Marriott pilots program that rewards nonguests for F&B spending

Marriott International wants to reward customers who don’t stay at its hotels.

The Bethesda, Md.,-based company is piloting a program that would reward non-guests who spend money at its food and beverage outlets.

The perk would apply to existing Marriott Rewards members. But non-members can sign up for the loyalty club to earn 10 points for every dollar spent at a food and beverage outlet at the participating hotels.

The pilot will last through the end of June at 21 hotels in the Washington, D.C., and Baltimore area. The hotels include The Mayflower Hotel, Autograph Collection in Washington, the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront, the Crystal City Marriott at Reagan National Airport, and the Renaissance Washington, D.C. Downtown hotel.

Thom Kozik, Marriott’s vice president of Global Loyalty, says the idea for the program came from his own experience of spending thousands of dollars over two years on business meetings at The Ritz-Carlton Marina del Rey in California. While staff recognized his patronage, the Marriott Rewards program did not. And he knows that many other Marriott properties have regulars who spend a lot of money on everything but rooms.

“We as a company had lost that moment of engagement,” Kozik says.

Kozik says the initiative will not only drive loyalty, but it will give Marriott the opportunity to learn more about consumer behavior and personalize experiences for their customers.

“It helps us to craft this data and picture of you as a customer in all forms, both as a guest or as a visitor to a restaurant or a lounge,” he says.

For now, customers will get receipts with codes on them. They will then have to go to a Marriott Rewards’ website to redeem the points. If they are not already members of the Rewards program, they will have to join.

Kozik says there have already been enrollments in the early days of the program.

Marriott is in the midst of merging with Starwood Hotels and Resorts, which has its own SPG loyalty program. It’s unclear for now how the two programs will blend together.

The full list of participating hotels:

• The Mayflower Hotel, Autograph Collection
• Baltimore Marriott Inner Harbor at Camden Yards
• Baltimore Marriott Waterfront
• Bethesda Marriott
• Bethesda Marriott Suites
• Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center
• Crystal City Marriott at Reagan National Airport
• Crystal Gateway Marriott
• Falls Church Marriott Fairview Park
• Gaithersburg Marriott Washingtonian Center
• Greenbelt Marriott
• JW Marriott Washington, DC
• Key Bridge Marriott
• Marriott Marquis Washington, DC
• Tysons Corner Marriott
• Washington Marriott Georgetown
• Washington Marriott Wardman Park
• Renaissance Arlington Capital View Hotel
• Renaissance Baltimore Harborplace Hotel
• Renaissance Washington, DC Downtown Hotel
• Renaissance Washington, DC Dupont Circle Hotel

Source: USA Today