Commencing January 15, 2009, Marriott will eliminate all blackout dates on their Marriott Rewards loyalty program at nearly 2,900 Marriott properties worldwide. Boy this sounds like what Starwood did with SPG years and years ago.
So like SPG, now Marriott Rewards members will have the flexibility to book stays whenever they want, so long as the hotel isn’t sold out. But this isn’t the only enhancement being made to Marriott’s loyalty program, nor is it the only one that resembles SPG awards. Marriott Rewards will also feature a 5th night free after redeeming 4 consecutive nights. Starwood offers the same. Marriott platinum elite members will soon enjoy a 50% bonus on points (an increase from the previous 30%). Starwood platinums also enjoy a 50% premium on Starpoints earned at the preferred level. As great as these changes may sound, it still seems like Marriott is just playing catch-up to Starwood’s SPG loyalty program.
But there are some critics out there who aren’t so happy about this new announcement. Most notably, Scholar in Training posts on his blog that buried in the “positive” changes to Marriott Rewards are increased point redemption thresholds and even the addition of the highest reward category to date (40,000 points). It’s a sad truth that holding on to your hard-earned points can render them less valuable when the loyalty programs inflate redemption levels.
Despite some of the criticisms of these new changes to Marriott Rewards, the program was voted Americas Hotel Program of the Year at the 2008 Annual Freddie Awards. Starwood’s Preferred Guest program received the same Program of the Year award in Europe, Middle East, Africa, Japan, Asia, and Australia.
For those that aren’t too familiar with Marriott Hotels, their brands include: Marriott Hotels & Resorts, JW Marriott, Renaissance Hotels & Resorts, Courtyard by Marriott, Residence Inn, Fairfield Inn, TownePlace Suites, and SpringHill Suites.
Here are the T&C of Marriott’s program changes.
Source: Marriott, Starwood, Freddie Awards
