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.

Travelore News: Starwood Hotels & Resorts and Emirates Airline Announce New Partnership

Frits Van Paasschen (Starwood CEO) and Thierry Antinori (Executive VP)

STAMFORD, CT and DUBAI, United Arab Emirates - Today, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc and Emirates Airline® are announcing a new partnership providing reciprocal benefits to Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) and Emirates Skywards members. The program, Your World Rewards, begins Nov. 19 and allows SPG and Skywards elite members who register for the program, to elevate their earnings and benefits when they fly with Emirates or stay with SPG Participating Hotels.

With Your World Rewards, SPG and Emirates Skywards members will now earn in the air, on the ground and around the world. Whether on business or leisure, registered SPG and Emirates Skywards members will enjoy the best in travel from take-off to check-out with rich benefits, personal service and extensive access around the world through this partnership of two loyalty programs.

Elite SPG and Emirates Skywards members will receive exclusive rewards of each loyalty program. Skywards Gold and Platinum members will have the opportunity to upgrade their hotel experience, receiving exclusive benefits including access to SPG elite check-in, 4:00 p.m. late check-out and complimentary in-room Internet access. In turn, all SPG Platinum members will enjoy some of the advantages of Emirates Skywards elite like priority check-in and priority boarding when flying Emirates. Members will also receive complimentary e-gate access for flights in and out of Dubai.

Members will also earn bonus Starpoints® when they fly with Emirates and bonus Miles when they stay with SPG on top of their usual earnings. Elite SPG members will earn one Starpoint® per dollar, in addition to Skywards Miles, for all eligible Emirates operated flights; and all Emirates Skywards Silver, Gold and Platinum members will earn the equivalent of one Mile per dollar, on top of Starpoints, for all eligible stays at Starwood hotels and resorts worldwide. Conversion rates will be adjusted for local currencies.

“The combination of Emirates’ growing global network, Starwood's innovative take on hospitality and our top-rated loyalty programs allow us to recognize our most valuable customers with a heightened level of service and greater rewards wherever they travel – be it to one of our more than 140 destinations or at any of Starwood’s 1,200 hotels," said Thierry Antinori, Executive Vice President and Chief Commercial Officer of Emirates Airline. “This partnership unites two like-minded companies with complementary global footprints, putting more rewards on the map and taking our most loyal guests’ travel to new heights.”

As one of the leading global airlines, Emirates is constantly adding new routes and new destinations, connecting more people with more places. To date, Emirates has 54 A380 in their fleet and is receiving an average of two of these supersized aircrafts per month. Particularly, the U.S. market has been a growing market for Emirates, adding Chicago as its latest U.S. destination in August and upgrading its routes to Dallas/Fort Worth to an A380 with San Francisco and Houston to follow shortly. In total, Emirates serves more than 140 destinations in more than 80 countries across 6 continents. With its hub in Dubai, it connects the West with the East – providing customers from the Americas, Europe and Africa service to destinations in the Far East and Australasia, West Asia, Indian Ocean and Middle East and vice versa.

“We are living in a new Golden Age of Travel with more people from more places traveling than ever before,” said Mark Vondrasek, Senior Vice President, Distribution, Loyalty and Partnership Marketing at Starwood. “Your World Rewards allows us to cultivate even greater loyalty with travelers from the world’s fastest-growing travel markets. As Emirates increasingly connects East with West, and the emerging markets to the developed world, their reach dovetails perfectly with Starwood’s preeminent high-end, global footprint and our pipeline of new hotels, 75% of which will open in emerging markets.”

According to Vondrasek, SPG membership has grown 400% in key emerging markets over the last five years. And as the Middle East continues to emerge as a premier global gateway, and the crossroads of new world travel patterns, it is also increasingly a source of new frequent travelers. The Middle East is SPG’s third fastest-growing market behind China and India and one of the top 10 travel destinations for SPG members. Today, Starwood is the largest high-end hotel company in the region and expects to grow its footprint by 70% over the next five years, specifically in Dubai and other Gulf states like Saudi Arabia, where tourism is on the rise. With 82 operating hotels and more than 20 hotels expected to open by the end of 2015 in the region, Starwood is on track to reach a milestone 100 hotels across its Middle East and Africa portfolio.

New Ways To Earn Miles

Contributed by Sean O'Neill

To glam up their reward programs, airlines and hotel chains often run cross-promotions, where travellers can earn frequent flyer miles when booking a hotel. But these promotions tend to come and go quickly, making them hard to track down.

Two new websites – Rocketmiles and PointsHound  – have made the process less unpredictable, working directly with selected airlines and hotels to offer promotions in which travellers can receive hundreds, and sometimes thousands, of miles by booking as little as a one-night stay at highly rated properties charging competitive rates.

During a recent search for a one-night, midweek April stay in Chicago, Rocketmiles turned up a deal that offered 5,000 bonus miles in United’sMileagePlus programme for booking one night at Public Chicago or Hotel 71, two centrally located luxury properties. The rate for Public Chicago was $327 after taxes and fees, lower than what was on offer onHotels.com and Booking.com.

Rocketmiles asserts that 90% of the time the site lists equal or lower prices to what’s available at online travel agencies such as Travelocity. PointsHound touts a similar claim, saying that if you find a lower rate for the same booking, the company will match the price.

When booking through Rocketmiles and PointsHound, travellers are also sometimes able to “double dip”, meaning they earn frequent flyer miles and hotel loyalty programme points for the same reservation. The rules for this vary by hotel.

Comparing the sites
Launched in January 2013, Rocketmiles offers, on average, awards of 7,000 miles for a two-night hotel stay. It has partnered with four major US airlines – American, Delta, United and Hawaiian.

The site lists hotels in 13 US cities: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Miami, New York City, San Diego, San Francisco and Washington DC. Within each city though, the selection is limited because the company will only display hotels that it has vetted as being worthwhile in terms of the luxuriousness of the property. For instance, Rocketmiles never lists more than eight hotels in Boston. Presently the site lacks an international presence, though it says it will expand with foreign airlines and destinations soon.

PointsHound, launched in October 2012, has partnered with seven airlines – AeroMexico, Baltic, Delta, Etihad, Hawaiian, United and Virgin America – and averages 1,200 award miles per night spent. The site stands out for having the broadest array of participating hotels – about 45,000 in the US and 105,000 in the rest of the world. But in each city, only five to 10 of the hotels listed offer generous rewards, typically four frequent flyer miles per dollar spent. PointsHound says that it gives more generous rewards to repeat users.

A word to the wise about these mileage promotions: within a few weeks of your hotel stay, log in to your rewards account to make sure the miles have been properly credited. Both Rocketmiles and PointsHound say their customer service representatives can help clear up any mistakes.

More mileage opportunities
If you’re looking for other ways to accelerate the speed at which you rack up frequent flyer miles and loyalty points, consider joining the Travel Hacking Cartel, which charges a monthly fee (from $15) for email, text and video alerts about various online promotions in which you can earn miles and points for every dollar spent.

The site recently explained how members of the Starwood Preferred Guest programme can earn 1,000 bonus points by booking a room at any of the company’s 1,000 properties worldwide, including Sheraton and Westin, through 31 May 2013. These points can then be converted into miles on more than 350 airlines. About half of the Travel Hacking Cartel’s deals apply only to US residents, but the rest are applicable to a global audience. The site guarantees one free plane ticket worth 25,000 miles  every quarter as long as you put in about a half-hour of work each month following its advice – or it will refund your membership fee.

Sean O’Neill is the travel tech columnist for BBC Travel. He recently wrote about a flight search site that maximizes miles.