The Marriott group operates a loyalty-reward scheme where customers obtain points which are redeemable on production of a certificate. There are over 49 million customers worldwide and customers (‘members’) accrue points for stays at hotels (sponsors). Points are redeemed at hotels (‘redeemers’) where they obtain a room for no extra charge.

Marriott Rewards LLC (MR) is incorporated in the US and a subsidiary of Marriot International Inc. Marriot does not generally own hotels. In 2014, 42.4% of hotels were managed on behalf of others and 56.2% were under a franchise agreement. MR did not contract directly with hotels, but rather through other Marriot group companies via participating agreements.