The Winner Of The US Open Swag Bag Is...

For last week's Thursday Giveaway contest, I decided to give one lucky reader the cool swag bag I got while attending the US Open and visiting the Starwood Preferred Guest suite at the USTA including a cute Kate Spade tote.

The items in the prize include:

Kate Spade “Love is in the Air” Starwood tote
Starwood Preferred Guest Umbrella
Starwood Preferred Guest Resort Member Favorites Hardcover
SPG iPhone Cover
Lacoste Tennis Hat
Lacoste Sweatbands
Eucerin SPF 30 Moisturizer
Aquaphor Lip Repair
Commemorative Oversize US Open Tennis Ball

Plus 1,000 Starwood Preferred Guest points deposited directly into your SPG account.

To enter the contest, all you had to do is follow me on Twitter and tweet me @thepointsguy with the hashtag #TPGSPGSwag telling me what your favorite Starwood property is and why.

Now, Starwood is one of my favorite hotel chains - I go for Platinum elite status every year, and I'm currently a 100-nighter - but apparently I'm not alone and the prospect of SPG-labeled swag got a lot of people talking, because the Tweets kept coming in this weekend.

There were a lot of votes for fabulous, far-flung properties like the St. Regis Bali and Bora Bora, the W Maldives and other personal favorites of mine like the St. Regis Princeville on Kauai.

But the random winner was @devonpack who chose a much less... popular destination.

@thepointsguy I love the Westin Cincy. All the pro teams stay there and it's close to everything. Great award price too! #TPGSPGSwag

It just goes to show that there are plenty of great ways to find value and excitement from your hotel points - whether you're using them to book an over-water bungalow on the other side of the planet, or a weekend stay at a great property in your own backyard.

Thanks to all those who entered and stay tuned this week for a huge giveaway that's coming on Thursday!