RHINEBECK, N.Y., May 3, 2016 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Phoenix Marketing International (http://phoenixmi.com/), a premier global marketing services firm, today released new data from the company's 2016 Hotel SCORES, a global tracking study which measures customer perceptions and usage of 38 Hotel Frequent Guest Programs (FGPs) worldwide.
With Marriott's acquisition of Starwood still in flux, program members are uncertain about the future of the Marriott Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest programs, how the two will be integrated, and what this means for elite qualification.
Key findings from the research showed that approximately two out of three FGP members are concerned that when Marriott acquires Starwood, program rules will become more complicated (58%), points will expire sooner (57%), and it will be harder to reach elite status (56%).
"Marriott has always been a leader in guest rewards programs, and often sets competitive baseline requirements for the benefits that members receive, with other programs following their lead," said David Pluchino, Vice President, Phoenix Travel & Leisure. "With the acquisition of Starwood and the addition of over 1,200 hotel properties to the portfolio, the hotel leader will still have the majority voice in the frequent guest program marketplace. However, as more consolidation happens in the hotel industry it will be important for Marriott to strike the right balance between the two programs to avoid loyalty churn and status matching with other programs."
When looking at each program's "Elite" members and their thoughts on which program they would prefer the new program to resemble:
Marriott Rewards Elite members overwhelmingly want the new program to still be Marriott Rewards (68%) as opposed to Starwood Preferred Guest (17%).
Starwood Preferred Guest Elite members are more open to the program taking on the form of either Marriott Rewards (45%) or Starwood Preferred Guest (41%).
Hotel SCORESTM is a global tracking study which measures customer perceptions and usage of Hotel Frequent Guest Programs (FGPs). 2016 represents the 13th continuous year of Hotel SCORESTM. Hotel SCORESTM tracks keys metrics across all of the legacy programs plus programs unique to a region or country. More details on the study and the methodology can be found here.
About Phoenix Marketing International
Phoenix Marketing International is a premier global marketing services firm providing its clients tailored and unique insights with expertise in product innovation, customer experience and communications and brand via a wealth of existing proprietary data, advanced analytics and statistical modeling techniques. The company has extensive research experience across the Automotive, Financial Services, Healthcare, Converged Technology and Media, Restaurant and Travel/Leisure sectors. With the recent acquisition of Sterling Research Group, the Phoenix team is further expanding its capabilities into the VOC (Voice of the Customer) marketplace. Phoenix's innovative mobile engagement platform, mXP, provides access to an extensive network of on-the-go consumers offering clients deeper insights into the wants and needs of customers across multiple market segments. Founded in 1999 by Chairman and CEO, Allen R. DeCotiis and President, Martha Rea, Phoenix Marketing International has established its global presence with offices in major locations such as New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, North Carolina, California, Michigan, Florida and London. For more information visit www.phoenixmi.com.