BETHESDA, Md., Sept. 23, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, the most
iconic and visionary name in hospitality, Marriott International,
Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR), expands to include 30 of the most desirable and
prestigious hotel brands with the addition of the Starwood Hotels
& Resorts portfolio.
At a time when travelers place even greater emphasis on
enriching and personal experiences, they can now choose from the
most diverse selection of hotel brands ever. With more than 5,700
hotels and 1.1 million rooms in over 110 countries across the
globe, guests now have access to the best hotels and resorts
wherever they travel. Marriott International's portfolio now
includes a series of quintessential luxury and lifestyle names. The
Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis, Bulgari Hotels & Resorts, JW Marriott,
The Luxury Collection, W Hotels and EDITION define a new era of
luxury travel, with dynamic brands such as Westin, Renaissance and
Autograph Collection occupying an evolving lifestyle category.
Premium brands like Marriott Hotels and Sheraton anchor the
portfolio and provide a broad array of choices around the world for
business and leisure travel. And new, fun, accessible experiences
at Moxy Hotels, AC Hotels and Aloft add to the portfolio, ensuring
our guests have whatever they want, wherever they are in the
world.
"The marriage of these two leading hotel companies means
Marriott will deliver an unparalleled guest experience with more
hotels in more global destinations, an unrivaled range of
comprehensive accommodations to suit every traveler, and the
industry's best loyalty programs," said Arne Sorenson, President and Chief Executive
Officer of Marriott International. "Providing such a wide selection
reinforces our enduring commitment to offering guests an even
greater world to explore with Marriott at their side."
Expanded Loyalty Benefits
Also starting later today, members of Marriott's leading loyalty
programs, Marriott Rewards – which includes The Ritz-Carlton
Rewards – and Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG), are invited to link
their accounts at members.marriott.com to enjoy the
benefits, recognition and experiences each program has to offer.
Members will have their status matched across programs and be able
to transfer and redeem points across programs for travel to more
destinations than ever before. Members who link their accounts will
be able to transfer points at a three-to-one ratio (three Marriott
Rewards points = one SPG Starpoint) between the programs for
redemption stays or on the Marriott Rewards Experiences Marketplace
or SPG's Moments platform.
"Marriott's and Starwood's guests have shown tremendous loyalty
to our brands and now that we are one company, we are seizing the
opportunity to reinforce our loyalty to them," said Stephanie Linnartz, Executive Vice President and
Global Chief Commercial Officer. "Beginning now, we're drawing upon
the best of our loyalty programs by enabling members to join or
link their accounts and immediately receive reciprocal status and
benefits."
Members of Marriott Rewards – which includes The Ritz-Carlton
Rewards – and SPG will immediately be able to take advantage of
these benefits:
Status Match: Receive immediate status match across
programs to take advantage of robust member benefits and
recognition.
Points Transfer & Redemption: Transfer points between
programs to access new and exciting redemption opportunities.
Redeem points to visit new destinations, indulge interests with
exclusive experiences, and purchase merchandise through the loyalty
shopping mall.
Moments / Experiences: Gain exclusive access to
money-can't-buy events and experiences powered by our combined
portfolio of exciting global partnerships in music, sports
(including professional football, baseball, basketball, and
tennis), and entertainment.
Access to More Destinations: Now Marriott Rewards and The
Ritz-Carlton Rewards members can use points to travel to new,
sought-after destinations such as the Maldives; Santorini, Greece; and Bora
Bora, while SPG members have access to popular locales such
as Aruba; Tuscany's Serchio Valley; and Kruger National
Park, South Africa.
Member Rates: Members of the loyalty programs who link
their accounts will be able to take advantage of exclusive Member
Rates – our lowest guaranteed rates – when they book direct on the
Marriott mobile app or SPG app, on Marriott.com or SPG.com, through
a call center or with a hotel. (Note: Marriott Rewards Member Rates
are only available on Marriott booking channels, SPG Member Rates
are only available on SPG booking channels and both are based on
hotel availability.)
Mobile: When members book their stays directly with
Marriott, they can use the Marriott mobile app to check in and
check out, receive an alert when their room is ready, as well as
make service requests directly to participating hotels using Mobile
Requests before, during, and after their stays. Similarly, SPG's
mobile app allows guests to use SPG Keyless to check in, get their
room number and unlock the room door using their smartphone or
Apple® Watch at participating hotels.
