Marriott and Starwood Add 'Master Class' Experiential Moments

Update 10/4/17: TPG social media editor Samantha Rosen had an opportunity to join one of Marriott's Master Classes, with chef Daniel Boulud in New York City.

At the event, she toured the kitchen with none other than Daniel Boulud himself — and even snagged a picture with the celebrity chef.

He and his staff helped Master Class participants prepare one of five courses for this truly one-of-a-kind dining experience. Each dish was paired with a wine tasting, making each course even more memorable.

She left with a full stomach — and a signed cookbook.

Since the close of the Starwood and Marriott deal, we've learned that they're (slowly) working toward one, unified rewards program. In the meantime, members of the Starwood Preferred Guest program and the Marriott Rewards program can link their accounts, get reciprocal status and transfer their points between programs, along with a few other benefits. Of course, the rest will take some time.

But beginning today, SPG and Marriott are launching new experiential moments called "master classes," which will be available on both SPG Moments and Marriott Rewards Moments platforms. The master classes are labeled as one-of-a-kind learning experiences that are "designed to be highly personal interactions with superstars in sports, culinary, entertainment and lifestyle."

As of this afternoon, there are a few master classes available for purchase on the SPG Moments and Marriott Rewards Moments platforms, such as:

• NBA Skills Training with Dwayne Wade at the JW Marriott Marquis Miami
• Cooking Lessons with Eric Ripert at the Cayman Cookout Hosted by The Ritz-Carlton Grand Cayman
• Surf Lessons with Laird Hamilton at Sawgrass Marriott Golf Resort & Spa in Florida
• Culinary Experience with Chef Paco Pérez at Hotel Arts Barcelona
• Two-Day Golf Clinic with Annika Sörenstam at The Ritz-Carlton Lake Tahoe
• Golf Lessons with Padraig Harrington at The Ritz-Carlton, Half Moon Bay in California
• Golf Skills Clinic with Thomas Bjorn at The Westin La Quinta Golf Resort & Spa, Benahavis, Marbella, Spain
• Underwater Conservation with Jean-Michel Cousteau at The Ritz-Carlton, Kapalua, Hawaii

In addition, SPG and Marriott will continue to add more master classes in the coming weeks and months. They'll include the possibility of some unique experiences, such as partnerships with the NFL and NBA, the Sound Suite at the W hotels and much more.

On the Marriott Moments site, which has a specific master classes subsection, you'll notice that some of the events can be bought outright with points while others are auctions. Keep in mind that you can transfer points between the two programs at a 1:3 ratio — each Starpoint is equivalent to three Marriott points.