BETHESDA, Md., Dec. 15, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Marriott Rewards and Virgin America are joining together to offer Rewards members a new earning option. Marriott Rewards members who choose Virgin America's Elevate program as their earning choice can earn Elevate points on stays at any of Marriott Rewards more than 3,500 participating hotels throughout the world. 

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Effective immediately, Marriott Rewards members who designate Elevate as their earning preference will receive:

One (1) Elevate point per USD$1 spent at:

• Marriott Hotels & Resorts
• JW Marriott
• Renaissance Hotels & Resorts
• Marriott Vacation Club
• Autograph Collection
• EDITION (room rate only)
• The Ritz-Carlton (room rate only)

Or one (1) Elevate point per USD$2 spent (room rate only) at:

• Courtyard by Marriott (MAR)
• Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott
• SpringHill Suites by Marriott
• Residence Inn by Marriott
• TownePlace Suites by Marriott
• Marriott Executive Apartments

In addition, Marriott Rewards members can convert their Marriott Rewards points into Elevate points at the following exchange rates:

"As a still young and growing airline, we're pleased to expand our loyalty program and partner with another distinctive travel brand," said Brett Billick Director of CRM at Virgin America. "This partnership will allow more of our frequent flyers to earn real rewards even more quickly."

Virgin America's unique brand of low-fares and upscale service has swept the major travel awards since the airline's 2007 launch, including "Best Domestic Airline" in Travel + Leisure's World's Best Awards and "Best Domestic Airline" in Conde Nast Traveler's Readers' Choice Awards. The growing carrier's new aircraft offer a host of innovative amenities, including custom-designed seating, mood-lit cabins, power outlets, fleetwide WiFi and the Red" platform the most advanced in-flight entertainment system in the skies.  

Meeting planners can earn one (1) Elevate point per $2 US spent on meeting related expenses as part of Marriott Rewards Rewarding Events program. Qualified events have at least 10 room nights on a single night or are catered-only events. 

About Virgin America

Headquartered in California, Virgin America offers guests attractive fares and a host of innovative features aimed at reinventing air travel.  In just four years flying, Virgin America was named "Best Domestic Airline" in the Conde Nast Traveler 2008, 2009 and 2010 Readers' Choice Awards and "Best Domestic Airline" in Travel + Leisure's 2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011 World's Best Awards. The airline's base of operations is San Francisco International Airport (SFO).  In April 2011, the airline became an anchor tenant at SFO's new sleek and sustainable Terminal 2. In addition to a Main Cabin that offers each guest a personal TV, power outlets and a leather seat with a deeper, more comfortable pitch, the airline's First Class offers plush white leather seating with 55 inches of pitch, 165 degrees of recline and lumbar massagers. The carrier's Main Cabin Select option offers 38-inches of pitch, free food and cocktails, an all-access pass to media content, dedicated overhead bins and priority check-in/boarding.  Virgin America flies to San Francisco, Los Angeles, New York, Washington D.C., Seattle, Las Vegas, San Diego, Boston, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, DallasFort Worth, Los Cabos, Cancun, Chicago, Puerto Vallarta (as of Dec. 2, 2011) and Palm Springs (as of Dec. 15, 2011).  For more, visit: www.virginamerica.com  For photos/video of the airline's new aircraft and hightech interiors, visit:http://www.virginamerica.com/about/airlinephotos/virginamericapictures.html

About Elevate

Elevate is Virgin America's firstofitskind loyalty program, which offers guests the ability to redeem points for any unsold seat on any Virgin America flight, at any time. Elevate offers one of the industry's most generous and easytoredeem flight reward programs, as few as four roundtrips or 2,500 points can earn members a reward flight. Elevate members are able to retain their points indefinitely, as long as they either earn or redeem points at least once every 18 months. Elevate members receive exclusive offers that only the worldclass Virgin brand could provide, such as tickets to star-studded Hollywood premieres and the chance to compete to earn a seat on a Virgin Galactic suborbital space flight.

About Marriott Rewards

Marriott Rewards has no blackout dates and members can earn and redeem points at more than 3,500 Marriott International hotels around the world.  In addition to hotels and frequent flyer miles, members can also redeem points for merchandise, cruises, car rentals and more. 

Marriott Rewards points can be earned and redeemed at 13 distinctive brands, including JW Marriott®, EDITION^®, Autograph Collection®, Renaissance® Hotels, AC Hotels by Marriott, Marriott® Hotels & Resorts, Courtyard by Marriott®, Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott®, SpringHill Suites by Marriott®, Residence Inn by Marriott®, TownePlace Suites by Marriott® and Marriott Vacation Club®.  Members can also earn and redeem points at Marriott Rewards' exclusive luxury hotel partner, The Ritz-Carlton®.

Marriott Rewards won the 2011 and 2010 Frequent Travel Award and 2009 Freddie Award for "Best Hotel Rewards Program," and has been named best hotel rewards program by the readers of Business Traveler, Global Traveler, Executive Travel and BusinessWeek magazines.

For information about Marriott Rewards, guests can call 1-800-450-4442 or visit MarriottRewards.com.

About Marriott International, Inc.

MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL, INC. is a leading lodging company with nearly 3,700 lodging properties in 72 countries and territories. Marriott International operates and franchises hotels under the Marriott, JW Marriott, The Ritz-Carlton, EDITION, Autograph Collection, Renaissance, AC Hotels by Marriott, Residence Inn, Courtyard, TownePlace Suites, Fairfield Inn & Suites, SpringHill Suites and Bulgari brand names; develops and operates vacation ownership resorts under the Marriott Vacation Club, The Ritz-Carlton Destination Club, and Grand Residences by Marriott brands; licenses and manages whole-ownership residential brands, including The Ritz-Carlton Residences, JW Marriott Residences and Marriott Residences; operates Marriott Executive Apartments; provides furnished corporate housing through its Marriott ExecuStay division; and operates conference centers. The company is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, USA, and had approximately 129,000 employees at 2010 year-end. It is ranked by FORTUNE as the lodging industry's most admired company and one of the best companies to work for.  In fiscal year 2010, Marriott International reported sales from continuing operations of nearly $12 billion. For more information or reservations, please visit our website at www.marriott.com, and for the latest company news, visit www.marriottnewscenter.com.

SOURCE Marriott International, Inc.