Effective immediately, Marriott Rewards members who designate Avios as their earning preference will receive:

Two (2) Avios per US$1 spent at:

• Marriott Hotels & Resorts®
• JW Marriott®
• Renaissance® Hotels
• Marriott Vacation Club®
• Autograph Collection® Hotels
• EDITION® (room rate only)
• The Ritz-Carlton® (room rate only)
• Gaylord Hotels® (room rate only)

Or one (1) Avios per US$1 spent (room rate only) at:

• AC Hotels by MarriottSM
• Courtyard by Marriott®
• Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott®
• SpringHill Suites by Marriott®
• Residence Inn by Marriott®
• TownePlace Suites by Marriott®
• Marriott Executive Apartments®

In addition, Marriott Rewards members can convert their Marriott Rewards points into Avios at the following exchange rates:

Marriott Rewards points convert to Avios points at exchange rates:

10,000 MR points = 2,000 Avios points
20,000 MR points = 5,000 Avios points
30,000 MR points = 10,000 Avios points
70,000 MR points = 25,000 Avios points
125,000 MR points = 50,000 Avios points

Marriott has 77 hotels in Spain, mostly the AC Hotels by Marriott brand.

Marriott International April 10, 2013 news release.

Marriott Rewards Airline partners:

1. Aeroflot
2. AeroMexico
3. Air Berlin
4. Air Canada (Aeroplan)
5. Air China
6. Air France/KLM
7. Alaska Airlines
8. Alitalia
9. ANA
10. Asiana
11. Avianca-TACA
12. Avios British Airways
13. Cathay Pacific
14. China Eastern
15. China Southern
16. Delta
17. Emirates
18. Frontier
19. Gol/Varig
20. Hawaiian
21. Iberia Plus Avios
22. Japan Airlines
23. Jet Airways
24. JetBlue
25. Kingfisher Airlines
26. LAN
27. Lufthansa Miles & More
28. Qantas
29. Qatar
30. Singapore Airlines
31. Southwest
32. TAP Portugal
33. United Airlines
34. US Airways
35. Virgin America
36. Virgin Atlantic

Related post:

Table of 69 airline partners for the Top 10 global hotel loyalty programs (Aug 22, 2012)

Stays at San Jose Marriott in California including a Friday or Saturday night from February 22 through May 3, 2013 earn 1,000 bonus points. This is just one of 218 deals currently available at Marriott brand hotels worldwide.

Other Marriott deals:

Renaissance Zurich – free connecting room when you book a suite (through March 31).

25% off stays of two or more nights at Marriott Vacation Clubs and Grand Residences in France, Spain and UK for bookings by February 28 for stays by March 29.

Champagne and chocolates for your stay in North Carolina with rates as low as $10 more than otherwise available. Promo code LVU. Valid seven days a week through April 27, 2013.

Earn a $50 credit on a future two-night stay at Marriott brands worldwide when you stay 2 nights in the DC area by March 30. Promo code D50.

You can check other locations for special limited time offers on the Marriott.com Hotel Deals page for an offer near your travel destination.

Marriott Hotel Deals

Ric Garrido, writer and owner of Loyalty Traveler, shares news and views on hotels, hotel loyalty programs and vacation destinations for frequent guests. Follow Loyalty Traveler on Twitter and Facebook and RSS feed.

The Americas Lodging Investment Summit (ALIS) is the opportunity for hotel brand representatives, property management companies, hotel owners and financiers to get together, discuss the state of the industry and make deals. The 2013 conference was held Jan 22-24 at JW Marriott L.A. Live in downtown Los Angeles.

What many hotel guests do not realize is the fact that the brand name whether Westin, Residence Inn, Hampton Inn, or whatever is primarily for marketing and sales. The hotel has an owner who may own other hotels in different brands. I have met several hotel owners who have multiple hotels in the same area under different competing brands. And the hotel may even be managed by a different company than the franchise. For example a Westin Hotel branded as a Starwood, might be managed by a third party hotel management company and owned by some other individual or investment group.

This was my first time attending ALIS. I was not sure how relevant the conference would be for Loyalty Traveler. There was good data content and some insights into 2013 trends during presentations. I will pass along some of the data trends like where the rates are rising fastest in Europe and why the USA is now once again everybody’s darling with data from STR, PKF, PwC and other 3-letter acronym hotel industry sources.

