The Appointment
Marriott International has named Chris Buckner senior vice president of loyalty. The appointment took effect immediately, and a Marriott spokesperson confirmed the hire to Hotel Dive.
Peggy Roe, Marriott's executive vice president and chief customer officer, announced the appointment in a LinkedIn post on Wednesday 16 September 2026. A company spokesperson then confirmed the title to Hotel Dive.
Buckner most recently served as executive vice president of product, loyalty and design at The Points Guy, according to his LinkedIn profile. Earlier in his career he held loyalty programme and partnership roles at JetBlue.
What the Role Sits Over
Marriott Bonvoy carries the member relationship, and the card products sit alongside it. Roe named loyalty offerings and card offerings in the same sentence and tied both to member experiences.
Roe wrote that Buckner will bring a “fresh perspective, customer focus, and new energy” to a mission “to create value for hotels, owners, and even more meaningful experiences for our members through our loyalty and card offerings.”
She said his background covers airlines, loyalty and customer experience.
Why the Channel Team Should Read It
The role controls the programme that carries Marriott's member bookings, and Marriott has been buying member experiences with it. Lucy Werner, senior vice president of global partnerships at Marriott, named sports, music, culinary and the outdoors last month at a Hotel Dive virtual event, with unique loyalty experiences for Bonvoy members as the purpose.
Marriott partnered with the NFL on a loyalty collaboration that gives Bonvoy members curated travel guides with recommendations from current and former football stars.
The corporate channel moved in the same month. On 11 September 2026 Marriott expanded its partnership with Spotnana on a direct integration with Marriott's central reservation system. Marriott states that Spotnana is the first corporate booking technology company to deliver verified loyalty linking with Marriott Bonvoy. Corporate travelers get live rates and inventory, and they can modify or cancel bookings inside Spotnana's platform.
Marriott also confirmed a strategic review of its Customer Engagement Centers on 17 September 2026. A spokesperson said the changes were being made to “better reflect how our guests interact with us across channels” and that new roles would be posted. The spokesperson did not confirm layoffs or an employee count.
What Marriott Has Not Published
Marriott confirmed the title and the immediate start. The company has published no team size, no budget and no scope for the role beyond the title.
The partnership calendar is the first visible measure. Sports, music, culinary and the outdoors are the four areas Marriott names, and the NFL travel guides are the item members have seen.