by Mia Taylor
Last updated: 5:41 PM ET, Thu July 26, 2018
A date has been set for the merger of the Marriott, Ritz-Carlton and Starwood Hotels frequent guest programs.
Marriott Rewards, Ritz-Carlton Rewards, and Starwood Preferred Guest will officially become one program on August 18, according to Marriott's website for program members. The new combined program replaces the three existing offerings.
"On August 18, we'll become one powerful program. We're working hard toward a smooth transition and we'll be with you every step of the way," states the website, which outlines all the key points members need to know about the merger.
The combined programs will have about 110 million members, according to the company. To put that in perspective, the Hilton Honors program has about 70 million members.
Under the merger, there'll be new benefits and Elite status tiers, according to the member website. In addition, participants will be able to combine SPG and Rewards accounts, adding up all of the nights stayed across 29 brands, possibly even achieving a new Elite status.
Members will be allowed to combine all Rewards and SPG nights back to January 1, 2018, to achieve one of six Elite status levels. Reaching Silver Elite status requires just 10 nights.
The merger may not be without hiccups.
Marriott is cautioning members that as of August 18, its loyalty websites and apps might be occasionally unavailable as all three programs are being brought together in a single platform.
"Our systems will be down much of August 18 starting at approximately 6 a.m. EST to launch your new member experience," states the website. "In addition, you may experience temporary disruptions in making reservations and accessing your account via our websites, apps and Call Centers for a period of time following this systems outage. Thank you for your patience during this transition."
A company spokesperson told SFGate that "during this planned system transition there will be times when no one can make a booking, and times when we will only be accepting credit card bookings. As a result of those particular instances, members will not be able to book a redemption stay or have their member number attached to their reservation."
Marriott's takeover of Starwood took place nearly two years ago.
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