Marriott Widens Loyalty Program

<I>Washington, D.C.</I> - Marriott International has unveiled the world's largest multibrand frequent guest club, uniting 1,000 hotels and six brands in one program.

Marriott Rewards, which replaces the chain's 14-year-old Honored Guest Awards program--a longtime winner of the BTN annual hotel-chain survey--adds 700 new hotels and allows members to exchange points for air miles. The chain also will retain its frequent flyer program, Marriott Miles.

Marriott's 9 million Rewards members may now garner points at the Courtyard and Fairfield Inn brands--which previously had their own clubs--as well as Marriott Hotels & Resorts, Fairfield Suites, TownePlace Suites, Marriott Conference Centers and Marriott Vacation Club International.

The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Co., which has shied away from the frequent stay game, will add eight hotels to the Marriott program as a test: two in Atlanta and one each in Kansas City, Maui, Philadelphia, Marina del Rey, Calif., Naples, Fla., and St. Thomas, Virgin Islands.

The 230-property Residence Inn and the newly acquired 150-property Renaissance brands most likely will join the club in 1998, while the upcoming Marriott Executive Residences will join this fall, said Ralph Giannola, Marriott Lodging's vice president of consumer marketing.

The Rewards club grants 10 points for every dollar spent in the hotel--even at negotiated rates. Through Nov. 15, members paying with Visa cards will gain a 10 percent points bonus.

The only other chain besides Marriott that allows frequent guests to use points at both midprice and luxury hotels is Sheraton, which includes its Luxury Collection and its Four Points brand in its Sheraton Club International program.