Free Wi-Fi: When loyalty members book direct through
the Marriott mobile or SPG apps,
on Marriott.com or SPG.com they will always
receive free in-room Wi-Fi.
Introducing Global Travel Day
Marriott International will officially launch Global
Travel Day inspired by the spirit of travel and created to
highlight the extraordinary travel experiences brought to life
through the new Marriott portfolio of hotels. Global Travel Day
will come alive on Friday, October 14,
2016 at New York City's
iconic Rockefeller Center® with a 4,140-square foot interactive map
showcasing Marriott's now more than 5,700 properties worldwide –
unveiled for visitors to explore and celebrate all the places they
can now travel with Marriott. In addition to the map experience,
Marriott will place larger-than-life push pins in front of all
Starwood and Marriott properties in New
York City marking the breadth of Marriott's new
portfolio.
Loyalty members in the U.S. will also have a chance to win
one of 30 travel packages through a unique social media
sweepstakes. Beginning on October
14, loyalty members will be able to enter by sharing their
dream destination with @MarriottRewards and @SPG on Twitter or
Instagram, along with the push pin emoji and #YouAreHere
#Sweepstakes.*
In addition to the social sweepstakes, members of Marriott
Rewards and SPG can also access an array of unique global
experiences, such as:
- Super Bowl LI party and suite at the game exclusively for
Marriott Rewards members, and other unique NFL experiences such as
exclusive tailgate experiences and meet-and-greets with NFL Legends
for UK-based Marriott Rewards members at the NFL International
Series
- Tickets and meet-and-greet opportunities with NBA Legends for
Marriott Rewards members at NBA Global Games China 2016: Houston
Rockets vs. New Orleans Pelicans at Mercedes-Benz Arena in
Shanghai and LeSports Center in
Beijing
- SPG members-only dining experiences including kitchen tours,
cooking demonstrations, signed cookbooks, photos and autographs
with chefs at some of the world's best restaurants, including
Minibar (Washington, DC), Alinea
(Chicago), Trois Mec (Los
Angeles), Craft (NYC), Quintonil (Mexico City), The French Laundry (Napa), and L'Arpege (Paris)
- Tickets to the 2016 World Series and other exclusive Major
League Baseball (MLB) ballpark experiences including tickets,
batting practice viewing and more during the MLB Postseason,
including the American and National League Wild Card games,
Division Series and League Championship Series
- SPG Luxury Suite at Madison Square Garden in New York City, STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, The O2 Arena in London and Mercedes-Benz Arena in Shanghai for concerts and sporting events
available exclusively to SPG members
For a comprehensive list of all the experiences available to
loyalty members please visit the Experiences Marketplace and
SPG Moments websites. To join Marriott Rewards – which includes The
Ritz-Carlton Rewards – or SPG, and to see full rules, please
visit members.marriott.com.
*No Purchase Necessary. Open to Marriott Rewards, Starwood
Preferred Guest, and Ritz-Carlton Rewards members who are residents
of the 50 United States (D.C.) and at least 18 years old. Enter
Sweepstakes from 10/14 – 10/21. Rules will be available before
promotion launch for all details, including prize descriptions and
odds.
Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR) is the world's
largest hotel company based in Bethesda,
Maryland, USA, with more than 5,700 properties in over 110
countries. Marriott operates and franchises hotels and licenses
vacation ownership resorts. The company's 30 leading brands
include: Bulgari Hotels and Resorts®, The Ritz-Carlton® and The
Ritz-Carlton Reserve®, St. Regis®, W®, EDITION®, JW Marriott®, The
Luxury Collection®, Marriott Hotels®, Westin®, Le Méridien®,
Renaissance® Hotels, Sheraton®, Delta Hotels by
MarriottSM, Marriott Executive Apartments®, Marriott
Vacation Club®, Autograph Collection® Hotels, Tribute Portfolio™,
Design Hotels™, Gaylord Hotels®, Courtyard®, Four Points® by
Sheraton, SpringHill Suites®, Fairfield Inn & Suites®,
Residence Inn®, TownePlace Suites®, AC Hotels by Marriott®, Aloft®,
Element®, Moxy Hotels®, and Protea Hotels by
Marriott®. 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 and
@MarriottIntl.
IRPR#1
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SOURCE Marriott International, Inc.