Hotels
Hotel Loyalty Race: Hilton Gains on Marriott
Hilton grew its hotel loyalty program the most over the past five years. Long-term trends reveal who's ahead and what the effect on hotel owners has been.
Sean O'Neill | 5 months ago
The journey of the largest hotel chain in the world, Marriott International, Inc. – now with more than seven thousand hotel, residential, and timeshare properties – began with a root-beer stand in Washington, D.C. in 1927 started by J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott. Following its $13.3 billion acquisition of Starwood Hotels & Resorts in 2016, it became the largest global hotel company. It currently commands a mammoth portfolio of more than two dozen hotel brands such as JW Marriott Hotels, The Ritz-Carlton, The Luxury Collection, Delta Hotels, Marriott Vacation Club, Le Méridien, Sheraton Hotels and Resorts, Courtyard, Fairfield, and W Hotels. Its properties contain nearly a million and a half rooms worldwide. Through its premier loyalty program Bonvoy, it is engaged in partnerships with the likes of United Airlines, Uber, American Express, Hertz, and others to optimize customer engagement.
