The new partnership of MGM Resorts with Marriott Bonvoy is live.

Some MGM Resorts properties can be booked through Marriott. All aspects of the partnership should be live before the end of March.

Nothing has changed since MGM Resorts released information about the program in January. You can read the official info from MGM Resorts here. The info from Marriott is here.  

One important thing to note is the name – MGM Resorts with Marriott Bonvoy. This isn’t a straight rewards program partnership.

Mr. Travelzork and Movestro recently discussed the partnership on YO!

Here are a couple of notes:

• Match from MGM Rewards status to Marriott Bonvoy.
• No matching status from Marriott Bonvoy to MGM Rewards.

Marriott Bonvoy members will receive certain tier-level perks at MGM Resorts properties if they book through the Marriott website. However, they will have to pay a resort fee unless they already have MGM Rewards Gold status or better obtained separately from this partnership.

I’ll touch on this shortly since it ties into information from MGM Resorts’ most recent earnings call. You can read the transcript of the call here if you’re curious about MGM earnings. I covered some highlights here if you want a quick recap of the earnings call.

This Is A Major Financial Deal For MGM Resorts

The deal should be a big revenue generator for MGM Resorts. As a reminder companies have this kind of partnership so that the companies can make more money. 

If the deal benefits the customer, that’s great but it’s secondary to the two partners. Having said that, there should be many visitors to Las Vegas who see benefits.

During the recent MGM Resorts earnings call the company said the MGM Rewards database is now over 44 million members thanks in part to forcing BetMGM gamblers to sign up for accounts.

On its recent earnings call, Marriott said Bonvoy currently has 196 million members. That’s a lot larger than MGM Rewards. 

Skift has some interesting notes from Marriott and Hyatt’s earnings calls if you’re curious about more info on the two companies. 

I listen to Las Vegas casino earnings calls so I can understand the motivation behind how the business operates. This blurb from MGM Resorts CEO Bill Hornbuckle stood out to me:

“(O)ur transient segment will grow as a result of the Marriott relationship, which will bring a new customer base and will be acquired at lower acquisition costs, higher rates, and more spend on property.”

The bottom line for MGM Resorts is that this partnership will allow MGM to sell more rooms at higher rates to new customers who will spend money at their casinos.

It should come as no surprise that Marriott is also focused on how this deal will generate revenue. Both sides appear very happy with the early days of the partnership and expect it to be even better when they’re completely integrated.

This casino and hotel partnership appears that it will be different than the previous deal with MGM Rewards and Hyatt. Remember the name of the partnership – “MGM Collection with Marriott Bonvoy.” 

This is not a rewards partnership like the previous arrangement. It could change but this doesn’t appear to be a merging of equals. We’ll learn about this as the partnership rolls out.

I have no personal opinion about partnerships with hotel chains. I’m only curious about the business side since I’m not much of a traveler. 

As it relates to the Travelzork community, I’m always curious if partnerships like this are a good deal for friends who frequently travel for work and use the rewards for themselves.

What’s your early take on the Marriott Bonvoy partnership with MGM Resorts? Drop a comment below or wherever you find this.