Ritz-Carlton Hotels joins Marriott Rewards program

The Ritz Carlton Cancun.

By Joe Brancatelli

More than a decade after Marriott bought Ritz-Carlton, Ritz hotels have joined the Marriott Rewards program. Effective immediately, members of Marriott Rewards can earn points for stays at Ritz properties and use points to claim free stays at 70 Ritz-Carlton properties around the world. If you’re wondering why Marriott finally bowed to reality and put Ritz into Marriott Rewards, consider these statistics: In 2009, the average daily rate (ADR) at Ritz-Carlton dropped 16 percent compared to 2008. But the ADR at all of the Marriott properties declined just 10 percent.Occupancy at Ritz-Carlton properties dropped 7.1 percent in 2009, but just 5.8 percent at Marriott overall.

The long-overdue integration of American Airlines AAdvantage with British Airways’ Executive Club kicked in on October 1. Most importantly, you can now earn AAdvantage miles on all British Airways flights. Ditto for Iberia flights. And you can use AAdvantage miles to claim awards on all British Airways and Iberia flights.

InterContinental Hotels now offer credit in the AirTran A+ Rewards program. A+ Rewards members can receive a 1/2 credit for each stay and Intercontinental Priority Club Rewards members can cash 10,000 points for two A+ Rewards credits.

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