Dive Brief:
- Marriott Bonvoy has partnered with Starbucks to offer new benefits to its loyalty members, Marriott International announced Tuesday.
- Marriott Bonvoy and Starbucks Rewards members in the U.S. can now link their loyalty accounts to earn stars toward free beverages and other perks as Starbucks, as well as points toward Marriott Bonvoy’s 30-plus brands and Marriott Bonvoy experiences.
- As of March, Marriott Bonvoy had 203 million members, and member penetration of global room nights hit record highs in the first quarter of this year, CEO Anthony Capuano said in a Q1 earnings call.
Dive Insight:
After linking Marriott Bonvoy and Starbucks Rewards accounts, members can earn double “stars,” or Starbucks points, at Starbucks locations during their stay at a Marriott Bonvoy-participating hotel.
During Marriott Bonvoy Weeks, which will take place throughout the year, those users can earn 100 Bonvoy points when they make three purchases at a participating Starbucks. The first Marriott Bonvoy week kicks off July 8.
Later this year, the partnership will debut “exclusive coffee- and travel-themed experiences on Marriott Bonvoy Moments” — the platform that has offered members a Taylor Swift-themed experience — according to David Flueck, Marriott’s global head of loyalty, cards and enterprise partnerships.
Users with linked accounts will also be able to enter sweepstakes to win a range of prizes, the grand prize of which is a trip to one of the Starbucks Reserve Roasteries in Seattle, Milan and Tokyo.
Starbucks Reserve Locations in Seattle, Chicago and New York are also introducing a cocktail, the Starbucks Reserve Siciliano for Marriott Bonvoy, available to loyalty members.
The partnership with Starbucks is Marriott’s latest loyalty play, following the launch of MGM Collection with Marriott Bonvoy earlier this year. In a first-quarter earnings call, MGM Resorts International CEO Bill Hornbuckle said the partnership was already exceeding both companies’ expectations.
And earlier this spring, Marriott promoted its loyalty offerings with a March Madness-themed marketing campaign.
