Travelore News: Marriott And Starwood Hotels Are Now One

Marriott International, Inc. has completed its acquisition of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc., creating the world's largest and best hotel company. Marriott now offers the most comprehensive portfolio of brands including leading lifestyle brands, a significant global footprint, and leadership in the luxury and select-service tiers as well as the convention and resort segment.

Beginning today, Marriott will match member status across Marriott Rewards – which includes The Ritz-Carlton Rewards – and Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG), enabling members to transfer points between the programs for travel and exclusive experiences when they link their accounts later today.

"Throughout our nearly 90-year history we have never stopped searching for innovative ways to serve our guests. With the addition of Starwood's strong brands, great properties, and talented people, we have dramatically expanded our ability to provide the best experiences to our customers. We also welcome the tremendous responsibility as the world's largest hotel company to be a good global steward, providing new opportunities for our associates and building the economic strength of the communities we call home," said J.W. Marriott, Jr., Executive Chairman and Chairman of the Board of Marriott International.

"We believe that Marriott now has the world's best portfolio of hotel brands, the most comprehensive global footprint, and the most extensive loyalty programs, providing an unparalleled guest experience. Combining Starwood's brands with ours better enables Marriott to reach our goal of having the right brand in the right place to serve our loyal guests and welcome new ones," said Arne Sorenson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Marriott International. "We can now provide a better range of choices for our guests, more opportunities for our associates, and greater financial benefits for our owners, franchisees, and shareholders."

The new company will operate or franchise more than 5,700 properties and 1.1 million rooms, representing 30 leading brands from the moderate-tier to luxury in over 110 countries. With the completion of this acquisition, Marriott's distribution has more than doubled in Asia and the Middle East & Africa combined.

Best-in-Class Loyalty Programs

Marriott Rewards – which includes the Ritz-Carlton Rewards – and SPG are the most recognized and awarded loyalty programs in hospitality. Together, these programs will offer members more benefits when they link their accounts, as well as new destinations such as Aruba, Tuscany's Serchio Valley and Kruger National Park in South Africa for SPG members and the Maldives, Bora Bora and Santorini, Greece for Marriott Rewards and The Ritz-Carlton Rewards members.

"Marriott will draw upon the very best each program offers and we can't wait to show the loyal members of these programs the power and benefits of Marriott and Starwood coming together," said Stephanie Linnartz, Executive Vice President and Global Chief Commercial Officer.

Marriott will launch a microsite later today, www.members.marriott.com, for all members of the combined company's loyalty programs to learn more about the reciprocal benefits now available and to link accounts.

Transaction Benefits

Marriott's acquisition of Starwood enables the combined company to expand the scope of its distribution and portfolio while deploying its larger scale to realize cost efficiencies in its corporate and property operations. As previously stated, Marriott is confident the company can achieve $250 million in annual corporate cost synergies. Additional synergies at the property level should come in the form of leveraging scale in operations and sharing best practices. Combined sales expertise and improved account coverage are expected to provide both enhanced efficiencies and increased revenue opportunities for managed and franchised properties.

"These enhanced efficiencies and revenue opportunities should drive improved property-level profitability as well as greater owner and franchisee preference for the combined company's brands, which will encourage new hotel development," Sorenson said. "As new travel destinations emerge, Marriott can be counted on to be there."

One-time transaction costs for the merger are expected to total approximately $140 million. Marriott intends to take the steps necessary to cause Starwood's outstanding public debt to be pari passu with the outstanding public debt of Marriott International. Marriott remains committed to maintaining an investment grade credit rating and to continue managing the balance sheet prudently after the merger.

New Board Members and Shares Listing

Effective today, Marriott's Board of Directors has increased from 11 to 14 members, with the addition of Bruce Duncan, Chairman, President and CEO of First Industrial Realty Trust, Inc., Eric Hippeau, Partner, Lerer Hippeau Ventures; and Aylwin Lewis, Chairman and CEO of Potbelly Corporation. Messrs. Hippeau and Lewis are also former Starwood board members.

Before market open today, Starwood's shares will cease trading on the New York Stock Exchange. As previously announced, Starwood shareholders will receive $21.00 in cash and 0.80 shares of Marriott International, Inc. Class A common stock for each share of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. common stock.

