The question of what to do about loyalty has been the elephant in the room ever since Marriott International completed its $13.3 billion acquisition of Starwood Hotels & Resorts in September 2016. Now that question is beginning to find its answer.
Beginning in August, members will be able to combine their separate Marriott Rewards, The Ritz-Carlton Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) accounts into a single account spanning the entire loyalty portfolio. The three will continue to live on under the new set of unified benefits until a new program name is introduced in 2019.
At that same time, 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.
Immediately following the Starwood acquisition, Marriott did allow members of all three programs to link their accounts and to have matching status; with this new move however, the 110 million members of all three programs will be able to earn and redeem points at hotels from all of Marriott’s brands when they log onto their respective accounts (excepting the company’s luxury Bulgari properties) as well as having access to the same benefits.
That includes access to “Moments,” Marriott’s greatly expanded experiential offerings which boast 110,000 collective experiences in 1,000 destinations.
To streamline the redemption process, all hotels throughout the loyalty portfolio will have no blackout dates for points redemptions: a move pioneered by Starwood when it debuted its loyalty program back in 1999.
As part of the new program, the SPG mobile app will also be updated so that all Marriott apps will include mobile check-in, chat capabilities, and mobile room keys.
Elite tiers
Under the new rollout in August, members will also be able to earn elevated benefits and elite status faster with new elite tiers. (i.e.: 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 US$20,000 of spend will gain access to the ambassador program along with all the other benefits in that tier. Members who have achieved Lifetime status will continue to have their status recognized.
Breakfast offerings 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.
Ultimately, Marriott will introduce a single points currency. 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.
Co-brand credit cards
Along with its credit card partners JPMorgan Chase and American Express, Marriott will also offer new and refreshed co-branded credit cards in the U.S. later this year that will provide card members with more benefits across the entire loyalty portfolio. On May 3, Chase will launch the new Marriott Rewards Premier Plus Credit Card, and in August, American Express will introduce the new Starwood Preferred Guest American Express Luxury Card.
The Chase Marriott Rewards Premier Plus Credit Card will give card members six Marriott Rewards points per dollar spent at participating hotels, two points per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases, an anniversary free-night certificate for any property up to 35,000 points, guaranteed elite status, among other offerings.
The Starwood Preferred Guest American Express Luxury Card will offer card members six points per dollar spent at participating hotels, three points per dollar spent on airfare and at U.S. restaurants, and two points per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases. Card members will also receive US$300 annually in statement credits for on-property purchases, a free night award up to 50,000 points, automatic Gold elite status, a US$100 fee credit for Global Entry, Priority Pass Select membership and more.
Members can choose to keep their current cards, or they can apply for, or upgrade to the new cards. Card members with the existing consumer and small business Starwood Preferred Guest American Express Card, the Chase Marriott Rewards Premier Business Credit Card, and the JPMorgan Ritz-Carlton Rewards Credit Card can continue receiving benefits from their current cards. Changes to cobrand cards in Canada, Japan, The United Kingdom and the United Arab Emirates will be announced at a later date.