Marriott’s Latest Loyalty Gambit: Points for Everyday Shopping

Marriott aims to weave its Bonvoy loyalty program into consumers' everyday shopping habits through partnerships with major retailers. The bet is that more frequent engagement beyond hotel bookings will help the hotel giant deepen customers' affinity for it.

Marriott has struck deals in recent months with Indian e-commerce platform Flipkart, South Korean duty-free retailer Shinsegae, and British rewards program Nectar.

“Our strategy is to position Bonvoy as a life partner in terms of travel,” Marriott chief customer officer Peggy Roe told Skift. She said the company began looking at how to reach consumers outside of hotel stays, specifically in its 10 largest source markets and key destinations where Marriott already has scale.

Each partnership works differently, but the strategy is consistent: allow consumers to earn hotel points while shopping, and introduce them to Marriott's portfolio of more than 30 hotel brands.

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