Access to the most extraordinary portfolio of hotels, expansion of
the Moments experiential platform and richer and enhanced benefits for members
Today, Marriott International announced it
will introduce one set of unified benefits across Marriott Rewards, The
Ritz-Carlton Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) for its members in
August 2018. This will create an incredibly rich hospitality loyalty program in
which members will earn more points faster than under the prior programs — on
average 20% more points for every dollar spent. For the first time, members
will have access to book stays and earn or redeem points among 29 participating
global brands comprising 6,500 hotels in 127 countries and territories. Additionally,
the Moments experiential platform is expanding, with more than 110,000 experiences
in 1,000 destinations from must-see attraction tickets and
tours for purchase with cash by all guests, to
once-in-a-lifetime events only available to members using points, including the
new bespoke Moments Live event series.
Marriott International Unveils Unified Loyalty Programs With One Set of Benefits
L-R: Craig S. Smith President and Managing Director Marriott International Asia Pacific; and Peggy Fang Roe, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, Marriott International Asia Pacific
Loyalty Overview
“We listened to the travel
aspirations of our members and set our sights on unlocking the full potential
of our loyalty programs,” said David Flueck, Senior Vice President of Global
Loyalty, Marriott International. “We are excited to announce that this August,
our members can enjoy one set of benefits across our extraordinary portfolio of
hotels from iconic full and select service, to extended stay, to unique
boutiques and luxury brands. We hope to inspire our members whatever their
travel passion, whether it is resorts featuring overwater bungalows, peaceful
secluded island settings, ski-in / ski-out mountain resorts, towering hotels
with picture-worthy views or even former palaces converted into hotels.”
Beginning in August, members
will be able to combine their separate Marriott Rewards, The Ritz-Carlton
Rewards and SPG accounts into a single account spanning the entire loyalty
portfolio. The Marriott Rewards, The Ritz-Carlton Rewards and Starwood
Preferred Guest (SPG) names will continue to live on under the new set of
unified benefits until a new program name is introduced in 2019.
Also beginning in August,
travelers will have the ability to book
stays across the entire portfolio for the first time on Marriott.com, SPG.com and the Marriott and SPG apps, or by
contacting customer engagement centers.
“There are no more important
customers than our loyalty members,” said Karin Timpone, Global Marketing
Officer, Marriott International. “With good news for our members, we decided to
announce the new benefits now and launch them as quickly as possible, so
members could take full advantage. At the same time, we will continue to
introduce more exclusive member experiences throughout the year on our Moments
platforms.”
Achieve Elite Status and Earn Points Faster
In August, members will be able to earn and
redeem across the entire portfolio of participating hotels and earn elevated
benefits and elite status faster with new elite tiers. For example, earning Silver
elite status after just ten nights and Gold elite status after just 25 nights will
become standard in all three programs. With Platinum elite status earned after 50
nights and Platinum Premier elite status earned after 75 nights, these tiers
will become easier to attain for Marriott Rewards and The Ritz-Carlton Rewards
members and align with SPG’s current offering.
In addition, all Platinum Premier members surpassing 100 nights and $20,000
of spend will enjoy the highest level of personalized service — the popular ambassador
program — along with all the other benefits in that tier. Members who have
achieved Lifetime status will continue to have their status recognized.
The breakfast offering for Platinum and Platinum Premier members will be expanded to 23 participating brands, including Courtyard, AC Hotels by Marriott, Protea and Moxy, as well as resorts. For certain brands, members will receive free breakfast or an on-property food and beverage credit for breakfast or other dining options.
Under the unified benefits, a single points currency
will be introduced. In August, SPG members will see their points balance triple.
SPG, Marriott Rewards and The Ritz-Carlton Rewards members will all earn ten
points for every dollar spent at all brands except for Residence Inn,
TownePlace Suites and Element which will be five points per every dollar spent.
With bonuses, elite members will earn even more for stays. In August, all
members will begin earning points for food and beverage and qualifying
incidentals on their folio, rather than just the room rate.
Simpler to Redeem Points
To make it easier for members to redeem
points, all hotels throughout the loyalty portfolio will have no blackout dates
for points redemptions. In addition, a Free Night Award chart with peak,
standard and off-peak pricing will be adopted for all hotels. The chart, which will
launch with standard pricing in August, will add off peak and peak in 2019.
More Mobile Features
Members will enjoy a significantly improved
digital and mobile experience. When members book directly on Marriott.com,
SPG.com or any of Marriott’s mobile apps, they will be able to choose from all
6,500 participating hotels, and also take advantage of exclusive member-only
rates and free Wi-Fi. In addition, members will be able to check-in or check out,
receive Room Ready Alerts chat directly with hotels using Mobile Requests and where
available use their smartphones as their room key on all of Marriott’s mobile
apps.
To learn more about program
changes and benefits, please go here.
Increased Access to Unparalleled Experiences
Research shows
today’s modern travelers value experiences over things. Marriott’s greatly expanded
experiential offerings on Moments can be
purchased with cash and do not require a hotel reservation. As
an added benefit, Marriott Rewards, The Ritz-Carlton Rewards and Starwood
Preferred Guest (SPG) members will earn points every time they purchase one of
the new experiences. The 110,000
new Moments experiences in 1,000 destinations are in addition to the 8,000
exclusive, member experiences that only can be redeemed with points on Marriott Rewards Moments and SPG Moments. In the future, all
Moments experiences will be available to be redeemed with points.
Experiences range from
destination tours and day trips like shark cage diving in Gansbaai, South
Africa, to once-in-a-lifetime events. These include exclusive member concerts,
VIP experiences to coveted sports events like the Super Bowl and music festivals
like Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, as well as hands-on master
classes and meet & greets with some of the world’s top athletes, musicians
and chefs, including among others, actor and musician Jared Leto, chef Daniel
Boulud and Lewis Hamilton, the four-time Formula One™ World Champion and
Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport driver.
Marriott is also announcing Moments
Live, a collection of premiere musical and culinary events powered by
Marriott’s partnership with Universal Music Group (UMG) and its newest
partnership with LITV Entertainment Group. The
series kicks off with a selection of:
- VIP access
and exclusive performances throughout Keith Urban’s recently announced Graffiti U World Tour. - Access
to intimate, thoughtfully crafted events with
superstar chefs and well-known
musicians in picturesque
settings. - Exclusive, VIP access to music and culinary themed events
in Napa Valley, such as private festivals Live In The
Vineyard and Live In The
Vineyard Goes Country.
In the coming months, Marriott
will provide members with information about how and when in August they can begin
combining their loyalty accounts.
The
information above represents a summary of the upcoming changes to Marriott’s award-winning
loyalty programs and is subject to the full terms and conditions of the
programs that will be available to the public at the time the changes become
effective.
About Marriott International, Inc.
Marriott
International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR) is based in Bethesda, Maryland, USA, and
encompasses a portfolio of more than 6,500 properties in 30 leading hotel
brands spanning 127 countries and territories. Marriott operates and franchises
hotels and licenses vacation ownership resorts all around the world. The
company also operates award-winning loyalty programs: Marriott Rewards®, which
includes The Ritz-Carlton Rewards®, and Starwood Preferred Guest®. For more
information, please visit our website at www.marriott.com, and for the latest company
news, visit www.marriottnewscenter.com. In
addition, connect with us on Facebook and @MarriottIntl
on Twitter and Instagram.
