Racing Fans Finish First as Marriott International Extends Marketing Partnership with Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport

BETHESDA, Md., March 14, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- For the upcoming F1 season, beginning March 17, Marriott International is revving up and expanding its marketing partnership with Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport. The big winners will be the members of Marriott's newly renamed travel program Marriott Bonvoy, which replaced Marriott Rewards, The Ritz-Carlton Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG).

"Our marketing partnership with Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport team will give Marriott Bonvoy members, many of whom are fans of the team, the opportunity to pursue their passion for the sport," said Karin Timpone, Global Marketing Officer, Marriott International.

Among some of the money-can't-buy experiences on Marriott Bonvoy Moments – the travel program's experiential platform – that members will be able to bid on with their Marriott Bonvoy points are:

• Spending the night on the exclusive Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport luxury yacht during the Monaco Grand Prix and enjoying full hospitality during race weekend.

• Being chauffeured by Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas to the circuit on race day.

• Being driven around the track in a high-performance Mercedes-AMG car by a professional driver during race weekend.

• Learning the ropes from the experts themselves in the Pit Stop Challenge.

These Marriott Bonvoy Moments will be in addition to other member experiences, including behind the scenes access with the team over Grands Prix weekends for the ultimate fan selfie, where drivers, media and celebrities hang out, visits to the team garage, and prime viewing venues and other experiences at races throughout the season.

"We are delighted to expand our marketing partnership with Marriott International," said Toto Wolff, Team Principal & CEO, Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport. "We can already look back on a very successful seven years together, but now we're taking our marketing partnership to a whole new level. The extension proves that Formula One keeps growing as a marketing platform for leading global brands who want to further strengthen their brand awareness and value. In addition to access to a huge, global audience, F1 offers the possibility to deliver unique, once-in-a-lifetime experiences to partners and their customers thanks to the equally exciting and exclusive nature of the sport. We are pleased to be delivering those experiences to Marriott Bonvoy members."

The new agreement not only extends the marketing partnership of seven years, but also significantly expands it. For example, going beyond typical meet and greets to creating opportunities for members to spend time with the drivers in relaxed and luxurious environments.   

Under the terms of the multi-year agreement, Marriott Bonvoy will become the racing team's "Official Hotel Loyalty Program," while The Ritz-Carlton, one of Marriott's luxury brands, will become the team's first ever "Official Hotel Partner." Logos for Marriott Bonvoy and The Ritz-Carlton will appear on the racing suits of the drivers Hamilton and Bottas, whilst Marriott Bonvoy will be the team's first partner brand on the car's halo. The Ritz-Carlton will bring its legendary service to the team's premium at-track VIP hospitality space, the Silver Arrows Lounge, which will be called The Ritz-Carlton Silver Arrows Lounge in select markets. And amongst wider marketing initiatives, Marriott Bonvoy and The Ritz-Carlton brand will bring the partnership to life for guests through social media, in-room TV and Marriott Bonvoy Traveler – the company's popular digital magazine.

About Marriott Bonvoy  
Marriott Bonvoy is the new travel program replacing Marriott Rewards, The Ritz-Carlton Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG). Comprised of a portfolio of 30 hotel brands, members can earn and redeem points for hotel stays and accelerate the points they earn with co-branded credit cards from Chase and American Express.  The program offers 120,000 destination tours and adventures on Marriott Bonvoy Moments. When members book direct on Marriott.com they receive perks including free and enhanced Wi-Fi and exclusive member-only rates, and on the Marriott app they enjoy mobile check-in and checkout, Mobile Requests and, wherever available, Mobile Key. To enroll for free or for more information about Marriott Bonvoy, visit MarriottBonvoy.com. To download the Marriott app, go here. Travelers can also connect with Marriott Bonvoy on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

About The Ritz-Carlton 
The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C., currently operates more than 100 hotels and over 45 residential properties in 30 countries and territories. For more information or reservations, visit the company web site at www.ritzcarlton.com, for the latest company updates, visit news.ritzcarlton.com and to join the live conversation, use #RCMemories and follow along on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C. is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR). The Ritz-Carlton is proud to participate in Marriott Bonvoy, the new name of Marriott's travel program replacing Marriott Rewards®, The Ritz- Carlton Rewards®, and Starwood Preferred Guest® (SPG). The program offers members an extraordinary portfolio of global brands, experiences on Marriott Bonvoy Moments and unparalleled benefits including earning points toward free hotel stays and nights toward Elite status recognition. To enroll for free or for more information about the program, visit MarriottBonvoy.marriott.com.

About Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport 
Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport is the works Formula One Team of Mercedes-Benz, competing in the FIA Formula One™ World Championship – the pinnacle of world motorsport and the largest annual sporting series in the world.

Based at two world-class technology campuses in the UK, the team designs, develops, manufactures and races the race cars and Hybrid Power Units driven by five-time World Champion Lewis Hamilton and race-winning team-mate Valtteri Bottas.

Formula One is a uniquely demanding technical and human challenge, requiring the right alchemy of cutting-edge technologies, high-performance management and elite teamwork to deliver results at 21 Grands Prix around the globe in a race season running from March to December.

Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport set new benchmarks for F1™ success on its way to winning the Constructors' and Drivers' World Championships in 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018. During those five Championship-winning seasons, the team scored 74 wins, 147 podiums, 84 pole positions, 33 fastest laps and 39 one-two finishes from 100 race starts.

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SOURCE Marriott International, Inc.