Marriott International and Starwood Hotels recently merged forming the worlds largest hotel company. Travelers now have a choice of 6700 Marriott hotels in 129 countries. The merger also set the foundation for the largest loyalty program of its kind. On February 13th, 2019 Marriott Bonvoy will launch replacing Mariott Rewards, Ritz-Carlton Rewards, and Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG). Loyalty members currently using Ritz-Carlton or SPG apps will need to download the Marriott app. The Marriott app will go live as Marriott Bonvoy automatically on the 13th and all other apps will deactivate.
Marriott Bonvoy will feature certain SPG perks like free upgrades when available and members will earn 20% more points per dollar spent. The new program will also have a new tier structure for Elite status members. Platinum Premier Elite will now be Titanium Elite and be achieved by passing the 75 nights stayed mark. Likewise, Ambassador Elite will replace Platinum Premier Elite for those members staying over 100 nights and having over $20,000 spent annually.
Another added feature to this new rewards program is the “Moments” section highlighting experiences. Marriott offers more than 120,000 experiences in over 1000 destinations. This includes things such as desert treks on camelback through Morocco or cooking with celebrity chefs. Each of the experiences is for purchase or point redemption and viewable under “Moments” on the new loyalty program platform.
