Articles tagged “starwood”

Marriott and Starwood jolted their loyalty program members awake on Friday by allowing them to link award accounts.

That didn't take too long now, did it? In all seriousness, however, this mega-merger was certainly a long one in the making, filled with plenty of twists and turns. Now, we hope, comes the even more interesting part in the next chapter of the story.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts as we know it may be going away now that it'll be owned by Marriott International, but its history of innovation has had a lasting impact on the hospitality industry as a whole.

Read on for our takes on all 30 of Marriott's brands.

The one thing about mergers and acquisitions that isn't usually discussed? Bringing different company cultures together. That'll be key to the success of Marriott's acquisition of Starwood, and Marriott's Global Chief Human Resources Officer David Rodriguez knows it.

If there were any doubts about the Marriott-Starwood deal getting done, you can now toss them out because of the approval from Chinese regulators. Now, let's get on with it.

Although Cuba won't say it, the country is ill-prepared for the influx of new visitors and the necessary development.

Hotels are finally beginning to implement messaging strategies that make it easier for their guests to get in touch with them via SMS, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, WeChat, and the like. But how are they doing that, and what's next in messaging?

Recent reports alleging that Marriott has "buyer's remorse" about the deal, while scintillating, don't seem very logical when you think of all the effort both Marriott and Starwood have put into making this deal a reality.

It could still be several weeks before the Marriott-Starwood deal is wrapped up — and much longer before the two companies are integrated — but travel buyers and travel management companies are wise to start preparing now for eventual negotiations with the bulked-up company.