Marriott Buying Starwood

[heidi8]

The news broke this morning that Marriott is buying Starwood - Starwood, of course, owns the Swan & Dolphin, and Marriott owns a massive offsite property with multiple hotels.
News is at http://news.marriott.com/2015/11/ma...rldwide-creating-the-worlds-largest-hote.html - no specifics yet on what this means for Swan and Dolphin, but it'll be interesting to see what happens, especially given the hotels' recent remodels.
(As a Marriott Gold member and massive Swan fan, I'm particularly curious....)

 

[GrnMtnMan]

The news broke this morning that Marriott is buying Starwood - Starwood, of course, owns the Swan & Dolphin, and Marriott owns a massive offsite property with multiple hotels.
News is at http://news.marriott.com/2015/11/ma...rldwide-creating-the-worlds-largest-hote.html - no specifics yet on what this means for Swan and Dolphin, but it'll be interesting to see what happens, especially given the hotels' recent remodels.
(As a Marriott Gold member and massive Swan fan, I'm particularly curious....)

I'm SPG (Starwood Preferred Guest) Gold. Back in the day when I traveled more/had many more SPG points, I stayed at the Swan a few times for free (plus a the daily resort fee). I got a few upgrades to rooms with views and/or balconies.

Not to be pedantic, but Starwood doesn't own the S&D....I think the Tishman Corp. does on a 99 year ground lease from Disney. Starwood manages it under a contract, which is very common in the hotel industry (one entity owns the land & building, and finds one of the big-brand hotel company to operate it). This matters because if Marriott finds it has too many properties to run in Orlando (or is forced to off-load a property in Orlando in order to win anti-trust approval from the government), it could choose to 'sell' the management contract to another hotel company (or Disney might be able to buy the property back).

The S&D have been a good bargain within the SPG system. 40,000 points gets you five nights at either place (10k a night, plus one free if you book 4 consecutively). I forget the point accrual system at the hotel, but you get one point per dollar charged to the SPG AmEx.

 

[BarryS]

I'm curious about the fate of the Swan and Dolphin, and my SPG points, if this merger is approved. SPG points have a very reasonable value when compared with some of the other hotel chains' rewards programs, and I've been saving up for one of those 40k point stays at the S&D. Hopefully, the merger doesn't ruin those plans

 

[lustergirl]

That is quite the acquisition. Starwood has the W Hotels, the Westins, and Sheraton, etc. My hubby's job may be affected as their biggest customer is the Starwood group. The company he works for supplies all the minibar products for the Starwoods.

 

[cgattis]

As a loyal and frequent Marriott customer, may I just say WOOOOHOOOOOO!!!!!! Carry on.

 

[btk2333]

Very guarded outlook on this. Mariott's rewards program is worse than Starwood's by far IMO (Starwood points transfer 1.25:1 to American and Delta as well as 34 other airlines). I've also always found Marriot's elite tiers to not be very rewarding (especially compared to Hilton Diamond/ Starwood platinum). I may be trying to burn 300,000 Starwood points next summer lol

 

[ArwenMarie]

That's great. The more hotels in the Marriott family, the better for us in terms of loyalty points.

 

[jpeden]

As a person who loves to stay in Starwood hotels, this makes me extremely sad. SPG was one of the best mass market hotel chains and I'm sad to see it absorbed into the Marriott conglomorate. I for one hope this merger is blocked.

 

[Sue M]

I don't know how this will play out either. I'm a Marriott and SPG member. But SPG def has the best rewards programme and also offers Corporate discounts to nurses, teachers, etc. Although I like Marriott I find of late their prices are creeping up, and some pricing is way out of whack. For instance price of a 2 star Townplace Suite over $200/night. I've always stayed there in Seattle for night before flight. But last year I had to find somewhere else. A Ramada about a mile away was $125 and all the Marriott properties were insane.

 

[cgattis]

I have to say this for Marriott...their customer service is world-class. When I hear people talk about how Disney "used to be," is how they are now. I have not once had an issue they didn't solve to my satisfaction. So sometimes I will pay a little more (prob not $75+ a night tho!) for a Marriott over another chain. I had a really ridiculously bad experience with housekeeping at a big higher-end chain and was sorely disappointed with how it was handled. I think it's comparable to Disney--you may pay a little more, but generally get more too.

 

[ArwenMarie]

I have to say this for Marriott...their customer service is world-class. When I hear people talk about how Disney "used to be," is how they are now. I have not once had an issue they didn't solve to my satisfaction. So sometimes I will pay a little more (prob not $75+ a night tho!) for a Marriott over another chain. I had a really ridiculously bad experience with housekeeping at a big higher-end chain and was sorely disappointed with how it was handled. I think it's comparable to Disney--you may pay a little more, but generally get more too.

We feel the same way about Marriott. My husband always seeks out a Marriott on his business travel when possible. Even the Marriott timeshares are very well-run in terms of service.

