Marriott Hotels have just announced the details of their new rewards program Marriott Bonvoy.
Officially launching February 13th, Marriott Bonvoy is the new loyalty program which has blended the once separate loyalty programs Marriott Rewards, Ritz-Carlton Rewards and SPG (Starwood Preferred Guest), now bringing them all under one roof. Marriott Bonvoy means good travel and this premises guides the elements of the program.
Program developments:
The incorporation of ‘Marriott Bonvoy Moments’ which connects members to experiences in almost 1,000 destinations. These good travel experiences include things like surfing lessons, cooking classes, access to elite sporting events and more, which are available for purchase or by redeeming points.
Rebranding:
The rebranding will include new names for the two elite status tiers. Marriott Bonvoy Titanium Elite will be the new name for Platinum Premier Elite status, for members who surpass 75 nights, and Marriott Bonvoy Ambassador Elite will be the new name for Platinum Premier Elite with Ambassador status. This top Elite status tier recognizes members who surpass 100 nights and more than $20,000 in spend annually.
This is a smart move by Marriott. Currently the other luxury hotel chains are not offering anything of meaningful value, or anything out of the box, so the experiences aspect of the program will be a welcome way to earn and burn points.
The only negative comments in relation to these announcements by Marriott are around the naming of the program as Marriott Bonvoy. If this is what naysayers are choosing to focus on, I think the actual program will be well received once it officially launches next month, especially given the aggressive marketing strategy planned to support the rebrand.
I predicted in my recent article, ‘Top 5 trends we’ll see throughout 2019’ that experiences would be a key feature of new loyalty programs. To read by other 4 predictions follow the link.
Stacey has a wealth of experience within loyalty, marketing and eCommerce across multiple channels and business models including Boost Juice, ModelCo and MyHouse. Most recently, Stacey has been managing the investor, member and retailer communications for blockchain loyalty company EZToken Rewards, as well as taking the lead on designing, developing, implementing and operationalising Resident Rewards, a new member benefits program for Lendlease.
Stacey is a proud pioneer of women in blockchain and attends meet-ups regularly. She built the website www.blockchainloyalty.io and regularly contributes content.