Latest news with #Toomey
Mint
36 minutes ago
- Business
- Mint
Marriott, Flipkart tie up for loyalty programmes; 2:1 conversion may raise value concerns
Mumbai: Marriott International and Flipkart have announced a loyalty partnership, bringing together Marriott Bonvoy points and Flipkart's SuperCoins under a single exchange framework. The alliance enables members of the two programmes to earn and redeem rewards across platforms, converting shopping expenses into hotel stays and hotel points into online purchases. The partnership connects two of the largest ecosystems, Marriott Bonvoy with its 159 hotels across India and a global portfolio of 30 brands, and Flipkart, which reaches over 500 million users nationwide. Together, the loyalty bases add up to nearly 700 million members. 'This is not a campaign or a programme. It is a first-of-its-kind loyalty integration, globally,' said John Toomey, chief commercial officer, Asia Pacific (excluding China), Marriott International. 'By linking accounts, members can access the benefits of both platforms. Flipkart users can earn Bonvoy points while shopping, and Marriott customers can redeem their points for purchases on Flipkart.' At the heart of the integration is a two-way exchange: two Bonvoy points convert into one SuperCoin, and vice versa. This effectively halves the value in round-trip conversions. For instance, 100 SuperCoins become 50 Bonvoy points, but converting back yields just 25 SuperCoins. Executives from both companies acknowledged the concern but emphasized that most users will convert in one direction based on their goals.'Consumers are used to exchanges across loyalty programmes provided the ratio is fair, and we believe this is fair,' Toomey said. 'A currency becomes more valuable when its utility extends beyond one platform,' Manjari Singhal, Flipkart's head of travel, added. For Marriott, the tie-up is also a way to go beyond frequent travellers and deepen its presence in smaller towns. Flipkart's penetration into tier 2 and tier 3 cities gives Marriott access to customers who may not travel often enough to accumulate free nights but can now build value by linking everyday shopping with hotel stays. 'Infrequent travellers, who only book once or twice a year, can now use their points more meaningfully, even for smaller purchases,' Toomey said. The partnership is live immediately and extends to Flipkart Travel and Cleartrip. International redemptions will be enabled in the coming months. Both companies declined to put projections on revenue or cross-platform redemptions in the first year, calling the model experimental. Metrics will include new sign-ups, linked accounts, and frequency of transfers across platforms. Marriott said India is now its fourth-largest market globally and 'a safe bet' for future growth, with domestic and outbound tourism expected to drive demand. Flipkart, meanwhile, is pitching the integration as part of its vision of building a cross-category rewards ecosystem. Competitors like Taj's InnerCircle and ITC's Club ITC have strong domestic programmes, but Marriott executives argue their edge lies in Flipkart's reach. 'They don't have Flipkart. We do,' Toomey said.
Rhyl Journal
09-07-2025
- Sport
- Rhyl Journal
Electrical sparks big-race dreams for Brian Toomey
The former jockey turned trainer – who sustained life-threatening injuries in a fall at Perth in 2013 – had previously never sent out a juvenile winner from his Chalfont St Giles base before the Jeff Smith-owned son of Nathaniel turned up the voltage on some useful looking rivals. Toomey was thrilled to see Smith's famous purple silks carried to success in his name and, although sent off a 25-1 shot for his racecourse bow, his handler was always confident he had a smart youngster on his hands. Upset at @NewburyRacing! Electrical is bred for to be useful in time but is a surprise winner on debut, showing lots of promise to open his account at the first time of asking for @BToomeyRacing and @_JasonWatson! — At The Races (@AtTheRaces) July 3, 2025 'It meant a lot for me to train my first two-year-old winner and it to be a homebred winner of Jeff's and Jeff was there on the night,' said Toomey. 'He's a very special man and it's a privilege to train for him. 'It looked a bit brave going for a Newbury novice and his sire Nathaniel isn't known for two-year-old runners and he was also taking on a colt of Eve Johnson Houghton's (Goldwork) that had won well last time out. 'So it looked like it would be a really competitive event but his work at home had been very good and albeit I'm a very small stable so he hadn't been overworked, I had done a barrier trial with him at Lingfield which was a great experience with him and gave me some confidence.' Toomey will now consult with Smith and his team before deciding the next step of Electrical's career, but he could be seen in deeper waters later in the season to continue his on-track education. 'He's a big, big horse so to win at this stage of his career can only be a bonus,' continued Toomey. 'I will discuss in depth with Jeff and David Bowe (racing manager) what we do next and I think I will potentially step him up a furlong. 'It's hard to win a novice under a penalty isn't it, so when there's some ease in the ground I might look at some of the nice two-year-old races later in the season at Doncaster and Newbury. 'For now there's no rush with him, we'll give him time to get over his debut and hopefully strengthen up again ahead of whatever we decide to do next.'
