Marriott has combined 3 programs SPG, Ritz-Carlton and Marriott Rewards. They have renamed all 3 programs to Bonvoy.
It if officially end of the program that I loved so much – SPG. Now that name won’t be mentioned anywhere.
What is actually changing today?
On the most basic level, you should notice all the new branding everywhere — online, at hotels, etc. Marriott Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest officially no longer exist.
But as far as what’s changing today goes:
- The Starwood Preferred Guest app has been disabled, so if you’re an SPG loyalist you’ll have to download the Marriott Bonvoy app
- Marriott Rewards Platinum Premier Elite (which requires 75+ nights per year) has been rebranded as Marriott Bonvoy Titanium Elite
- Marriott Rewards Platinum Premier Elite with Ambassador (which requires 100+ nights plus $20,000 of eligible spend per year) has been rebranded as Marriott Bonvoy Ambassador Elite
- All Marriott and Starwood credit cards issued by American Express and Chase are being rebranded, and we’ll see some new welcome bonuses; as one example, the Marriott Premier Plus Card is now the Marriott Bonvoy Boundless Card
There are no benefits changes as of now, though Marriott notes that they “do plan more innovation for the future.”
What is actually changing today?
On the most basic level, you should notice all the new branding everywhere — online, at hotels, etc. Marriott Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest officially no longer exist.
But as far as what’s changing today goes:
- The Starwood Preferred Guest app has been disabled, so if you’re an SPG loyalist you’ll have to download the Marriott Bonvoy app
- Marriott Rewards Platinum Premier Elite (which requires 75+ nights per year) has been rebranded as Marriott Bonvoy Titanium Elite
- Marriott Rewards Platinum Premier Elite with Ambassador (which requires 100+ nights plus $20,000 of eligible spend per year) has been rebranded as Marriott Bonvoy Ambassador Elite
There are no benefits changes as of now, though Marriott notes that they “do plan more innovation for the future.”
What’s changing in the future?
While there’s now a single loyalty program, there are still some changes coming soon. First of all, Marriott’s annual category changes will take place on March 5, 2019, so you can book your stays before then for properties going up in price.
In March Marriott will also be introducing Category 8 award pricing, meaning top properties will go from costing 60,000 points per night to costing 85,000 points per night.
On top of that, later in 2019 Marriott will be introducing peak and off-peak award pricing, but we don’t know the exact timeline for that yet. For context, here’s the award chart:
List of the properties that are changing to Category 8
