/Sheraton-Sanya-Haitang-Bay-Resort.jpg?n=1951&tr=w-160%2Ch-90%2Cfo-auto "Sheraton Sanya Haitang Bay Resort")
Sheraton Sanya Haitang Bay Resort
Vondrasek said that airlines and hotels have long partnered on their frequent flyer programmes. But this programme is more targeted.
Starwood Hotels & Resorts and Emirates Airline have partnered to create Your World Rewards for elite members of their respective loyalty programmes.
They will receive exclusive benefits, including Starwood's 4 p.m. late checkout and free in-room Internet and Emirates’ priority check-in and priority boarding.
Your World Rewards members will earn Starpoints when they fly Emirates and bonus miles when they stay with Starwood.
This is not new for Starwood. It has a similar programme, Crossover Rewards, with Delta.
“That has been very successful,” said Mark Vondrasek, Starwood’s senior vice president of distribution, loyalty and partnership marketing.
One difference between Crossover and Your World Rewards, he said, is that 95% of Crossover members live in the U.S. The Emirates partnership opens up the rest of the world to Starwood.
Emirates’ frequent-flyer base is geographically fragmented. “We have a truly global customer base,” said Matthias Schmid, Emirates’ vice president of sales.
Vondrasek said that airlines and hotels have long partnered on their frequent flyer programmes. But this programme is more targeted.
“We’re finding strategic partners where we can go deep and integrate the experience,” he said.
Schmid said that Emirates passengers can earn silver status — the lowest elite level — with two round trips between the U.S. and Dubai.
Emirates’ frequent-flyer base is geographically fragmented. “We have a truly global customer base,” said Matthias Schmid, Emirates’ vice president of sales.
Vondrasek said that while he would not rule out future partnerships with other airlines, Starwood is not in active talks with anyone else. He said the two companies had spent a year in setting up Your World Rewards.
Schmid said that Emirates has no current plans to replicate the programme with another hotel group.
Emirates has more than 230 aircraft and flies to 140 destinations in 80 countries. It plans to double in size by 2020. Starwood has more than 1,200 properties in 100 countries.