As someone only peripherally connected to the hotel industry I found the hotel brand trade booths interesting and I photographed them. This post shares the hotel brands exhibit hall portion of the conference for the major hotel chains present at ALIS with brand booths. Hotel trade show booths are certainly not the most novel thing for a reader who has been to a travel or hotel industry trade show, but if you have never seen hotel trade show booths before, then here is your chance. Read More…

I stayed at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center, National Harbor, Maryland about ten miles outside of Washington D.C. in February 2011. The four Gaylord Resort Convention Centers are now a hotel brand of Marriott International.

Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center on the Potomac, National Harbor, Maryland.

The aesthetic and architectural feature I most enjoyed at both Gaylord National and Gaylord Palms are their enormous glass atriums. There are water fountains, streams, trees and plenty of benches and tables in the lobby. Read More…

The four Gaylord Resort-Conference Center properties have officially integrated into Marriott International as the new 14th hotel brand of the global chain.

Marriott Rewards members can now earn and redeem points at three of Gaylord Hotels resorts:

• Gaylord National, National Harbor, MD (just outside Washington, DC) enters Marriott Rewards as a Category 5 hotel at 25,000 points per night.
• Gaylord Palms, Kissimmee, FL (near Orlando, FL and DisneyWorld) enters Marriott Rewards as a Category 6 hotel at 30,000 points per night.
• Gaylord Texan, Grapevine, TX (on the outskirts of Dallas) enters Marriott Rewards as a Category 6 hotel at 30,000 points per night.
• Gaylord Opryland, Nashville, TN, will join the Marriott Rewards program in early 2013 and The Inn at Opryland will join the program toward the end of 2012.

I wrote about the Marriott acquisition deal May 31, 2012. I have attended conferences at both Gaylord National and Gaylord Palms and I really like the architectural feature of giant glass window atriums at these two hotels. Apparently I never wrote hotel reviews of these properties and I have loads of photos. I’ll put those hotel reviews on my task list.

Gaylord Resorts are massive hotel resorts catering to conferences with several thousand attendees. The hotels are loaded with restaurants, entertainment and activities for guests. Rooms are upscale and a standard room has all the primary features and amenities a guest needs. The most fascinating aspect of these resorts for me are the interior designs with flowing water features, lush landscaping and a variety of restaurant choices.

Gaylord Palms, Florida

Dining on the deck of a boat inside Gaylord Palms.

Gaylord National massive lobby within glass enclosed atrium.

Gaylord Resorts & Convention Centers listed as Marriott’s NEW 14th brand.

Source: Marriott Press Release (October 31, 2012).

Ric Garrido, writer and owner of Loyalty Traveler, shares news and views on hotels, hotel loyalty programs and vacation destinations for frequent guests. You can follow Loyalty Traveler on Twitter and Facebook and RSS feed.

In July 2012 I wrote a series of articles describing the Best Rate Guarantee (BRG) policies for eight major hotel chains. This post provides links to those articles.

Best Rate Guarantee claims are something I file several times a year. They are not that difficult to find when comparing the rates through Online Travel Agencies (OTA) to the published rates on a hotel chain website.

In 2012 I have received free nights (IHG and Choice), $100 gift card (Best Western), 2000 bonus Starpoints (SPG), and rate discounts (Club Carlson).

In these articles I describe each program’s Best Rate Guarantee policy, along with the program’s advantages and difficulties with submitting and processing a BRG claim.

Loyalty Traveler Best Rate Guarantee series – July 2012

Overview: Devilish Details of Best Rate Guarantee Claims

Best Western Hotels: Best Western Best Rate Guarantee $100 Travel Card Update Oct 25 – Turns out Best Western dropped the $100 travel card for approved BRG claims in late September. That benefit lasted only about six months since being introduced earlier this year.

Carlson Rezidor Hotels Group: Over 100 Hours for Carlson Best Rate Guarantee Reply

Choice International: Choice Hotels Best Rate Guarantee Free Night

Hilton Worldwide: Hilton Worldwide Best Rate Guarantee – Weaker than Marriott?

