suite using their SPG Starpoints, as well.
The Food!
The food is a big perk of the SPG Luxury Suite. Not only do you not have to pay for tickets, you also can skip the high-priced stadium food. The suite offered Chicago-style hot dogs and brats (complete with sauerkraut) and any condiments you might need, bags of chips, pasta salad, fruit, popcorn and plenty of drinks.
Round about the third inning, the awesome dessert cart rolled by. The SPG staffer alerted us to come choose one item per person before it left and it was a tough call! My husband and I went for the very tempting and ultimately delicious chocolate toffee cake, while our kids chose the bag of gummy bears. There was also amazing-looking carrot cake, red velvet cake, salted caramel brownies, ice cream served in plastic Cubs hats and more that I cannot remember :).
Accommodations at Chicago’s Hotel Monaco
We stayed at the Kimpton Hotel Monaco in the Upper Loop area of downtown Chicago and oh, the window seats overlooking the River and the City! I think that’s my new favorite hotel feature :). It was modern, comfortable and in a great location close to the River North area, which is super happening with tons of bars and restaurants, as well as a block over from Michigan Avenue and Millennial Park. It is also on the north side of the Loop with access to lots of great shopping.
After a Saturday night dinner of Chicago deep dish pizza at Lou Malnati’s (yum!), we took the “el” (Chicago’s mass transit – the elevated train) to Wrigley on Sunday around noon for the 1:20 p.m. game. It was about a 15-minute ride with lots of other Cubs fans up to the stadium, which in itself was a fun experience.
It made for an awesome weekend and I’m already planning how I can earn enough Starpoints to do this all again.
SPG Credit Cards You Need to Book This Offer
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Note: Hotel Monaco provided us with a free room in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Read More:
- 5 Amazing Experiences You Can Book Using Starpoints
- How I Booked Luxury Suite Seats to a Chicago Cubs Game FREE with SPG Points
- How I Booked School of Rock on Broadway for Cheap with SPG Points
