Marriott Loyalty Rebrand Enables Everyone to Move On With the Merger

Marriott plans to officially rebrand its loyalty program on February 13, ending two years of mashing up the Marriott Rewards, Starwood Preferred Guest, and Ritz-Carlton Rewards programs during the merger. The new name for the fully joined loyalty program will be Marriott Bonvoy.

What were they thinking? To start, having three brands under one loyalty program was always going to be confusing. Before Marriott bought Starwood, Ritz-Carlton Rewards and Marriott Rewards already operated in parallel. Adding a third brand (even if it did just get swallowed up by the larger chain) was going to be confusing — especially for new customers. Uniting everything under one banner now makes Bonvoy the single loyalty program for thousands of hotels and millions of customers.

In a way, the rebrand also turns a page on an often-dramatic merger between Marriott and Starwood. Many of Starwood’s customers weren’t happy with the way that Marriott handled the integration, and to their concerns, there are still some soft spots in the program’s IT infrastructure. Putting everything in the Bonvoy vehicle allows everyone to bury the hatchet and move on.

As to the name Bonvoy? It must have done well in focus groups. Skift’s Deanna Ting has the full scoop on Marriott’s new branding plans.

— Grant Martin, Business of Loyalty Editor

Skift Stories and More Expert Insight

Qatar Airways Doubles Down on Threat to Boycott Oneworld: Qatar Airways may boycott a gathering of fellow Oneworld members in London next month amid a simmering spat with partners in the marketing alliance.

Marriott Bonvoy Is the New Name of the Hotel Chain’s Loyalty Program: More than two years after closing one of the most tumultuous merger deals in the history of hospitality, Marriott International has finally revealed the new name of its loyalty program, combining all three of its loyalty brands: Marriott Rewards, Ritz-Carlton Rewards, and Starwood Preferred Guest.

Business Travel Mobility Becomes Focus for Lyft: As ridesharing has become an indispensable mode of transportation for business travelers, providers have been tasked with making the experience more seamless for travelers. And it hasn’t always worked.

United’s Focus on Revenue Gains Gives It an Edge Over Rivals: If you’re looking for a cheap spring or summer airfare on United Airlines, you may not find it — at least not yet.

How United Let It Slip That Apple Is Its Biggest Corporate Client: It’s no secret that Apple is United Airlines’ top account. At least, not anymore: United messed up by disclosing a list of its top corporate clients, and a photo of the list has since made its way around Twitter.

China Warns Against Business Trips to U.S.: China asked some state-run enterprises to avoid business trips to the U.S. and its allies, and to take extra precautions to protect their devices if they need to travel, according to people familiar with the request.

Europe’s Busiest Airports — Ranked: London Heathrow airport held onto its status as Europe’s busiest hub last year with a pack of four challengers almost neck-and-neck in the competition for second place, data compiled by Bloomberg show.

Some Airport Security Lanes Close as Shutdown Chaos Grows: Some airport security lanes in Atlanta, Washington, and Houston were closed as the Transportation Security Administration continued to grapple with more absenteeism during the partial government shutdown.

To Fly, to Improve? British Airways Firms Up Improved World Traveller Plus Service: British Airways is in the process of upgrading its in-flight service for its premium economy cabin: World Traveller Plus.

Marriott Is Lighting Millions of Dollars on Fire and Rewards Members Are Paying for It: Mere weeks after the new program name launches, Marriott will begin charging more for redemptions.

Subscribe to Skift’s Free Business of Loyalty Newsletter

Skift Business of Loyalty Editor Grant Martin [[email protected]] curates the Skift Business of Loyalty newsletter. Skift emails the newsletter every Monday.