Hyatt Hotels: Hyatt Best Rate Guarantee claims are handled over the phone

InterContinental Hotels Group: InterContinental Hotels Group Best Rate Guarantee Get One Free Night

Marriott International: Marriott Hotels Look No Further Best Rate Guarantee for 25% Discount

Starwood Hotels: Starwood Preferred Guest Best Rate Guarantee for 2,000 Points or 10% off

Ric Garrido, writer and owner of Loyalty Traveler, shares news and views on hotels, hotel loyalty programs and vacation destinations for frequent guests. You can follow Loyalty Traveler on Twitter and Facebook and RSS feed.

Marriott Rewards announced its 2012 Fall MegaBonus promotion running from September 15 to January 15, 2013 on FlyerTalk July 31. Registration is required by October 31.

Promotions are individualized with several different offers. An interesting part of the announcement is this statement (I placed in bold font below) from Marriott Concierge, the hotel chain representative on FlyerTalk:

Visit your personalized MegaBonus page to register for your unique offer by October 31, 2012 for paid stays (using any payment method) made between September 15 and January 15, 2013, at over 3,600 participating Marriott properties around the world. Promotional offers are specific to each individual Rewards member, and as a reminder, promotional offers may not be switched.

Watch for more information and official terms and conditions starting July 31, 2012 at MarriottRewards.com/MegaBonus2012 and safe travels!
Andy

__________________
Marriott Concierge Team
marriott.concierge@marriott.com

FlyerTalk July 31, 2012

Here are five different targeted offers listed by FlyerTalk members to date: Read More…

“Coming Soon: Marriott Reservations with Cash + Points.”  

Marriott Concierge, company representative of Marriott Rewards, started a new thread on FlyerTalk Thursday, July 26, 2012 announcing the new flexibility to combine cash nights and redemption nights in a single reservation. 

The link to the Marriott Rewards Cash + Points page shows these details:

Coming Soon: Cash + Points

Get ready for Marriott Rewards Cash + Points, a new way to book a stay that lets you combine redemption nights and cash nights within a single reservation of two nights or more. Along with this new flexibility, you’ll still earn points and Elite night credits for your nights paid with cash. So add a few days of relaxation onto a business trip or redeem just a portion of your points for a vacation.

Apparently this change is simply the opportunity to combine paid nights with reward nights for the same stay within one reservation. Read More…

Time to reflect on JW Marriott Chicago three weeks after attending the spring media trip. My room on the 12th floor of the hotel was on the opposite side of the building from the West Adams facing Executive Lounge. The 12th floor is the top guest floor with higher floors in the 21-story building housing business office occupants who enter from La Salle Street rather than the JW Marriott Chicago front entrance on West Adams Street.

JW Marriott Chicago front entrance [photo source: JW Marriott Chicago] Read More…

A major hotel deal happened today when Gaylord Hotels announced its sale for $210 million to Marriott International. Gaylord Hotels is a convention hotel brand with four properties in the U.S. in Nashville, Orlando, National Harbor Maryland (near D.C.) and Dallas Texas. Apparently the brand name will remain Gaylord Hotels within the Marriott International hotel brands portfolio.

I have attended the Carlson Rezidor Hotels Group Global Conference at the Orlando (2010) and National Harbor (2011) properties. These hotels are designed to handle groups of several thousand attendees. Personally I love the large glass enclosed atriums of the two Gaylord Hotels where I have stayed. These hotels are truly self-sufficient crystal cities of restaurants, entertainment and activity. Gaylord Hotels are convention hotels that I would not mind visiting for leisure travel.

Gaylord Palms Orlando, Florida

These hotel major deals take time to work through and it might be 2013 before these hotels are integrated into the Marriott Rewards system based on how long it took to integrate AC Hotels into the system. The fact that there are only four U.S. properties might hasten the integration process.

Interestingly, Gaylord Hotels had a difficult time selling its hotel offers during the U.S. Travel Association/American Express Daily Getaways last month.

I wrote about a Gaylord Hotels 2nd night free wedding anniversary offer for 2012 back in February.

Gaylord National, National Harbor, Maryland

The article from Hotel Interactive states three other hotel companies were in play for making this deal. I have to wonder if Carlson Rezidor was one of those three companies since they have used the Gaylord Hotels for their annual global business conference.

This will be a good conference hotel acquisition for the 38 million Marriott Rewards members.

Ric Garrido, owner and writer of Loyalty Traveler, shares news and views on hotels, hotel loyalty programs and vacation destinations for frequent guests. You can follow Loyalty Traveler on Twitter and Facebook and RSS feed.