Arne Sorenson remains President and Chief Executive Officer of Marriott International, and Marriott's headquarters continues to be located in Bethesda, Maryland.

Lazard and Citigroup were financial advisors to Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide and Deutsche Bank Securities and Goldman Sachs were the financial advisors to Marriott International. Cravath, Swaine & Moore served as legal counsel to Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide and Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher served as legal counsel to Marriott 

Best Hotel Loyalty Promotions For Fall 2016 Travel

Between Aug. 5 and Sept. 18, Best Western guests that stay at least three times, five nights, or earn 5,000 points via hotel stays will receive a free upgrade to Gold elite status. (Photo: Best Western International)

Plan your fall vacations early, and in style, with these great hotel loyalty program promotions.

Get to the Gold (elite status) with Best Western.This clever promotion from Best Western Hotels and Resorts is running in tandem with the 2016 Summer Olympic and Paralympic games. Between Aug. 5 and Sept. 18, guests that stay at least three times, five nights, or earn 5,000 points via hotel stays will receive a free upgrade to Gold elite status. The upgraded status comes with bonus points and room upgrades.

Earn 10% cash rewards via The Guestbook. Members who join earn 5% cash back when making direct hotel reservations either from The Guestbook’s site or the hotel’s site. There is also the option to receive 10% back if it is applied toward a future stay at one of the portfolio’s 500 independent & boutique hotels. When you use the service, it directs you automatically to the hotel website, which allows you to double dip earning benefits associated with a direct hotel booking as well as cash back from The Guestbook. A unique feature is that the program’s Global Giving initiative also rewards nonprofit organizations with additional funds when guests reach certain milestones - $10 after 10 stays, and $25 after 25 stays.

IHG offers $25 gas card for Club Vacation reservations. Book a two-night or more stay at any Holiday Inn Club Vacations property and receive a free $25 gas card to help fuel up and get you there. Reservations must be made with a special rate code through the dedicated website.

Choice Privileges gives mega point bonuses for repeat stays. Between Sept. 1 and Nov. 11, every second stay at a Choice Hotels property will rake in 8,000 bonus points. This offer can be earned up to three times. This is a similar promotion to what was also offered this past summer. Be sure to register for the promotion before the first stay to be eligible.

Starwood launches a big fall promotion. Starwood wants to compete extra hard for your business between Sept. 12 and Dec. 18 and will offer travelers double points for stays of two nights or more on weeknights and triple points for stays of two nights or more on weekend nights. Registration for this promotion is required, but it is not available to do so until Sept. 12.

Free nights and points up for grabs with Starwood. Enter this daily sweepstakes from Starwood to see if you are eligible to win a free night at any Starwood hotel or a chance to win Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) points. This sweepstakes runs between now and Sept. 12, and each daily visit counts as an entry to win 50,000 SPG points plus five one-night award stays.

Double points continue for Hilton HHonors members this fall. Hilton’s summer promotion for double points at hotel stays was so popular that the brand decided to keep the fun going. Between Sept. 1 and the end of the year, all stays at Hilton family properties will be eligible to earn double points. There is no minimum night stay requirement (like the Starwood promotion) and there is no maximum cap on the points that can be earned (like the Choice Privileges promotion). Keep an eye out for the promotion registration page, which is coming soon.

IHG Accelerate launching this fall. Earn extra reward points with IHG’s Accelerate offer, which provides each member with a tailored promotion that awards points when members reach various thresholds with stays between Sept. 6 and Dec. 15. Tasks to reach various thresholds include staying once during specific months of the promotion or staying at multiple brands during the promotion. This could be a pretty lucrative chance to bulk up your account.

