|
Marriott looks to reward
|
 |
January 28, 1998: 8:11 p.m. ET
Hotel frequency program offers numerous perks, some pitfalls
|
NEW YORK (Biztravel.com) - Any frequent business traveler looking to save a few pennies would do well to be familiar with Marriott International's Marriott Rewards program.
With six different brands, nine million members and about 1,000 hotels in 30 countries, Marriott Rewards is unquestionably one of the giants in the field of hotel frequent-guest programs.
The program replaced Marriott's 14-year-old Honored Guest Awards program on May 6, 1997 and brought with it some useful changes. Here are some key differences:
One Program, Many Rewards
The program now allows members to accrue points in a unified program no matter which participating Marriott property they visit. Because the Rewards program covers six separately brand chains - Marriott Hotels, Resorts and Suites, Courtyard by Marriott, Fairfield Inn/Fairfield Suites by Marriott, TownePlace Suites by Marriott, Marriott Vacation Club International, and Marriott Conference Centers, along with eight select Ritz-Carlton properties -- the convenience of a single frequency plan can be substantial.
In addition, Marriott is planning to add more brands to the program in the coming months and hopes to include all 12 of its brands by the turn of the century. Its latest brand, Marriott Executive Residences, is scheduled for inclusion by Fall 1997, and the Residence Inn and Renaissance Hotel Group brands are under review for inclusion in 1998.
Under the Rewards program, members earn 10 points for each dollar charged to their room (including incidentals), with the exceptions of Fairfield Inn, TownePlace Suites, and certain Ritz-Carlton properties, where members earn between 5 and 10 points for each dollar spent and only the basic room rate comes into account.
Stays in conjunction with a flight on a partner airline will earn a 25 percent bonus on base points, while stays in conjunction with partner car rental companies will earn a 20 percent bonus. Unfortunately, these bonuses are only valid at Marriott Hotels, Resorts, and Suites.
For business travelers who value their frequency points for vacation purposes, the Rewards program is quite beneficial because travelers who earn all their miles at, say, the economy-priced Fairfield Inn properties can redeem their rewards at the more expensive Marriott Vacation Club International properties or any Marriott Hotels, Resorts, and Suites property.
The variety of rewards is also impressive.
The program features 85 different options which start at room upgrades at just 5,000 points. Free nights at various Marriott-branded properties range from 7,000 points (for a free night at a select Fairfield Inn) to 100,000 points (for seven free nights at a choice Marriott Hotel, Resort, or Suite), with many options available in between.
In addition, the program offers free airline tickets, with rewards starting with a round-trip coach ticket within the continental U.S. or Canada for just 60,000 points -- a fairly good deal by industry standards.
Marriott's specialty rewards, which focus on leisure benefits such as golf, ski, cruise, and total vacation packages, can be redeemed at between 20,000 and 425,000 points, and are well-balanced enough to fit any vacationer's needs.
In addition, Marriott offers earning and redemption benefits with hotel partners, such as Ritz-Carlton, the Hotel New Otani in Tokyo, St. Andrew's Old Course Hotel in Scotland, and several European Concorde Hotels.
Marriott has even introduced a new type of reward, the points-to-miles conversion, which allows members to exchange their Marriott Rewards points for frequent flyer miles.
Separate Elite Programs
As for elite-level benefits, Marriott's offerings are not so promising.
Most confusing is the fact that the company is still maintaining separate elite programs for its various properties. Marriott offers the Club Marquis program, while Fairfield Inn offers the Fairfield INNsiders Club, and Courtyard by Marriott offers the Courtyard Club. So while miles earned at a Fairfield property, for example, can count toward awards from a Marriott Resort, they can't count toward elite status in the Club Marquis program.
Of the three elite programs, Club Marquis offers the best benefits. All Club Marquis members enjoy a spectacular reservation guarantee which claims that if a member's reservations are not fulfilled, Marriott will pay for accommodations at a nearby hotel and send the member a $200 check and two certificates for a complimentary night at any Marriott property worldwide.
Club Marquis members who spend at least 15 nights at Marriott within a year are eligible for Gold Level status. These members get a free daily newspaper, $200 check-cashing privileges, 10 percent gift-shop discounts, and complimentary luggage tags.
Marriott's other elite programs provide limited privileges for their respective properties, although Gold Level benefits for Courtyard Club (available after a member stays at a Courtyard for 36 nights in a year) are respectable: two confirmed suite upgrade coupons, four complimentary breakfast buffet coupons, one additional suite upgrade and buffet breakfast coupon after every 12 stays, lifetime renewal fee waiver, upgraded Express Check-In, top priority for room requests, and extended checkout until 3 p.m.
Overall, the Marriott Rewards program offers business travelers a consistent method of growing their points at a variety of properties for a wide range of rewards. Flexibility is the program's strongest feature, and if Marriott continues to add new partners, rewards, and brands, it can only get better.
Of course, the Rewards program would be more attractive if it eliminated the segregation of its elite-level programs and allowed frequent guests to enjoy elite-level amenities at all properties no matter to which program they belong. Also, the company could benefit by developing a few more bonus point promotions, but on the whole, the program is quite reliable and - so to speak - rewarding. 
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
