BETHESDA, Md., April 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Marriott Rewards took top honors, winning Program of the year (hotel) in the Americas, at the Freddie Awards, the loyalty industry's most prestigious awards, along with four other awards.   Marriott Rewards received the highest number of votes in virtually every category globally. 

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"We work every day on behalf of our members and are so grateful to them for giving us this tremendous honor," said Ed French, senior vice president for Marriott Rewards. 

Marriott took first place in the following categories:

• Best Promotion for Redemption (hotel) – Americas
• Best Redemption Ability (hotel) – Americas
• Best Elite Level Program (hotel) –Americas
• Best Customer Service (hotel) – Americas

Introduced in 1988 by InsideFlyer magazine's Randy Petersen, the "Freddies" have grown in stature and importance to become the most prestigious member-generated awards in the travel loyalty industry. The goal of the Freddie Awards is to give voice to the frequent flyer and to honor the efforts of an industry that counts more than 300 million members worldwide.

In 1988 thousands of voters cast Freddie Award ballots. Today, more than 1 million ballots are cast annually. This year, balloting is available in the following languages: English, German, Spanish, French, Norwegian, Chinese and Japanese. And voters will be able to cast a ballot for their favorite travel loyalty program in one of three geographical regions: The Americas, Europe/Africa and Middle East/Asia/Oceania.

Marriott Rewards has no blackout dates and members can earn and redeem points at more than 3,600 Marriott International hotels around the world, including JW Marriott® , EDITION, The Autograph Collection, Renaissance® Hotels, AC Hotels by Marriott, Marriott® Hotels & Resorts, Courtyard by Marriott®, Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott®, SpringHill Suites by Marriott®, Residence Inn by Marriott®, TownePlace Suites by Marriott®, and Marriott Vacation Club^®.  Members may also earn and redeem points at Marriott Rewards exclusive luxury hotel partner, The Ritz-Carlton.  Members can also redeem points for frequent flyer miles, cruises, car rentals and more. 

For information about Marriott Rewards, guests can call 1-800-450-4442 or log onto MarriottRewards.com.

Visit Marriott International, Inc. (NYSE: MAR) for company information. For more information or reservations, please visit our web site at www.marriott.com, and for the latest company news, visit www.marriottnewscenter.com.

SOURCE Marriott International