By Ramsey Qubein, Special for USA TODAY

Starwood Preferred Guest And Sheraton Announce Exclusive Partnership with Major League Baseball

Partnership Benefits include Complimentary MLB.TV Access for Sheraton Guests, Booking on MLB.com, In-Room MLB Network and Access to One-of-a-Kind MLB Moments from Starwood Preferred Guest^®

Sheraton Celebrates Partnership with Special Screenings of 2015 MLB Postseason Games

Sheraton Hotels & Resorts and Starwood Preferred Guest^® (SPG^®) today announced an exclusive new partnership with Major League Baseball^® (MLB^®), designating Sheraton as the “Official Hotel of Major League Baseball” and SPG as the “Official Hotel Loyalty Program of Major League Baseball.”  The new partnership brings Sheraton guests, Starwood Preferred Guest® (SPG®) members and avid baseball fans closer to the action by providing them access to must-see games while on the road, as well as the opportunity to bid on once-in-a-lifetime experiences.  Sheraton will celebrate the partnership this fall by hosting special screenings of MLB Postseason games at select hotels across North America, leading off tonight with a star-studded event at the Sheraton New York Times Square. In addition, starting today, SPG members have the opportunity to redeem Starpoints® for pairs of tickets to each World Series game at spg.com/moments.

“We are thrilled to become the ‘Official Hotel of Major League Baseball,’ a sport we know is a true passion for a lot of our Sheraton guests,” said Dave Marr, Global Brand Leader for Sheraton Hotels & Resorts. “The partnership provides Starwood with the ability to connect with the MLB fan base, a large and highly engaged audience that will help support the brand’s repositioning and further drive loyalty.”

Starting with the 2016 MLB season, Sheraton will take guests and elite SPG members out to the ballgame by offering:

·         Complimentary access to MLB.TV, the only streaming service that enables fans to watch their favorite team live outside their home market;

·         Availability of MLB Network, the Emmy Award-winning 24/7 cable television network dedicated to baseball, as an in-room entertainment channel in the U.S.;

·         Custom Starwood booking widgets located on MLB.com and participating teams’ Schedule pages, providing fans a seamless process in booking travel plans to see their favorite teams on the road;

·         Enticing packages, promotions and sweepstakes that will make baseball dreams come true by sending guests off to see their favorite games in person or offering up chances to win exciting MLB prizes.

"This new partnership will provide MLB content and unique experiences to Sheraton guests and SPG members, offering baseball fans an attractive benefit when making a hotel choice," said Noah Garden, MLB Executive Vice President, Business.  "In addition, MLB will deliver enormous visibility to millions of passionate baseball fans, giving Sheraton an important platform to showcase its new brand positioning." 

SPG members can also take advantage of the new partnership beyond the World Series with exclusive access to once-in-a-lifetime baseball experiences throughout the entire 2016 season through SPG Moments. Starting with Spring Training, members can look forward to MLB experiences that include meet and greets, batting practice with players, premium game tickets inclusive of the All-Star Game and World Series, and much more. SPG members can access all of this at spg.com/moments.

“We know many of our members are loyal baseball fans and appreciate unrivaled access to amazing seats and exclusive experiences,” Mark Vondrasek, Senior Vice President of Commercial Services for Starwood Hotels & Resorts. “Through this new partnership with MLB, we can fuel our members’ passions with unforgettable moments tapping into the best that baseball has to offer.”

Four-time MLB All-Star José Reyes, SNY and WPIX broadcaster Keith Hernandez, a five-time MLB All-Star, and acclaimed chef Andrew Carmellini of Sausage Boss at MSG, will join fans to celebrate the new partnership at the Sheraton New York Times Square with a special screening of Game 3 of the American League Championship Series.  During the event, guests can take in the game while enjoying a ballpark-inspired version of the Sheraton brand’s new Paired signature lobby bar menu, served alongside premium wine and craft beer.  Reyes and Chef Carmellini will also face off in a live stadium-inspired culinary competition to see who can create the ultimate ballpark hotdog using unexpected toppings and sauces. Participating Sheraton Hotels will continue the party nationwide with their own Postseason screenings through the Fall Classic.  Guests can root for their favorite teams while enjoying savory and satisfying Paired options created especially for MLB game nights, such as Chorizo Chili Con Carne Potato Skins paired with White Zinfandel, Blue Crab Hushpuppies with Sauvignon Blanc, Pastrami Stack Pretzel sliders with Cabernet Sauvignon, and a specialty hot dog topped with beerkraut, apple & mustard, created especially for Sheraton by Chef Carmellini.