Starwood Hotels partner with Uber to launch mobile loyalty scheme
Members of the 'Starwood Preferred Guest' (SPG) frequent traveler programme will earn one ‘Starpoint’ for every $1 USD (or local market equivalent) spent on Uber rides—with bonus earning awarded during hotel stays.
These points can later be redeemed for hotel bookings and benefits such as VIP access to sporting events.
Adam Aron, CEO of Starwood Hotels and Resorts, said: “This new partnership with Uber accelerates our SPG members’ drive to rewards and is just one more way that Starwood is combining high tech and high touch to transform their travel experiences.”
The global partnership is available in the UK and every market where Uber operates, including the United States, China and Brazil.
Travis Kalanick, CEO of Uber, said the app’s partnership with Starwood was a “natural fit”.
He said: “There’s a Starwood property in the majority of the 291 cities where Uber operates. With this first-of-its-kind partnership, SPG members can now get an extra reward for taking an Uber anytime anywhere."
The partnership launches with a special promotion on 28 February. From 2pm-7pm local time users in London, Dubai, Mexico City, New York, and San Francisco can select the “SPG” vehicle option on an Uber ride and earn 15,000 Starpoints – enough for a free night at a qualifying Starwood hotel.
The future for hotels
A PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) report predicts that by 2017 88 per cent of people in the UK will have mobile internet access, and the technology is fast becoming the future of the hotel industry.
Starwood’s app already allows guests to check in on their phone prior to arrival, before using a ‘virtual’ key to open their room.
Speaking to BigHospitality in 2014 Claudia Harris, event manager for Hospitality Technology Europe, said that while there was ‘room to grow’ with the use of mobile technology, there was a fine line between giving guests an easier stay and ‘overloading’ them with unwanted technologies.
