Articles tagged “starwood”

Travel brands want to think they have a clear view of where competition is coming from, but it often takes distance to understand the true threats.

Marriott and Starwood now allow members who use a co-branded credit card to earn bonus points when booking on the other carrier's hotels. It's a small perk, but it should be added incentive to booking within the network before wandering off to a third-party carrier.

Marriott's CEO was just coming off one of the bigger wins in his career. The future holds some of the bigger challenges.

If Wyndham had succeeded in luring away SPG members who aren't necessarily elite or top-tier-level members, that would have been a big win for the company, whose portfolio skews more toward economy and midscale brands. But alas, this promotion was proof that even the best-laid plans may not always work--and it pays to pay more attention to how you set it all up.

Here's the former Starwood CEO's take on what's happening in the hospitality industry now, and why brands need to work harder than ever to be more agile and flexible in dealing with disruption. Oh, and he thinks the Marriott-Starwood deal could have been better for shareholders and employees.

Arne Sorenson certainly had a lot to share at this year's Skift Global Forum. Read on for some insight into the company's unconventional decision to link Marriott Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest, as well as how he really feels about Airbnb and direct bookings.

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.

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.