Effective August 18, 2018, Marriott Rewards, The Ritz-Carlton Rewards, and SPG (Starwood Preferred Guest) programs have merged. The merger is welcomed news, as it allows members to book and redeem points at 6,700 hotels across 29 brands worldwide. Members of these individual programs must combine their accounts by logging in online or via the smartphone app in order to take advantage of points redemption across all brands.

Marriott/Ritz-Carlton members can continue to use their current loyalty account number, whereas SPG members will need to use their new 9-digit SPG number. For travelers who are members of both programs, either the existing Marriott/Ritz-Carlton number or the new SPG number can be used. Travelers who are assigned a new SPG number can easily find it when logging into their account online or via the app. Starpoints will be converted to regular points when accounts are combined. These points will be multiplied by three during a one-time conversion when combining accounts.

Moving forward, members of the combined programs will earn 10 points for every $1 spent on hotel charges and 5 points for every $1 spent at Element, Residence Inn and TownePlace Suites properties.

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