Starwood Extends Live Nation Pact
Starwood Hotels & Resorts will extend the multi-million dollar sponsorship alliance it signed with Live Nation in 2009. As part of the renewal, members of the Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) program will continue to be able to use points towards exclusive Live Nation music experiences.
Starwood will continue to run promotions and redemption opportunities with SPG, have access to acoustic performances, tickets and experiences, and hold exclusive after parties at Starwood properties throughout the world. Since the alliance began, Starwood says that SPG members have taken part in such activities as: witnessing Sting perform pre-show sound checks, taking drum lessons with Daniel Adair from Nickelback, and having the opportunity to meet artists including Dave Matthews, John Mayer, Jonas Brothers, Depeche Mode and Katy Perry. Starwood will remain the exclusive preferred hotel partner of Live Nation and Ticketmaster worldwide.
"Starwood's SPG program has been a category differentiator since its inception and our innovative alliance with Live Nation Entertainment solidifies our leadership position by providing members with benefits that are not only exclusive, but that align with their passions and pursuits," said Phil McAveety, Chief Brand Officer for Starwood. "Our relationship with Live Nation Entertainment has been extremely successful and we're pleased to renew and expand it so that our members and their families have the opportunity to get up close and personal with their favorite music artists." 
With the renewal, the partnership is expected to expand into Latin America, Europe, the Middle East and Asian markets. Starwood looks to capture new business from music fans when they buy their concert tickets online by providing the 'Where To Stay' booking function on both livenation.com and ticketmaster.com.
"The partnership capitalizes on the power of our integrated marketing platform, including the third largest ecommerce site in the world," said Russell Wallach, President of Live Nation Network. "We're tapping into our thousands of concerts to offer Starwood's guests exceptional experiences that build on the power of live entertainment, while helping Starwood to reward and expand their customer base through highly efficient and measurable marketing programs to drive their business."
