Velocity Frequent Flyer, the award-winning program of Virgin Australia today announced a major expansion to its hotel portfolio, launching a new partnership with Starwood Preferred Guest®, the leading loyalty program of global luxury hotel group Starwood Hotels and Resorts.

From today, members will be able to transfer Starpoints into Velocity Frequent Flyer Points when staying at any of the 1,200 hotels located in nearly 100 countries under the Starwood brand including St. Regis, The Luxury Collection, W, Westin, Le Méridien, Sheraton, Four Points by Sheraton, Aloft and Element.

Velocity Frequent Flyer Chief Executive Officer, Neil Thompson said: “We are proud to become the only Australian loyalty program to partner with Starwood Hotels and Resorts.

“Starwood’s iconic range of hotels is well positioned for the international traveller, offering 1200 properties in nearly 100 countries. The new partnership complements our expansive global network with Air New Zealand, Delta Air Lines, Etihad Airways and Singapore Airlines.

“From today, members can seamlessly transfer Starpoints from their Starwood Preferred Guest account into their Velocity account to put towards future rewards such as flights.

“We will continue to look for like-minded brands and industry-leading partners to offer a rich and rewarding loyalty program”, Mr Thompson said.

Starwood Hotels and Resorts joins Velocity Frequent Flyer’s expansive portfolio, which includes over 340 brands and partners, the widest range of any loyalty program in Australia.

About the new partnership

• Starpoints can now be transferred into Velocity Frequent Flyer Points
• 1 Starpoint = 1 Velocity Point
• When members transfer 20,000 Starpoints or more in a single transaction, they receive 5,000 bonus Points.

Special launch offers:

• From now until 31 May 2014, Velocity Frequent Flyer members will be able to enjoy 15% discount at participating restaurants and bars in Starwood properties in Australia
• Further, Velocity Members who register and book by 31 March will receive a 2,000 Starpoints bonus. Stay to be completed by 31 May 2014. Valid for 3 months at Starwood hotels in Asia Pacific
• Four Points by Sheraton will be offering beer through the signature Best Brews™ beer program at various Virgin Australia lounges on select dates during February and March 2014.

About Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. is one of the leading hotel and leisure companies in the world with 1,200 properties in nearly 100 countries and 171,000 employees at its owned and managed properties. Starwood is a fully integrated owner, operator and franchisor of hotels, resorts and residences with the following internationally renowned brands: St. Regis®, The Luxury Collection®, W®, Westin®, Le Méridien®, Sheraton®, Four Points® by Sheraton, Aloft®, and Element®. The Company boasts one of the industry’s leading loyalty programs, Starwood Preferred Guest(R) (SPG), allowing members to earn and redeem points for room stays, room upgrades and flights, with no blackout dates. Starwood also owns Starwood Vacation Ownership, Inc., a premier provider of world-class vacation experiences through villa-style resorts and privileged access to Starwood brands. For more information, visit www.starwoodhotels.com.

*Starpoints® earned in the SPG program are only able to be transferred to valid a Velocity account. Transfer rate: 1 Starpoint is the equivalent of 1 Velocity Point. Velocity Members who transfer 20,000 Starpoints into their Velocity account in a single transaction will receive 5,000 bonus Starpoints at time of transfer. Once Starpoints have been transferred to the Velocity Member’s Velocity account, they cannot be returned to the Starwood Preferred Guest account. Minimum transfer requirement of 1,500 Starpoints for Gold Preferred Guests and 2,500 Starpoints for Preferred Guests applies. There is no minimum Starpoint transfer requirement for Platinum Preferred Guests.

To participate in the Bonus Starpoint offer, Velocity Members must register online at www.spg.com/velocity by 31 March 2014 and be a member of the Starwood Preferred Guest (“SPG”) Program. If a Velocity member is not a member of the SPG Program, a free membership may be obtained at www.spg.com The Bonus Starpoint Offer is valid for eligible stays booked between 17 February 2014 and 31 March 2014 and completed 17 February 2014 and 31 May 2014. The Bonus Starpoint offer is valid only at participating hotels and resorts in Asia Pacific. A minimum stay of two eligible nights is required to qualify. See the SPG Terms and Conditions for eligibility criteria. 2,000 Starpoints per two (2) eligible nights will be credited to the member’s SPG account within 4-6 weeks following the close of the promotion. Multiple rooms charged to the same member during the same stay will only count as one stay. A member can earn a maximum of up to 6,000 Starpoints per stay. Only the member’s base Starpoints will be doubled. A qualifying rate is any rate that is eligible to earn Starpoints in the Starwood Preferred Guest program as defined in the SPG Terms of Use.

^Restaurant & Bar discount offer is valid until 31 May 2014 and only applies to participating outlets. Please view the list of participating outlets. A valid Velocity membership card must be presented at the time of purchase. Purchaser must be the Velocity member. Discount is applicable on food portion of the bill only. Discount is not applicable to breakfast or beverages. Breakfast may be defined differently by venue. Please contact the venue directly for any questions on how breakfast is defined. Further conditions apply.