Starwood Preferred Guest and Sheraton Hotels & Resorts have launched a partnership with Major League Baseball to bring fans closer to the game with exclusive experiences and enhanced access to live baseball content.
Under the agreement, Sheraton is named the Official Hotel of Major League Baseball and SPG is the Official Hotel Loyalty Program of Major League Baseball. The collaboration gives Sheraton guests and SPG members special opportunities to follow their teams while traveling, bid on unique baseball experiences and attend marquee games. To mark the partnership, Sheraton hosted screenings of MLB postseason games at select hotels across North America, while SPG offered members the chance to redeem Starpoints for pairs of World Series tickets.
“We are thrilled to become the Official Hotel of Major League Baseball, a sport we know is a true passion for a lot of our Sheraton guests,” said Dave Marr, global brand leader, Sheraton Hotels & Resorts. “The partnership provides Starwood with the ability to connect with the MLB fan base, a large and highly engaged audience that will help support the brand’s repositioning and further drive loyalty.”
Beginning with the 2016 season, Sheraton made MLB.TV available complimentary to guests and elite SPG members, allowing fans to stream out-of-market games while on the road. In the United States, MLB Network became available as an in-room entertainment channel, offering around-the-clock baseball coverage and analysis.
The partnership also integrates travel and ticketing through custom Starwood booking widgets placed on MLB.com and on participating teams’ schedule pages. These widgets simplify the booking process for fans traveling to see their teams and highlight special promotions, sweepstakes and other offers that give guests chances to attend games and win MLB-themed prizes.
“This new partnership will provide MLB content and unique experiences to Sheraton guests and SPG members, offering baseball fans an attractive benefit when making a hotel choice,” said Noah Garden, executive vice president, business, MLB. “In addition, MLB will deliver enormous visibility to millions of passionate baseball fans, giving Sheraton an important platform to showcase its new brand positioning.”
Throughout the 2016 season, SPG members gained access to once-in-a-lifetime experiences through SPG Moments. These opportunities included meet-and-greets with players, batting practice access and premium game tickets. SPG members could find details about available experiences and how to redeem them at spg.com/moments.