SPG Members Can Earn and Redeem Starpoints for Broadway Tickets and Bid on a Variety of Once-in-a-Lifetime Opportunities
WHITE PLAINS, N.Y.—Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. (NYSE: HOT) and its award-winning Starwood Preferred Guest program have formed a new exclusive alliance with Audience Rewards, the official rewards program of Broadway. Launched today to coincide with the start of New York City’s first Broadway Week (January 24 - February 10), the innovative, new alliance will grant SPG members premium access to New York City’s famed Broadway performances.
SPG members can now redeem and earn Starpoints for Broadway show tickets, obtain advance tickets to select shows, and use their Starpoints for upgrade redemptions to select shows. Members can also bid on once-in-a-lifetime opportunities such as sitting with a stage manager and calling cues for actors and stagehands during a performance of Broadway’s biggest blockbuster WICKED, a meet-and-greet with the cast of Billy Elliot and more through the SPG Moments program. Visit SPG.com/broadway to earn and redeem and take advantage of other periodic offers or SPG.com/moments to bid on once-in-a-lifetime experiences.
“With 17 world class hotels, New York City is not only home to more Starwood Hotels than any other city in the world, but it is also one of the top destinations for our members. As the only hospitality loyalty program to partner with Audience Rewards, Starwood Preferred Guest is in the unique position of being able to offer personalized, direct access to one of New York City’s crown jewels – Broadway theatre,” said Chris Holdren, Senior Vice President, Starwood Preferred Guest. “We are excited to provide SPG members with a new opportunity to connect with their passions in meaningful, memorable ways.”
SPG’s partnership with Audience Rewards also represents an exciting new opportunity for Broadway. “Inbound travelers represent an enormous part of Broadway’s customer base with over 60% of ticket buyers coming from out of town,” said Josh Lesnick, President of Audience Rewards. “With Starwood’s diverse portfolio of world-class brands, Audience Rewards will have the ability to reach new theatre audiences and align individual hotels and shows to create unique experiences for members of both programs.”
SPG is kicking off the partnership with a sweepstakes: for every two-night stay at a Starwood hotel in February, members will automatically be entered into a drawing for a chance to win a suite at The Westin New York at Times Square for two nights, plus an opportunity to walk the red carpet at the March opening of How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying starring Daniel Radcliffe (Equus on Broadway, Harry Potter film series) and John Larroquette (Night Court, The Practice). Winners will also receive premium seats to the opening night performance and an invitation to the insider after-party. For more information and to register for the sweepstakes visit SPG.com/broadwaysweeps.
To celebrate the new alliance, SPG Members can also save 10% on their New York City stay at participating Starwood hotels. Book at starwoodpromos.com/broadwayrewards or by calling 866.716.8114 and mentioning rate code AUD1-15.
The groundbreaking SPG Moments program launched in 2007, and since then thousands of members have transformed their Starpoints into extraordinary lifestyle events. In addition to these Broadway theatre offerings, SPG members have gained insider access to red carpet movie premieres, meet and greets with world famous musicians, championship sporting events, exclusive golf clinics with top pro players, and private dinners with world-renowned chefs.
About Audience Rewards
Audience Rewards is the first and only rewards program created to thank dedicated patrons of Broadway and the performing arts for their loyalty. Recognized as the official rewards program of Broadway, Audience Rewards was created by a coalition of the leading Broadway theatre owners and operators, presenters, and performing arts centers around America as a free benefit to consumers. Members can earn and redeem rewards points for unique theatre experiences, tickets, seat upgrades, and merchandise, and to gain inside access to arts information, special services and member events. For more information visit: www.AudienceRewards.com.
About Starwood Preferred Guest
The SPG program’s breakthrough policy of No Blackout Dates at the world’s most sought after collection of hotels, reinvented the hospitality loyalty program when it launched in 1999. By creating a program centered on its members, SPG has developed the most passionate and knowledgeable membership base in the hotel loyalty space. Through its use of new technologies and innovative channels such as SPG.com, SPG.com/stayconnected, SPG.com/flights and others, SPG continues to innovate and lead the industry. By offering No Blackouts on standard rooms at over 1,000 hotels and resorts in nearly 100 countries, No Blackouts on hundreds of airlines, and once in a lifetime experiences available through SPG Moments at spg.com/moments, the program has proven to be a big draw for the world’s most frequent travelers, and a significant competitive advantage for Starwood. For more information about Starwood Preferred Guest please visit SPG.com or call (877) – STARWOOD.
About Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with 1025 properties in 100 countries and territories with 145,000 employees at its owned and managed properties. Starwood Hotels is a fully integrated owner, operator and franchisor of hotels, resorts and residences with the following internationally renowned brands: St. Regis®, The Luxury Collection®, W®, Westin®, Le Méridien®, Sheraton®, Four Points® by Sheraton, and the recently launched Aloft®, and Element SM. Starwood Hotels also owns Starwood Vacation Ownership, Inc., one of the premier developers and operators of high quality vacation interval ownership resorts. For more information, please visit www.starwoodhotels.com.