|
Uber Technologies Inc. is joining with Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. to give rewards on the hotel chain’s traveler program to its car-booking app users.
Uber Technologies Inc. is joining with Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide Inc. to give rewards on the hotel chain’s traveler program to its car-booking app users. Uber riders can link their account to the Starwood Preferred Guest program and accrue points at any Starwood hotel worldwide. Starwood, based in Stamford, Connecticut, has nine hotel brands including the St. Regis, the W, the Sheraton and the Westin. “From today Starwood Preferred Guests can link with their Uber account and get star points for every dollar they spend on Uber,” said Chris Holdren, senior vice president of Starwood Preferred Guest and Digital. “And when they stay in our hotels, they earn even more points.” Starwood has similar transportation partnerships with Delta Air Lines Inc., Emirates Airline and casino-chain Caesars Entertainment Corp. For Uber, “this is the first partnership of a kind,” said Jonathan DiOrio, head of Uber’s travel partnership. “The travel category is important for us and we are always looking for ways to reward our partners.” The San Francisco-based company, started in 2009, quickly expanded to 291 cities in over 50 countries. To fund its growth, the ride-sharing company has raised more than $4 billion in equity and debt at valuation of $40 billion, as much as Delta Air Lines, and one of the highest for a private technology startup. Uber entered a similar partnership with American Express Co. last year to let users book its car services using rewards points. Also last year, the company rolled out Uber for Business, which lets business travelers make reservations for cars on their corporate accounts and was already adopted by Citigroup Inc. and Morgan Stanley. |
