The day has finally arrived. The merger between Marriott and Starwood is finally a done deal, and it is already possible to do a status match and transfer points between Starwood Preferred Guest, Marriott Rewards and Ritz-Carlton Rewards. The speed at which Marriott and Starwood is working really amazes me, considering how huge this merger is and all the stakeholders involved.
Ultimately the goal is to merge all three loyalty programs into one, but this will not happen until at least 2018, which totally works for me since I am still in the beginning stages of enjoying my new SPG Platinum status.
First things first, with the integration of the programs, members of Marriott Rewards, Ritz-Carlton Rewards and SPG are able to receive immediate status match by linking their accounts via members.marriott.com. Status will be matched as follows:
The whole matching process was fast and effortless, and I completed the process within minutes.
It should be noted though that one still has to qualify for status independently. In other words, one has to stay 25 stays or 50 nights to qualify for SPG Platinum, or 75 nights to qualify for Marriott Platinum. Also, one will not earn Starwood stay/night credits for Marriott stays and vice versa.
This deal is extremely favorable for SPG members since the requirements to qualify for Marriott Gold and Platinum is way higher than SPG. With Marriott Rewards Platinum, one can earn United MileagePlus Premier Silver status, which includes complimentary upgrades, by linking up your Marriott and United account, thanks to their partnership. Also with Marriott Rewards Gold, there is guaranteed lounge access and/or breakfast, something SPG Gold does not offer.
Starting today it is possible to transfer points between the programs at an exchange rate of 1 Starpoint : 3 Marriott Reward Points.. This is a fairly good deal in my opinion considering the myriad of opportunities available to maximize Starpoints at Marriott.
A Category 9 Marriott stay, which usually cost 45,000 Marriott Rewards Point, will only cost 15,000 Starpoints per night while a tier 5 Ritz Carlton property which usually cost 70,000 points will only cost ~ 23,000 Starpoints per night. Just think of all the fancy JW Marriotts and Ritz Carltons one can stay in all over the world. At the top of my head, I can think of the new JW Marriott Hotel Singapore, a Category 8 hotel, meaning it will only require 40,000 points to stay, which translates to 13,333 Starpoints. 13,333 Starpoints on the other hand can only book you a night at the new Four Points by Sheraton Riverview or Sheraton Singapore. It does not take a mathematician to know where the true value lies.
There is still so much up in the air with regards to the future of both programs. There is nothing we can do except wait in anticipation. In the mean time, I am quite happy with the status match and point conversion so we shall see……