Skift Take

The hotel giants are harnessing the world's favorite sport to get the word out about their new loyalty programs. This is a smart move which should give the brands lots of visibility, and entice soccer fans.

Hotel brands Accor and Marriott are teaming up with two of the most celebrated soccer clubs in Europe, in a push to market their new loyalty programs.

Accor launched its revamped loyalty program Thursday, Accor Live Limitless, by announcing it as the main sponsor of French soccer club Paris Saint-Germain. On the same day, Marriott announced a multi-year marketing collaboration with England’s Manchester United, offering exclusive perks to members of its new travel program, Marriott Bonvoy.

The two partnerships are part of a multi-million dollar marketing campaign, aimed at driving engagement for the new programs. Both are set to kick off in the 2019-2020 season.

“This marketing partnership enables our members to access special VIP game experiences by using the points they’ve accumulated during hotel stays,” explained Marriott’s Global Marketing Officer, Karin Timpone.

The Marriott Bonvoy VIP experiences include becoming the kit manager or stadium announcer for a Manchester United game, and welcoming the team to the stadium. The collaboration is launching with a film, featuring some of the team’s players.

Meanwhile, Accor Live Limitless will be the official jersey sponsor of Paris Saint-Germain, making the program highly visible to the club’s thousands of fans. The name of the program will be featured on the team’s jerseys, replacing former sponsor Emirates airline.

Accor said it would release further details of the deal in a press conference Friday.

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Tags: accor, football, loyalty, marriott, marriott bonvoy

Photo credit: Match between Barcelona and Manchester United. Nathan Forget / Flickr

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