DonRocks Posted June 30, 2016 Share Posted June 30, 2016 Apr 4, 2016 - "It's a Deal: Marriott is Buying Starwood Hotels for $12.4 Billion" by Portia Crowe on businessinsider.com Jun 27, 2016 - "Marriott-Starwood Deal Gets Antitrust Clearance from the European Union" by Deanna Ting on skift.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithstg Posted June 30, 2016 Share Posted June 30, 2016 Horrible news for frequent travelers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted June 30, 2016 Author Share Posted June 30, 2016 7 minutes ago, Keithstg said: Horrible news for frequent travelers. Why? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithstg Posted June 30, 2016 Share Posted June 30, 2016 9 minutes ago, DonRocks said: Why? Is competition more beneficial to the consumer, or less? Does consolidating frequent guest programs result in more rewarding programs, or less? I believe a combined SPG/ Marriott would have something like 60% of all hotel rooms 3* and higher in the US under one corporate umbrella. Starwood's frequent guest program was/ is light years ahead of Marriott's in terms of benefits and perks. SPG also has nicer hotels, in my opinion, and a merger with Hyatt would have been more beneficial to the consumer. With a combined SPG/ Marriott I suppose there are more options in terms of areas of the country/ world serviced, but since 95% of my travel is to major cities that benefit is minimal. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted April 9, 2019 Author Share Posted April 9, 2019 On 6/30/2016 at 4:01 PM, Keithstg said: Is competition more beneficial to the consumer, or less? Does consolidating frequent guest programs result in more rewarding programs, or less? I believe a combined SPG/ Marriott would have something like 60% of all hotel rooms 3* and higher in the US under one corporate umbrella. Starwood's frequent guest program was/ is light years ahead of Marriott's in terms of benefits and perks. SPG also has nicer hotels, in my opinion, and a merger with Hyatt would have been more beneficial to the consumer. With a combined SPG/ Marriott I suppose there are more options in terms of areas of the country/ world serviced, but since 95% of my travel is to major cities that benefit is minimal. Marriott Bonvoy is the name for the combined Marriott Rewards, Ritz-Carlton Rewards, and SPG (Starwood Preferred Guest). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silentbob Posted April 9, 2019 Share Posted April 9, 2019 20 minutes ago, DonRocks said: Marriott Bonvoy is the name for the combined Marriott Rewards, Ritz-Carlton Rewards, and SPG (Starwood Preferred Guest). By most accounts of many prominent travel bloggers, the post-merger integration has been a debacle thus far, to the point where being "Bonvoyed" has already become a derogatory verb. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DonRocks Posted April 9, 2019 Author Share Posted April 9, 2019 3 minutes ago, silentbob said: By most accounts of many prominent travel bloggers, the post-merger integration has been a debacle thus far, to the point where being "Bonvoyed" has already become a derogatory verb. "An Unhappy Marriott Rewards Points Customer Is Leading a Revolt" by Hugo Martin on latimes.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithstg Posted April 10, 2019 Share Posted April 10, 2019 On 4/9/2019 at 12:57 PM, DonRocks said: "An Unhappy Marriott Rewards Points Customer Is Leading a Revolt" by Hugo Martin on latimes.com This whole thing has been a debacle (as predicted). I've shifted my corporate travel from SPG, where I was a Lifetime Platinum, to either Four Seasons or IHC - specifically Kimpton. The transition from SPG, Ritz Carlton, and Marriott Rewards was always going to be complex, and devaluation was to be expected. What transpired has been worse than I'd imagined in terms of point devaluation and program erosion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithstg Posted August 19, 2019 Share Posted August 19, 2019 On 4/10/2019 at 1:59 PM, Keithstg said: What transpired has been worse than I'd imagined in terms of point devaluation and program erosion. Effective 9/14, point redemptions will now be grouped into three categories - low, mid, and high season. The devaluation continues. After close to 1000 nights in Starwood brands, it’s a bit surprising to me how little I miss them. Zero time to be Bonvoyed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keithstg Posted March 9, 2023 Share Posted March 9, 2023 On 6/30/2016 at 4:01 PM, Keithstg said: Is competition more beneficial to the consumer, or less? Does consolidating frequent guest programs result in more rewarding programs, or less? I believe a combined SPG/ Marriott would have something like 60% of all hotel rooms 3* and higher in the US under one corporate umbrella. Starwood's frequent guest program was/ is light years ahead of Marriott's in terms of benefits and perks. SPG also has nicer hotels, in my opinion, and a merger with Hyatt would have been more beneficial to the consumer. With a combined SPG/ Marriott I suppose there are more options in terms of areas of the country/ world serviced, but since 95% of my travel is to major cities that benefit is minimal. As I said....Tony confirms. “The integration of Marriott Rewards and SPG was a monumental task. And it’s quite interesting. You hear SPG loyalists say, ‘My goodness, what have you done to our program?’ The program was very guest-friendly. It was less owner-friendly.” Marriott CEO, Tony Capuano Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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