For the first time since U.S. News and World Report began ranking travel rewards programs in 2013, Marriott Rewards has been dethroned by Wyndham Rewards as this year’s best hotel rewards program. Choice Privileges and Marriott Rewards tied for the No. 2 spot. The accomplishment is particularly notable for Wyndham, as the company just announced a revamp of the program in 2015. Noah Brodsky, SVP of worldwide loyalty and engagement, says the young age of the program was beneficial to its success. “Our short runway was our advantage,” he says. “We didn’t have some of the legacy rules and structures that some of the other loyalty programs have, it allowed us to really be innovative. We’re up over 80 percent now in the number of reward nights that have been redeemed in the new program versus the old program. That’s getting our best customers even more hooked into our product and also driving a million nights of room revenue back to the owners.” Read more here.
