Corporate Bits | Marriott and Starwood merge loyalty programs

After Marriott’s acquisition of Starwood Hotels & Resorts earlier this month, the company is now in a position to flaunt an expanded portfolio of 30 “leading hotel brands”, according to a statement from Starwood media representatives.
Marriott will now offer to guests the choice from 5,700 hotels and 1.1 million rooms across 110 countries.
Members of Marriott’s loyalty programs, Marriott Rewards – which includes The Ritz-Carlton Rewards – and Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG), are invited to link their accounts online, to enjoy the benefits each program has to offer.
Members will have their status matched across programs and will be able to transfer and redeem points across programs to travel to more destinations than ever before.
According to the statement, members who link their accounts will be able to transfer points at a three-to-one ratio (three Marriott Rewards points will be equal to one SPG Starpoint) between the two programs.

mgm hosts engineering society macau inauguration

MGM hosted the Macau Chapter inauguration ceremony of the American Society of Heating, Refrigerating and Air Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE) on Tuesday, welcoming the international organization to establish itself in the territory.
MGM’s executive director of facilities management, Peter Chan, has been elected to be the first president of the Macau Chapter, warmly receiving the official chapter flag to commemorate the occasion.
“I am proud to have been awarded with this honor […] Inspiring the next generation of young engineers is fundamental; the Macau Chapter will hold several student project competitions and also sponsor one young engineer from Macau to join the global Young Engineers in ASHRAE [YEA] leadership training program”, he said, according to a statement from MGM China.
In addition to hosting the event, MGM also donated the full set of ASHRAE technical materials as an educational resource to the University of Macau. These standards are often referenced in building codes worldwide, and are considered essential resources for the industry.