Oral Muir, VP of partnerships, experiences and distribution at Hilton, said that partnering with like-minded brands outside of hospitality“ allows Hilton to offer guests more curated and diverse experiences that match their evolving preferences.” These collaborations, he said,“ help us build credibility in new areas and provide additional perks and benefits, making the overall travel experience even better.”
For example, for the past 20 years, Hilton and McLaren Racing have partnered to provide“ a home away from home” for the McLaren F1 team. This partnership, said Muir, not only supports the team, but also extends exclusive access to Hilton Honors members, bringing them closer to the races, events and communities they are passionate about.
Paul Proctor, SVP of loyalty & partnerships at IHG Hotels & Resorts, said the company“ believes travel is about more than just a place to stay, it’ s about experiencing the world in ways that excite, inspire and connect people to what they love most.”
IHG partners with the United States Tennis Association and Major League Soccer in the U. S., the Men’ s & Women’ s Guinness Six Nations Championship in the U. K., and this year’ s Rugby Australia’ s Qatar Airways British & Irish Lions Tour. The company offers members exclusive perks, like VIP tickets, meet-and-greets with their favorite athletes and more, all through the IHG One Rewards Access platform where loyalty members can redeem their points for bespoke experiences.
For music fans, IHG works with some of the world’ s biggest music festivals to further strengthen the brand’ s global presence, including MDLBEAST’ s XP Music Futures, Soundstorm and Balad Beast in the U. A. E., where loyalty members can access behindthe-scenes areas and prime viewing spots to watch top artists perform.
Through all these partnerships, said Proctor, IHG“ strives to create unforgettable experiences for guests, leaving a lasting impression and inspiring future travel with IHG, while also increasing value for our owners and driving business back to our hotels.”
Mandy Gill, managing vice president, brand & marketing U. S. and Canada at Marriott International, said the Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program is“ a gateway to unlock unforgettable journeys that connect travelers to the people, places and passions they love, anywhere in the world and by partnering with brands outside of hospitality, consumers can gain access to both every day and once-in-a-lifetime experiences.”
Both travel and sports have the unique ability to bring people together through shared experiences, according to Gill. Current Marriott sports partners include the NFL, NCAA, Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS Formula One Team and the U. S. Soccer Federation. These partnerships, said Gill,“ provide fans unforgettable experiences and unparalleled access to their favorite teams and allow them to engage with the community of fans during the biggest sporting events throughout the world.”
As the official hotel partner of NCAA
Hilton has a multi-year partnership with McLaren Racing that allows Hilton Honors members“ money-can’ t-buy” access to the McLaren Formula 1 Team, which includes Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, pictured here at the Silverstone Grand Prix 2024.
and March Madness, this year Marriott launched a new campaign, Points for Points, that rewarded sports fans for every point scored during the 2025 Men’ s and Women’ s March Madness tournaments. Through this sweepstakes, the company saw more than 166,000 registrations from current and
WE TREAT EVERY PARTNERSHIP LIKE A BRAND EXTENSION, SO MISALIGNMENT ISN’ T AN OPTION
– JOELLE PARK, CMO, BWH HOTELS
July / August 2025 hotelsmag. com 13