In the hospitality industry, not many companies can match the caliber of Marriott Bonvoy, which has amassed 87 hotels across the archipelago with plans to exceed 100, as well as transforming Jakarta into a premier destination home to luxurious brands such as the Ritz-Carlton and St. Regis.

Moreover, to truly present a seamless travel experience, Marriott Bonvoy has made a new collaboration with Bank Mandiri to make it easier for Indonesian cardholders to gain easy access to Marriott Bonvoy’s global portfolio of hotels and resorts and its award-winning loyalty program.

Together, the two unveiled the Marriott Bonvoy® Mandiri Credit Card, designed to give Indonesian customers greater access to global travel rewards through their everyday transactions. The momentous occasion was held at the Astor Ballroom, The St. Regis Jakarta, as the landmark collaboration is the first of its kind in Southeast Asia.

Shifting focus in Southeast Asia

“We’re always looking for meaningful ways to help our members travel better and experience more. Bank Mandiri’s scale and strong reputation makes it the perfect partner to connect us to more deeply with guests in Indonesia, delivering greater value and premium lifestyle solutions to customers,” said Ramesh Jackson, Regional Vice President, Indonesia & Malaysia, Marriott International.

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While Marriott Bonvoy’s vast portfolio spans more than 30 hotel brands across over 10,000 destinations worldwide, Indonesia has presented a great potential for the brand to launch its 35^th credit card collaboration, opening the gateway to more strategic partnerships in Asia Pacific.

The interest in Indonesia captivates not just the international community, with the increase of local travelers, as noted by Ramesh Daryanani, Vice President, Global Sales, Loyalty Operations and Partnerships, in Asia Pacific, excluding China, of Marriott International. Adorning the walls of the opening ceremony are videos showcasing the beauty the country has to offer, highlighting popular destinations such as Lombok, Labuan Bajo, Bintan and Belitung, as well as Jakarta and Bali.

Another video featuring General Managers of properties across the country solidifies that Marriott Bonvoy will welcome travelers and become a home away from home, no matter the places they wander to.

“First, I think this is one of the most developed markets in Asia Pacific, excluding China (APEC). It has a robust economy, with a growing population that is spending more and traveling more. We're seeing more domestic travel, about 1.2 billion domestic trips annually, which is a 17 percent increase year-on-year. We're seeing almost 9 million international trips, and that's growing significantly, with Indonesian travel around the world,” said Ramesh Daryanani.

Meanwhile for Bank Mandiri, one of the largest banks in Indonesia, the collaboration marks the first partnership with a global hospitality group. In unveiling the participation, Vice President Director Henry Panjaitan emphasized that this collaboration marks a strategic milestone in strengthening Bank Mandiri’s integrated ecosystem-based financial solutions, while delivering tangible added value for customers by optimizing daily transactions into global travel benefits.

“We welcome this co-branded credit card issuance through a synergistic partnership with Marriott Bonvoy, a global leader in the hospitality industry. This initiative reinforces the integration of Bank Mandiri’s ecosystem and accelerates the delivery of value-added financial solutions that enable customers to maximize their everyday transactions into a wide range of rewards, while supporting more efficient and measured expense management,” said Henry.

Gaining privilege with every tap

While the card is designed for everyday transactions that will lead to travel rewards, successful applicants can find comfort that they don’t have to start from zero. Customers are guaranteed to be able to waive the Annual Fee in the first year, as well as receiving 5,000 Marriott Bonvoy welcome bonus points, and get automatic Silver Elite status. Cardholders can also earn a Free Night Award worth up to 20,000 points upon meeting the required spend criteria.

Through the use of this card, travelers can pave their way to Gold Elite status to unlock more attractive benefits such as complimentary room upgrades, priority late checkouts, and enhanced earning rates.

Explaining the tier system, Ramesh Daryanani said, “Right out the door, this card rewards cardholders so much more. In addition to that, if you reach the Rp 30,000,000 (US$1,779.78) range every month, you'll earn 2,500 points and if you reach the Rp 150,000,000 (US$ 8,898.91) range annually, you'll get gold status. So, it's unique how it's structured and the fact that you can clear a lot of benefits the more you use it and I think the beauty of this card is that you earn your reach you earn across categories.”

The increase in status proved to be easier as customers can earn up to five Marriott Bonvoy points on eligible spend transactions across airfare, hotel stays, and up to three on domestic spends.

The everyday transaction will also help tremendously, as Bank Mandiri has amassed a vast portfolio in itself, and guarantees unlimited merchant & Airport Lounge Access across Indonesia.

Furthermore, the credit card also operates in existing ecosystem, because of its integration with Livin’ by Mandiri App, enabling seamless QRIS payments, Virtual Card usage, Power Installment up to 36 months and Power Cash Access.

“Technically, technology is actually the backbone, because what is called when talking about experience? Right now, people really need easy access to transparency, so we integrate this product into our super app service, Livin’ by Mandiri, so customers can start from applying, and they can also access QR payment services, and everything,” said Ferdy Edwar Moezwar, Vice President, Credit Cards Group.

He added, “Then, from there, we have made integration with the international merit system so that when customers apply, they can immediately enroll in the Marriot Bonvoy brand membership, so everything can be more seamless. So, we see the importance of system integration to make it easier for customers, from when they apply until they use it.”

And in the future, the benefits will become limitless, earning more benefits by going on more adventures. Both Marriott Bonvoy and Bank Mandiri concurred that this collaboration can serve as a blueprint for more partnerships between the two industries they operate in.

“I think this is just the beginning. As you heard, the key to growing your world starts with this card I think this is a card that will be recognized and used by a large portion of the population. One thing we will do is we will listen to what customers say what else they want and through that, there will be other opportunities for growth and collaboration. I think this is just the beginning, we are scratching the surface here and what we will do together and I want to say, watch this space,” said Ramesh Daryanani.

“For us, it's an extraordinary experience, that's what really differentiates it from other cards. Other cards are fine, they can go anywhere, but they don't get the benefits of Marriott Bonvoy. In my opinion, Marriott Bonvoy is the best of the best, it has the best hotels, that's why we choose that and we align it with our customer profile,” closed Agus Hendra Purnama Senior Vice President PT Bank Mandiri (Persero) Tbk.

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