Marriott and Starwood to Retain Separate Loyalty Programs Until 2018

Marriott Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest could merge together by 2018 at the earliest.

After months of speculation, frequent travelers now know the fate of the Marriott Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest programs as the merge between the two hotel giants completes. In an interview with Travel + Leisure, executives for Marriott announced the two programs would remain separate for at least the next two years.

“Obviously there’s a lot of work to do as it relates to combining the loyalty programs,” Stephanie Linnartz, executive vice president and global chief commercial officer, said in an interview with the travel magazine. “But the great thing for consumers is that right out of the gate, they will be able to link their accounts and match their status from day one.”

While the two programs are remaining separate, the deal between Marriott and Starwood allows for travelers to link accounts and match status between the two programs. Effective today, travelers who belong to Marriott Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest can login to members.marriott.com to match their accounts, match status across accounts and transfer points. The points will transfer at a rate of three Marriott Rewards points to one Starwood Preferred Guest Starpoint.

With the programs merging at the earliest in 2018, many facets of the programs will remain the same for customers today. The combined hotel company will continue to partner with both American Express and Chase for credit cards, while travelers will not have to take any extra steps to ensure their points remain in their accounts.

“Marriott’s and Starwood’s guests have shown tremendous loyalty to our brands,” Linnartz told Travel + Leisure. “And now that we are one company, we are seizing the opportunity to reinforce our loyalty to them.”

[Photo: Marriott]