Emirates partners with Starwood for Your World Rewards

Emirates Airline and Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide have partnered on a new loyalty program, Your World Rewards, for existing Emirates Skywards and Starwood Preferred Guest members.

Those registered for the programme will be able to increase the benefits they get when flying with Emirates or staying at hotels participating in the Starwood Preferred Guest programme. Such benefits include hotel upgrades, complimentary internet access in rooms and priority check-in and boarding when flying with Emirates.

"The combination of Emirates' growing global network, Starwood's innovative take on hospitality and our top-rated loyalty programmes allows us to recognise our most valuable customers with a heightened level of service and greater rewards wherever they travel," said Thierry Antinori, executive vice president and chief commercial officer of Emirates Airlines.

"This partnership unites two like-minded companies with complementary global footprints, putting more rewards on the map and taking our most loyal guests' travel to new heights."

Membership for the Starwood Preferred Guest loyalty programme in emerging markets has grown 400 per cent in just five years, according to Mark Vondrasek, senior vice president, distribution, loyalty and partnership marketing at Starwood. He added that the the partnership will help address this shift.

The Middle East is only behind China and India as the fastest-growing market for Starwood's loyalty programme.

"Your World Rewards allows us to cultivate even greater loyalty with travellers from the world's fastest-growing travel markets," Vondrasek said.

"As Emirates increasingly connects East with West, and the emerging markets to the developed world, their reach dovetails perfectly with Starwood's pre-eminent high-end, global footprint and our pipeline of new hotels, 75 per cent of which will open in emerging markets."