 

[Happy_2_B]

Worried as well. Marriott's point values are abysmal- and we have a boatload of starpoints. Hope they don't get devalued anytime soon. We will plan a two or three week vacation to use most of them before any changes are made to the SPG program. Can always get more if things shake out without a reduction in starpoint valuations after the merger has had time to 'settle in'. Marriott may choose to put their hotels within the SPG program to give them a better valuation- in reading the SPG announcement it is hard to tell which way things will go. Time will tell- but in the meantime we will use our starpoints to avoid a possible decrease in value.

 

[HopperFan]

I'm SPG (Starwood Preferred Guest) Gold. Back in the day when I traveled more/had many more SPG points, I stayed at the Swan a few times for free (plus a the daily resort fee). I got a few upgrades to rooms with views and/or balconies.

Not to be pedantic, but Starwood doesn't own the S&D....I think the Tishman Corp. does on a 99 year ground lease from Disney. Starwood manages it under a contract, which is very common in the hotel industry (one entity owns the land & building, and finds one of the big-brand hotel company to operate it). This matters because if Marriott finds it has too many properties to run in Orlando (or is forced to off-load a property in Orlando in order to win anti-trust approval from the government), it could choose to 'sell' the management contract to another hotel company (or Disney might be able to buy the property back).

The S&D have been a good bargain within the SPG system. 40,000 points gets you five nights at either place (10k a night, plus one free if you book 4 consecutively). I forget the point accrual system at the hotel, but you get one point per dollar charged to the SPG AmEx.

And with lots of hotels changing brands in the Orlando area in the last/upcoming year, I wonder if in this situation that Tishman would be required to join the new brand OR if this opens them to renegotiate what it in their best interest. Hilton seems to be actively trying to locate themselves "on" property with the Hilton BC, Waldorf Astoria and now the Buena Vista Palace conversion - I could see them pursuing if there is an opening.

Marriott has flooded the Orlando market but I feel like they have a focus on lower tier hotels (aka Flamingo Crossing) and timeshares, not deluxe hotels. Personally, I would hate to see these hotels become Marriott brands, I don't see it as a plus. We have had some great stays with the folks at their Marriott timeshares but at the hotels, we feel the customer service is lacking, including a very rude experience this year - maybe they are getting too big for their britches - now bigger.

 

[ArwenMarie]

And with lots of hotels changing brands in the Orlando area in the last/upcoming year, I wonder if in this situation that Tishman would be required to join the new brand OR if this opens them to renegotiate what it in their best interest. Hilton seems to be actively trying to locate themselves "on" property with the Hilton BC, Waldorf Astoria and now the Buena Vista Palace conversion - I could see them pursuing if there is an opening.

Marriott has flooded the Orlando market but I feel like they have a focus on lower tier hotels (aka Flamingo Crossing) and timeshares, not deluxe hotels. Personally, I would hate to see these hotels become Marriott brands, I don't see it as a plus. We have had some great stays with the folks at their Marriott timeshares but at the hotels, we feel the customer service is lacking, including a very rude experience this year - maybe they are getting too big for their britches - now bigger.

They're pretty big in the deluxes in Orlando too...World Center, Gaylord Palms, the JW and the Ritz-Carlton.

 

[Judique]

I'm curious about the fate of the Swan and Dolphin, and my SPG points, if this merger is approved. SPG points have a very reasonable value when compared with some of the other hotel chains' rewards programs, and I've been saving up for one of those 40k point stays at the S&D. Hopefully, the merger doesn't ruin those plans

You may want to purchase some points if you are anywhere close to your 40K and book it. The deal may take till mid 2016 to go through but I think a lot of people will be spending Starwood points in the near future.

I've been a Starwood member for many years and love the program. Have enough for a nice vacation, but already booked a beach trip with some this summer, before the announcement. Thinking I might just blow the rest on a nice extra trip soon.

I'm also a Marriott rewards member, but never really managed to get much out of their program.

 

[HopperFan]

Got following email from Marriott...

As a valued member, we're excited to share the news that Marriott International will join together with Starwood Hotels & Resorts to create the world's largest hotel company. For our Marriott Rewards members, this will mean even more choices in even more places, giving you access to 1.1 million rooms across 5,500 hotels in more than 100 countries.

Marriott Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) are among the industry's most-awarded loyalty programs, and they should be even stronger when the companies merge. Our programs and brands complement each other well, and we intend to draw upon the best of both programs to provide more value for our guests and hotels.

This is the start of a long journey as we combine our two companies. For now, we remain separate, and there is no change to your Marriott Rewards program status, your Rewards points or your existing reservations. You will continue to earn Rewards points and elite stay/night credit for your stays, and bonus points for any promotions in which are you are participating. There is no change to how you manage your Rewards account or book reservations.

Over the coming months, as we have more to share we'll be sure to reach out to you by e-mail, at marriottrewards.com and via twitter (@MarriottRewards). In the meantime, we remain at your service wherever you need us—whether in our hotels, at marriottrewards.com, the Marriott mobile app, or via our Customer Care Centers.

All my best,
Arne Sorenson
President and Chief Executive Officer
Marriott International, Inc.