Marriott and Starwood merge -- Caesars Total Rewards impacted

[Dan Druff]

Today we're excited to share the news that Starwood Hotels & Resorts will join together with Marriott International to create the world's largest hotel company. For our Starwood Preferred Guest® (SPG®) members, this will mean even more choices in even more places, giving you access to 1.1 million rooms across 5,500 hotels and resorts in more than 100 countries.

We will work to bring you the very best of SPG and Marriott Rewards®, two of the most rewarding loyalty programs in our industry. Our members are at the core of everything we do, and that will not change.

Today is the first day of a long journey as we combine our two companies. For now, we remain separate, and there is no change to your SPG program status, your Starpoints® or your existing reservations. You will continue to earn Starpoints and elite stay/night credit for your stays, as well as bonus Starpoints for any promotions in which you are participating. There is no change to how you manage your SPG account or book reservations.

Over the coming months, as we have more to share, we'll be sure to reach out to you by email, at spg.com and via twitter (@spg). In the meantime, we remain at your service wherever you need us — whether in our hotels, at spg.com, on the SPG mobile app or via our Customer Contact Centers.

Thank you for sharing your travels with us.

There were rumors that Starwood would be bought by a Chinese company, but I guess that didn't happen.

Recall that you can link your Total Rewards card with SPG (Starwood rewards program), in a confusing but still worthwhile program: http://pokerfraudalert.com/forum/sho...credits-points (the last post of that thread says it's a waste of time, but in reality it's still free points, so you might as well).

This will open up even more properties you can now do this with.

You might want to rush and get a Marriott credit card if you're into bonus whoring, because this will be gone very soon. I'm going to apply today, in fact. Hopefully it's not too late.

[Dan Druff]

Here is the link to get Marriott rewards points, which will convert into whatever their new system is: http://www.marriott.com/rewards/earn...ard-rewards.mi

Also get this Starwood SPG card: https://www.americanexpress.com/us/c...eferred-guest/

Of course, only get these if you can spend a few thousand in a few months on them, to get the bonuses.

[Dan Druff]

It's not clear to me what will happen to the brand, though.

Will it be Marriott? Starwood? I can't tell.

[lol wow]

lol like the brand matters

[Dan Druff]

lol like the brand matters

It does matter.

It will affect the rewards programs, the franchising rules, the rates, expectations of customer service, etc.

I suppose it's possible they will create a whole new brand, but probably not because Starwood and Marriott are such respected names, so why start fresh?

So basically either Starwood is going to fold into Marriott, or Marriott is going to fold into Starwood.

Personally I hope Starwood is the one that remains, as I generally like them better, but I have a feeling it's going to end up Marriott.

[ftpjesus]

lol like the brand matters

It does matter.

It will affect the rewards programs, the franchising rules, the rates, expectations of customer service, etc.

I suppose it's possible they will create a whole new brand, but probably not because Starwood and Marriott are such respected names, so why start fresh?

So basically either Starwood is going to fold into Marriott, or Marriott is going to fold into Starwood.

Personally I hope Starwood is the one that remains, as I generally like them better, but I have a feeling it's going to end up Marriott.

I'll see what I can find out. My cousin is a High up for Starwood in CO.

[MrTickle]

lol like the brand matters

It does matter.

It will affect the rewards programs, the franchising rules, the rates, expectations of customer service, etc.

I suppose it's possible they will create a whole new brand, but probably not because Starwood and Marriott are such respected names, so why start fresh?

So basically either Starwood is going to fold into Marriott, or Marriott is going to fold into Starwood.

Personally I hope Starwood is the one that remains, as I generally like them better, but I have a feeling it's going to end up Marriott.

Everything I have read says that Marriott are acquiring Starwood rather than a 'merger'.

http://www.bizjournals.com/washingto...od-hotels.html

[Dan Druff]

BUMP

Shareholders approve.

Dear Todd,

We're excited to announce that we've secured shareholder approval for Marriott International to join together with Starwood Hotels & Resorts—a significant milestone towards creating the world's largest lodging company and strongest loyalty program in the industry. Since we announced our plans to merge with Starwood, you've raised questions about the impact of the merger on your membership and the Marriott Rewards® program. I want to take this opportunity to provide an update on where we stand.

Serving our valued guests has always been our priority at Marriott, and your feedback is important to us as we collaborate with Starwood on the vision for our loyalty programs.

After we become one company, we expect to run parallel loyalty programs while we engage in the complicated work of integration. During this period, there is no change to how you manage your Marriott Rewards account or book reservations, and you will maintain your existing member benefits for some time.

The good news is that we have many possibilities ahead of us because Marriott and Starwood both have great loyalty programs. We intend to draw upon the very best of both Marriott Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest® (SPG®) to provide even more value to our members.

Here are just a few of the future opportunities we're excited about:
• Giving our members access to our collective portfolio of 5,500 hotels and resorts in more than 100 countries.
• Offering even more unique benefits to help members pursue their passions and greater opportunities for exclusive, once-in-a-lifetime experiences.
• Personalized and relevant service before, during and after the hotel stay.

In the meantime, we're actively exploring ways to build bridges between the two programs to further enhance your experience.

Marriott remains committed to evolving our Marriott Rewards member benefits. Our recent announcement of Marriott Rewards Member Rates is the latest way we're showing our loyalty to our members. These new rates are exclusively designed to reward members with the lowest rates available across our portfolio when booking directly on Marriott.com, our easy-to-use app, our call centers or through select corporate travel professionals.

We are grateful for your loyalty, and we are listening to you and taking your input into consideration. Our merger is on track to close midyear, and as we have more news to share, we'll reach out to you. In the meantime, we will continue to provide you with the exceptional service and travel experience you have come to expect from us at Marriott. You can find the latest updates on Marriott.com and via Twitter (@marriottrewards), and as always, reach out to us through our hotels, at our website, in our Marriott Rewards Insiders community, on the Marriott app or via our call centers.

Thank you for your continued loyalty, and happy traveling!


Arne Sorenson
President and Chief Executive Officer
Marriott International, Inc