I recently noticed that Ritz Carlton (owned by Marriott) has started offering some very interesting promotions. For instance, from July 1, 2013 through October 31, 2013 Ritz Carlton Rewards is offering a free night for every two paid stays. You may earn up to two free nights total. Registration is available through September 30, 2013. That’s a pretty generous promotion considering that a Ritz Carlton rewards night costs 40,000 – 50,000 Marriott Rewards points, or could cost you $400-500.
The problem as I see it for the Ritz Carlton Rewards program is…
1 – Most business customers belong to the Marriott Rewards program.
2 – Marriott for some inexplicable reason does not allow customers to be part of both Marriott Rewards and the Ritz Carlton Rewards program. You much choose one.
3 – Customers who have historically been Ritz Carlton loyalist probably don’t care very much about a loyalty program as they are likely to be fairly wealthy and don’t have time or the inclination to maintain a loyalty program membership let alone manage and track promotions.
4 – The customers who are likely to be most interested in this promotion are Marriott customers who are choosing between a high end Marriott property for business travel and would consider buying up to a Ritz Carlton if the corporate business travel policy permitted it.
For these individuals, the simple answer to statement #4 is to switch your Marriott Rewards account to Ritz Carlton and participate in the current promotion!
How Do I Switch My Marriott Account to Ritz Carlton?
Marriott allows you to switch between Marriott Rewards and Ritz Carlton by calling customer service. Just call 801-468-4000 and ask to speak to an agent. Tell the agent that you want to switch your loyalty program from Marriott Rewards to Ritz Carlton Rewards. It will only take the agent 20 seconds to do it.
Once your membership is switched, you can then go to the registration site and register for the promotion. From reports that I have read, you must have been a Ritz Carlton member before the promotion started in order to register, meaning that you must have switched your membership prior to July 1, 2013. However, I switched my membership after learning about the program and was able to register for the bonus. I did have a problem registering for it online, and I needed to send an email to customer support asking them if I could register. Customer support got back to me very quickly and registered me for the promotion!
Bottom Line
It is very easy to switch your account from Marriott Rewards to Ritz Carlton. All it takes is a short phone call. If your company allows you to stay at Ritz Carlton, I would strongly suggest making the switch and taking advantage of this great promotion.