Wyndham Hotels & Resorts has stepped up to the plate and entered into a new multi-season partnership with Minor League Baseball. The deal makes Wyndham the Official Hotel Partner of Minor League Baseball (MiLB) with its loyalty program, Wyndham Rewards, becoming MiLB’s Official Hotel Loyalty Partner.
“It could not be a better match of a partnership for Wyndham Rewards and our everyday traveler,” Dana Rosenberg, SVP, marketing, Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, told Hotel Business. “We know that their fan is our guest and our members are their fans. So, from that perspective, it is a fantastic partnership that is going to help Wyndham Rewards not only drive engagement with our current member base, but also build awareness with Minor League Baseball’s fan base.”
Rosenberg said the company chose Minor League Baseball as the program’s newest partner based on MiLB’s growing popularity, accessibility and strong synergies between its guests, particularly its rewards members, and MiLB’s fan base.
Through Wyndham’s new relationship with Minor League Baseball, Rewards members will be able to redeem points for “unprecedented” access to all that MiLB has to offer, including tickets to games, one-of-a-kind experiences such as throwing a first pitch, behind-the-scenes ballpark tours, batting practice field access and more. Benefits are slated to go live later this summer.
“We were able to find so many synergies and connection points that made sense for our brands to align,” Uzma Rawn, SVP, global partnerships, Major League Baseball, which owns Minor League Baseball, told Hotel Business. “Wyndham offers its guests affordability and accessibility, as does Minor League Baseball to our fans.”
“When you consider our Minor League Baseball stadiums around the country, on average nearly 20 by Wyndham branded hotels are within a 25-mile radius,” she added. “It’s a partnership that truly fits like a glove.”
Wyndham’s partnership with Minor League Baseball also includes a series of additional touchpoints designed to raise visibility of the program among fans while simplifying travel to and from Minor League games. These include a heavy presence at more than 8,000 scheduled Minor League games in the form of branded stadium features, sponsorship of Minor League Baseball’s Official Ballpark Guides, a social and digital media presence, and Wyndham booking links on MiLB.com as well as all 120 Minor League Baseball Club sites.
While the partnership is great for fans, it also offers Wyndham franchisees benefits. Official MiLB League travel will now include stays at Wyndham hotels. Franchisees will have access to all team logos, allowing for cross marketing opportunities between hotels and their local Minor League team.
Added Rosenberg, “This is an incredibly rich and detailed partnership, one that brings immense value not just for Wyndham Rewards, but Wyndham’s thousands of hotel franchisees who are the heart of everything we do.”