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Yet again, Wyndham Rewards isn't missing out on any chance to capitalize on the opportunities opening up in the pending integration of SPG with Marriott Rewards.

Wyndham Rewards has partnered with Caesars Entertainment’s Total Rewards program to form a new loyalty partnership whereby members of their respective programs receive status matching and by the end of summer, the ability to earn, redeem, and transfer points.

The immediate status match for Platinum and Diamond-level members of both loyalty programs is an expansion of a feature in Caesars’ Total Rewards program former partnership with Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG), which lasted from January 2014 to December 2016.

Eligible members of Wyndham Rewards and Total Rewards can immediately match their status here. Under the SPG agreement, SPG Platinum members received VIP Access status at Caesars. With Wyndham, Platinum and Diamond members of both programs may match to the corresponding level of their non-primary program: Platinum to Platinum, Diamond to Diamond, and Total Rewards Seven Stars equates to Wyndham Rewards Diamond level status.

The SPG-Total Rewards agreement allowed SPG members to have reciprocal points-earning and redemption opportunities at Caesars properties in Nevada, New Jersey, and Louisiana, while Caesars Total Rewards members earned additional points for SPG stays.

As soon as Wyndham’s partnership with Caesars is more finalized later this summer, Wyndham Rewards members can book Caesars properties throughout the U.S. and Canada via Wyndham’s brand.com sites and Wyndham Rewards. They can also earn and redeem Wyndham Rewards points for qualified stays at Total Rewards hotels, bid on special hotel, restaurant, and entertainment experiences, and transfer points between the two programs.

“What’s unique about Caesars’ properties is that their brand is really national and not just a Vegas company,” said Noah Brodsky, senior vice president of loyalty and engagement at Wyndham Hotel Group. “We’ve got such a diverse group of members around the U.S. and Canada. We both saw this as a tremendous opportunity for our brands, through loyalty and great new benefits for our customers.”

Total Rewards members can transfer up to 30,000 points per year on a one-to-one basis and use them to book stays at any of Wyndham’s more than 8,000 properties worldwide, or to book experiences available through Wyndham Rewards.

The decision, on both Caesars and Wyndham’s part, to partner together is a smart one given that it gives each hotel’s respective loyalty members access to a wider portfolio of hotels from which to choose, especially when contending with a combined SPG and Marriott Rewards program set to fully integrate by 2018. Wyndham Rewards has 50 million members, and Caesars’ Total Rewards program has 54 million members.

“This is really a perfect match between our two companies,” said Brodsky. “We found there was a really amazing demographic overlap between our guests — folks who love our hotels also love their properties, and there’s a mismatch in our locations. Caesars has a lot of spectacular inventory in high-demand locations and they are a perfect place for our members to earn and redeem when they go to Vegas, Atlantic City, and California where Caesars has properties.”

“Total Rewards continues to set the standard for loyalty within gaming and entertainment, and we’re always looking for likeminded partners to elevate member benefits,” said Michael Marino, senior vice president and chief experience officer for Caesars Entertainment in a statement. “With Wyndham Rewards, we’re giving our members access to an unparalleled portfolio of hotels, condos and homes and a fast track to elevated status with one of the world’s premier rewards programs.”

Loyalty experts had expected Caesars to find a new hotel partner after its SPG agreement ended on Dec. 31. Caesars’ Total Rewards program also has agreements with Norwegian Cruise Line and with Atlantis Paradise Island Resort in the Bahamas. Hyatt’s World of Hyatt loyalty program has a similar agreement with MGM Resorts’ M life Rewards program that includes points earning and redemption opportunities and status matching for elite members.

Caesars’ Marino said he sees more hospitality loyalty programs evolving in terms of their redemption options going forward. “We’ve always been revenue-based and now you’re seeing the airlines do that,” he said, in reference to the gaming loyalty programs such as Total Rewards and its peers. “We reward you differently based on how much you spend with us, but in terms of redemption options, the industry is moving away from that punch card model and we realize people want to redeem for other things, like backstage access, exclusive dinners, etc. We want to give people more access to entertainment and different amenities as we move from being a ‘gaming’ company to an entertainment company. That’s the direction everyone is going in.”

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Tags: caesars, loyalty, wyndham

Photo credit: Wyndham Rewards has formed a loyalty partnership Caesars Entertainment's Total Rewards program. Caesars Entertainment

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