Come August 2018, members can enjoy a brand-new program with exciting benefits, and access to over 6,500 hotels worldwide.
Photo: The Ritz-Carlton
Members of Marriott Rewards, The Ritz-Carlton Rewards, and Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) can look forward to a new way of earning and spending their points at more than 6,500 hotels worldwide from August 2018 onward.
Marriott International has announced that it will introduce a set of unified benefits across three of the travel industry’s most esteemed loyalty programs, which will allow members to earn more points faster than the current programs.
The yet-to-be-named program will allow members to combine their separate Marriott Rewards, The Ritz-Carlton Rewards and SPG accounts into a single account, as well as earn and redeem points across a whopping 6,500 hotels in 127 countries.
For the first time, travelers can book stays across the entire portfolio on Marriott.com, SPG.com and the Marriott and SPG apps, or by contacting customer engagement centers.
Making it easier for those who aren’t exactly points geeks, the new program has streamlined the way that points are earned on hotel stays, simplified the number of elite tiers, and introduced new rules on redeeming points for complimentary stays.
Photo: Marriott
From August onward, 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.
Spending on spa treatments, room service, and dining will also contribute to the points earned, on top of room rate.
Better yet, achieving elite status will be even faster in this new loyalty program. 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, so as to align with SPG’s current offering.
Photo: Starwood
Big spenders—i.e. Platinum Premier members who have surpassed 100 nights and spent a total of US$20,000 (within a year), will enjoy the highest level of personalized service of the popular ambassador program, along with all the other benefits in that tier. Plus, members who have attained lifetime status will continue to have their status recognized.
Having trouble deciding when to use your points? Worry not, as Marriott’s new loyalty program 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.
Apart from earning points quicker, members will also be privy to more than 110,000 experiences in 1,000 destinations, thanks to the new bespoke Moments Live event series. Perks include 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 — who knows, you might even get to enjoy shark cage diving in Gansbaai, South Africa or be whisked on a VIP trip to Coachella!
More information here.