Leader Live
08-07-2025
- Sport
- Leader Live
Electrical sparks big-race dreams for Brian Toomey
The former jockey turned trainer – who sustained life-threatening injuries in a fall at Perth in 2013 – had previously never sent out a juvenile winner from his Chalfont St Giles base before the Jeff Smith-owned son of Nathaniel turned up the voltage on some useful looking rivals. Toomey was thrilled to see Smith's famous purple silks carried to success in his name and, although sent off a 25-1 shot for his racecourse bow, his handler was always confident he had a smart youngster on his hands. Upset at @NewburyRacing! Electrical is bred for to be useful in time but is a surprise winner on debut, showing lots of promise to open his account at the first time of asking for @BToomeyRacing and @_JasonWatson! — At The Races (@AtTheRaces) July 3, 2025 'It meant a lot for me to train my first two-year-old winner and it to be a homebred winner of Jeff's and Jeff was there on the night,' said Toomey. 'He's a very special man and it's a privilege to train for him. 'It looked a bit brave going for a Newbury novice and his sire Nathaniel isn't known for two-year-old runners and he was also taking on a colt of Eve Johnson Houghton's (Goldwork) that had won well last time out. 'So it looked like it would be a really competitive event but his work at home had been very good and albeit I'm a very small stable so he hadn't been overworked, I had done a barrier trial with him at Lingfield which was a great experience with him and gave me some confidence.' Toomey will now consult with Smith and his team before deciding the next step of Electrical's career, but he could be seen in deeper waters later in the season to continue his on-track education. 'He's a big, big horse so to win at this stage of his career can only be a bonus,' continued Toomey. 'I will discuss in depth with Jeff and David Bowe (racing manager) what we do next and I think I will potentially step him up a furlong. 'It's hard to win a novice under a penalty isn't it, so when there's some ease in the ground I might look at some of the nice two-year-old races later in the season at Doncaster and Newbury. 'For now there's no rush with him, we'll give him time to get over his debut and hopefully strengthen up again ahead of whatever we decide to do next.'
South Wales Guardian
08-07-2025
- Sport
- South Wales Guardian
Electrical sparks big-race dreams for Brian Toomey
The former jockey turned trainer – who sustained life-threatening injuries in a fall at Perth in 2013 – had previously never sent out a juvenile winner from his Chalfont St Giles base before the Jeff Smith-owned son of Nathaniel turned up the voltage on some useful looking rivals. Toomey was thrilled to see Smith's famous purple silks carried to success in his name and, although sent off a 25-1 shot for his racecourse bow, his handler was always confident he had a smart youngster on his hands. Upset at @NewburyRacing! Electrical is bred for to be useful in time but is a surprise winner on debut, showing lots of promise to open his account at the first time of asking for @BToomeyRacing and @_JasonWatson! — At The Races (@AtTheRaces) July 3, 2025 'It meant a lot for me to train my first two-year-old winner and it to be a homebred winner of Jeff's and Jeff was there on the night,' said Toomey. 'He's a very special man and it's a privilege to train for him. 'It looked a bit brave going for a Newbury novice and his sire Nathaniel isn't known for two-year-old runners and he was also taking on a colt of Eve Johnson Houghton's (Goldwork) that had won well last time out. 'So it looked like it would be a really competitive event but his work at home had been very good and albeit I'm a very small stable so he hadn't been overworked, I had done a barrier trial with him at Lingfield which was a great experience with him and gave me some confidence.' Toomey will now consult with Smith and his team before deciding the next step of Electrical's career, but he could be seen in deeper waters later in the season to continue his on-track education. 'He's a big, big horse so to win at this stage of his career can only be a bonus,' continued Toomey. 'I will discuss in depth with Jeff and David Bowe (racing manager) what we do next and I think I will potentially step him up a furlong. 'It's hard to win a novice under a penalty isn't it, so when there's some ease in the ground I might look at some of the nice two-year-old races later in the season at Doncaster and Newbury. 'For now there's no rush with him, we'll give him time to get over his debut and hopefully strengthen up again ahead of whatever we decide to do next.'
North Wales Chronicle
08-07-2025
- Sport
- North Wales Chronicle
Electrical sparks big-race dreams for Brian Toomey
The former jockey turned trainer – who sustained life-threatening injuries in a fall at Perth in 2013 – had previously never sent out a juvenile winner from his Chalfont St Giles base before the Jeff Smith-owned son of Nathaniel turned up the voltage on some useful looking rivals. Toomey was thrilled to see Smith's famous purple silks carried to success in his name and, although sent off a 25-1 shot for his racecourse bow, his handler was always confident he had a smart youngster on his hands. Upset at @NewburyRacing! Electrical is bred for to be useful in time but is a surprise winner on debut, showing lots of promise to open his account at the first time of asking for @BToomeyRacing and @_JasonWatson! — At The Races (@AtTheRaces) July 3, 2025 'It meant a lot for me to train my first two-year-old winner and it to be a homebred winner of Jeff's and Jeff was there on the night,' said Toomey. 'He's a very special man and it's a privilege to train for him. 'It looked a bit brave going for a Newbury novice and his sire Nathaniel isn't known for two-year-old runners and he was also taking on a colt of Eve Johnson Houghton's (Goldwork) that had won well last time out. 'So it looked like it would be a really competitive event but his work at home had been very good and albeit I'm a very small stable so he hadn't been overworked, I had done a barrier trial with him at Lingfield which was a great experience with him and gave me some confidence.' Toomey will now consult with Smith and his team before deciding the next step of Electrical's career, but he could be seen in deeper waters later in the season to continue his on-track education. 'He's a big, big horse so to win at this stage of his career can only be a bonus,' continued Toomey. 'I will discuss in depth with Jeff and David Bowe (racing manager) what we do next and I think I will potentially step him up a furlong. 'It's hard to win a novice under a penalty isn't it, so when there's some ease in the ground I might look at some of the nice two-year-old races later in the season at Doncaster and Newbury. 'For now there's no rush with him, we'll give him time to get over his debut and hopefully strengthen up again ahead of whatever we decide to do next.'
