EID Registration & Help
August 29, 2018 Integration Updates, Management Company Monthly Recap

August Monthly Integration Recap | SPG Hotels

Franchise Management Companies | Moving forward, we will continue to provide a monthly recap of the key changes shared with – and tasks asked of – SPG hotels related to the integration. We appreciate your support in ensuring your hotels remain informed and engaged throughout this process.

As part of our continued effort to keep hotels informed, SPG hotels will continue to receive weekly email content via The Check-In, and Change Crews will have the opportunity to participate in weekly integration webinars. The  weekly integration Change Crew webinars are now segmented by Reservations Platform cutover wave, with: the Sept. 18 wave attending webinars at 1 p.m. ET; the Oct. 10 and 30 waves attending webinars at 2:30 p.m. ET; and, the Nov. 27 and Dec. 11 waves attending webinars at 4 p.m. ET. This new structure is intended to ensure hotels receive targeted and customized information for their specific cutover timeline, thereby reducing confusion. Properties continue to receive details and registration information via the Weekly Update.

Franchise management company contacts also have the opportunity to participate in twice monthly webinars which are held on the second and fourth Friday of each month at 2 p.m. ET. Stay tuned to the weekly mi360 RUNDOWN for details, which will be shared the week prior to each webinar.

SUMMARY OF THIS MONTH’S KEY ACTIVITIES 

  • New Loyalty Program Launched
  • Interim State: SPG Hotel Loyalty Reimbursement Calculation & Processing
  • Reminder of Process to Execute Suite Night Awards
  • SPG Hotels Email Migration to the Marriott Cloud
  • CRMS/RMRS/Plus Services Integration
  • GPOS Workstation Upgrade Schedule
  • Booking Update For Explore and Explore Friends Rates
  • PepsiCo Contract Update

New Loyalty Program Launched | Marriott Rewards, The Ritz-Carlton Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) loyalty programs are now one. GMs and Loyalty Champions have received a direct email with instructions to distribute the new Loyalty Marketing Collateral. All members now  have the ability to combine their SPG and Rewards accounts. Thank you for all you and your teams did to prepare for this major integration milestone.

Interim State: SPG Hotel Loyalty Reimbursement Calculation & Processing | Effective August 1, the new Reimbursement policy, including new Base Rates and Premium Reimbursement went into effect, and there is an inconsistency with the expected daily occupancy data for SPG hotels (two-way processing hotels only). Details, action items, including guidance to use a Premium Reimbursement Calculator Tool, and next steps were shared with SPG hotels and management companies via email on Aug. 31.

Loyalty Update: Reminder of Process to Execute Suite Night Awards |  We recently discovered that there is confusion with the process to execute Suite Night Awards (SNA). After members request a SNA during the booking process, the request is noted on the reservation so SNAs can be automatically removed from the member’s account. A special request code (N2) is then automatically applied to the reservation to inform the hotel that a SNA request is tied to the reservation. It is critical that hotels do not put (N2) on the reservation directly as this will break the process. If the process is not executed as defined, the SNA will go back to the member’s account, the system will treat this stay as a complimentary enhanced upgrade, and the property will not be reimbursed. For details, view the Suite Night Awards and Suite Night Awards – Revenue Management Job Aids. SPG Hotels should use ServiceNow with questions.

The following hotel brands should prepare for Email Migration to the Marriott Cloud:

  • The Luxury Collection Hotels:  | The Luxury Collection Hotels email mailboxes will move to the Marriott cloud in October. During the move, email addresses will temporarily change from @luxurycollection.com to @Theluxurycollection.com. When the migration is complete, they will revert back to @luxurycollection.com. No emails will be lost during this move and mail sent to either address will be received.
  • Aloft Hotels:  | Aloft Hotels email mailboxes will move to the Marriott cloud in October. During the move, email addresses will temporarily change from @Alofthotels.com to @Aloft.com. When the migration is complete, they will revert back to @Alofthotels.com. No emails will be lost during this move, and mail sent to either address will be received.

CRMS/RMRS/Plus Services Integration: Review Program Changes and Next Steps | On Jan. 1, 2019, Starwood’s Centralized Revenue Management Services (CRMS), Marriott’s Americas Revenue Management Remote Solutions (RMRS) and Plus Services organizations will integrate into a single organization, Revenue Management Advisory Services (RMAS).  Participating SPG hotels will automatically be re-enrolled for 2019 RMAS services at the service tier aligning with the hotel’s sales & catering system and most closely matching the current CRMS level of Revenue Management support. To adjust the hotel’s tier, or opt-out of revenue support, notify RMAS@marriott.com by Sep. 15.

GPOS Workstation Upgrade Schedule | Hotels on GPOS (Hosted Simphony) will be upgraded to version 2.9.3 between July and November. Refer to the roll-out schedule to see when your property is scheduled to upgrade. Prior to your scheduled upgrade, review the Readiness Guide and take action to prepare.

Booking Update For Explore and Explore Friends Rates | SPG associates can now search for Explore Rates for Marriott and SPG brands on Marriott.com, the Marriott App and the SPG App using the special rate code “MMP” for Explore rates and “MMF” for Explore Friends rates. Use the updated Explore Brochure and Flyer located on MGS to share the news with employees. 

PepsiCo Contract Update | To leverage  purchasing power and achieve synergies that benefit hotels and owners, Marriott International has reached agreement with PepsiCo to supply beverages to Marriott hotels for a six-year period. If your hotels have not yet converted to PepsiCo, they should contact Dan Hennessey, PepsiCo National Director, to schedule a site survey and complete this implementation.