Marriott Rewards Members Can Fuel Their Passion For Travel Even Faster With New South African Airways Partnership

BETHESDA, Md., Jan. 5, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Marriott Rewards, Marriott International's award-winning loyalty program, announced that members can now earn South African Airways (SAA) Voyager miles for stays at more than 4,000 Marriott hotels across 16 distinctive global brands. As part of this new partnership, Marriott Rewards members can now also redeem points for SAA Voyager miles.

"Providing our members with even more flexibility to fuel their journey of exploration is part of our mission at Marriott Rewards," said Kevin McCarthy, Vice President of Loyalty Member Experience at Marriott International. "Through our partnership with South African Airways -- our 41st airline partner -- our 54 million members will have the freedom to enjoy the benefits of loyalty in ways that are most meaningful to them -- whether earning miles during their stays, or using points to get the miles they need to travel even sooner."

"We are excited to launch this partnership with Marriott Rewards," said Suretha Cruse, SAA Executive, Customer Loyalty. "Marriott Rewards includes hotels worldwide, most recently adding Protea Hotels, one of the leading African hotel groups, to the program. We are confident that this new partnership will really benefit our members."

As of today, Marriott Rewards members who designate South African Airways as their earning preference will receive:

• Two (2) SAA Voyager miles per $1 US spent on qualifying hotel charges at the following brands:
  • JW Marriott®
  • Autograph Collection® Hotels
  • Renaissance® Hotels
  • Marriott Hotels®
  • Marriott Vacation Club®

• Two (2) SAA Voyager miles per $1 US spent on room rate only at the following brands:
  • The Ritz-Carlton®
  • EDITION®
  • Gaylord Hotels®

• One (1) SAA Voyager mile per $1 US spent on room rate only at the following brands:
  • Protea Hotels®
  • Courtyard by Marriott®
  • AC Hotels by Marriott®
  • SpringHill Suites by Marriott®
  • Fairfield Inn & Suites®
  • Residence Inn by Marriott®
  • TownePlace Suites by Marriott®
  • Marriott Executive Apartments®
  • Moxy Hotels®
  • Delta Hotels ® (coming Q1 2016)

Members can also earn one (1) SAA Voyager mile per $1 US spent, with a maximum of 15,000 points per event, on events with at least ten (10) room nights on a single night or catered-only events. Participating hotels worldwide include The Ritz-Carlton®, JW Marriott®, EDITION®, Gaylord Hotels®, Autograph Collection® Hotels, Renaissance® Hotels, Marriott Hotels®, Courtyard by Marriott®, AC Hotels by Marriott®, SpringHill Suites by Marriott®, Fairfield Inn & Suites®, and Marriott Vacation Club®.

Marriott Rewards members can also convert their Marriott Rewards points into SAA Voyager miles at the following exchange rates:

In addition to earning points for their stays, Marriott Rewards members enjoy extra benefits, such as free Wi-Fi and mobile check-in through the Marriott Mobile app, as well as special deals only available when booking direct on a Marriott channel.

About Marriott Rewards

Marriott Rewards is Marriott International's award-winning loyalty program spanning 16 brands and over 4,000 properties worldwide. Marriott Rewards is free to join and has no blackout dates and members can earn and redeem points at Marriott International properties around the world and at Marriott Rewards exclusive luxury partner The Ritz-Carlton®.  Members can also redeem points for frequent flyer miles, cruises, car rentals, merchandise and more. By making rewards accessible with a modern, easy approach, Marriott Rewards continues to be a leader in the industry. Marriott Rewards has won the Freddie Award for "Best Hotel Rewards Program in the Americas" for the last eight years and is a two-time winner of the Frequent Travel Award for "Best Hotel Rewards Program." In addition, the program has been named best hotel rewards program by the readers of U.S. News & World Report, About.com, Business Traveler, Global Traveler, Executive Travel and BusinessWeek magazines. To enroll and for more information about Marriott Rewards, guests can visit MarriottRewards.com.

About SAA Voyager

South African Airways (SAA) Voyager is a loyalty program owned by SAA (SOC) Limited and serves as the frequent flyer program for: SAA; SA Express (SOC) Limited; and Airlink Proprietary Limited. Mango (SOC) Limited, SAA's wholly owned low cost carrier, is a high customer value ranked redemption partner of the program. Launched during 1994, the program offers its more than 2.5 million members earning and spending of Miles (the program's reward currency) from 55 program partners. The program boasts more than 35 airline partnerships, including the Star Alliance global network which gives members access to more than 1,300 destinations in 190 countries. The evolution of SAA Voyager has seen the program expanding from being a traditional frequent flyer program, by diversifying its offering to include more than 20 non-airline partners in categories ranging from travel-related to lifestyle, retail, property, and financial services; delivering on its promise to become forever part of their members' journeys.  SAA Voyager is dedicated to upholding the same high standards of customer service excellence today and in the future, as it has for decades. SAA Voyager program partners gain access to a rich partner network and one of the biggest loyalty databases on the continent, which has proven to translate to increased revenues and enhanced customer retention. To enroll and for more information about SAA Voyager, please visit FlySAA.com.

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SOURCE Marriott Rewards