Marriott Continues Bonvoy Push Through Tech Hiccups and Growth

Like it or not, Marriott’s Bonvoy loyalty program is here to stay. At Skift Global Forum in New York City last Thursday, Marriott Chief Financial Officer Leeny Oberg suggested that Bonvoy would continue to be an aligning brand as the hotel giant continues to grow and expand into new markets.

Not surprisingly, during the Q&A portion of the talk, two out of the three top questions submitted by the audience homed in on Bonvoy’s rocky integration with Starwood Preferred Guest and its members. And in its defense, Oberg stuck largely to the Marriott talking points: Integration issues happen when merging two massive loyalty programs, and in time, things will settle. In short, deal with it.

That may not be enough for a portion of Marriott’s loyalty base that’s still unhappy about the company’s handling of the loyalty integration and its frequent tech issues.

Oberg’s comments came in conversation with CNBC Global Markets Reporter Seema Mody. Skift Travel Reporter Danni Santana has the full scoop on the interview as well as Marriott’s plans around direct booking and home rentals.

— Grant Martin, Business of Loyalty Editor 

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Grant Martin [[email protected]] curates the Skift Business of Loyalty newsletter. He is also a director of product marketing at TripActions. Skift emails the newsletter every Monday.