SINGAPORE - MasterCard Worldwide and Starwood Hotels and
Resorts are joining hands once again to reward MasterCard
cardholders who are members of Starwood Preferred Guest
(SPG), with a free weekend Night Award at over 250 Starwood
Hotels and Resorts. The promotion, in its fourth year now,
has been expanded to include selected Starwood properties
in the Middle East and Africa. To qualify for this
privilege, guests need to stay three times at a minimum of
one night per stay, at any of the participating hotels from
1 November 2010 to 31 January 2011, and pay for their stays
using a MasterCard card. Cardholders who are not SPG
members can simply join online for free. The Free Weekend
Night Award can be redeemed for a Friday, Saturday or a
Sunday night at the participating hotels and resorts,
except in properties in select countries in the Middle East
and Africa, where it can be redeemed on a Thursday, Friday
or Saturday. The expansion of the program to cover the
Middle East and Africa means travellers to popular
destinations in the two regions, such as Bahrain, Egypt,
Israel, Jordan, Morocco, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia,
United Arab Emirates and Yemen, can also enjoy this
promotion. According to the results of MasterCard's travel
survey conducted in Mar-Apr 2010, one in four consumers
surveyed across Asia/Pacific, Middle East and Africa wanted
to take a trip abroad in the six months ahead. Many of
these would-be travellers ranked destinations within their
region as places they were likely to visit. "We are excited
to continue our partnership with MasterCard and to reward
our guests with such a rich offer. In busy times like this,
it is important to have a short break to recharge and
rejuvenate and this promotion is a great opportunity to do
so." said Nelli Yong, vice president, Brand Marketing,
Starwood Asia Pacific Hotels & Resorts.