Hard Rock International debuts global rollout of new loyalty platform

07.05.2024 - 18:23 / thepointsguy.com / Lionel Messi / Jim Allen

Hard Rock International's new loyalty program has a star-studded kickoff to its global rollout.

The Unity by Hard Rock loyalty program now allows members to earn rewards at more than 200 hotels, casinos, cafes and Rock Shops associated with the Hard Rock brand worldwide. Hard Rock's accompanying "Come Together" launch campaign features stars like soccer legend Lionel Messi and Grammy Award-winning musical powerhouses like John Legend and Shakira, plus a rendition of The Beatles' "Come Together" recorded by artist Noah Kahan.

"With hospitality offerings that encompass hotels, casinos, Cafes, retail outlets and more, Hard Rock is uniquely positioned to launch this one-of-a-kind loyalty program that rewards our guests' passions for entertainment, travel, gaming and food," Keith Sheldon, president of entertainment and brand management at Hard Rock International and Seminole Gaming, said in a statement.

There is a wide array of benefits and points earning potential to Unity, which rolled out across select properties in recent months. Members can earn and redeem Unity points toward free hotel nights, dining experiences, merchandise and more offerings in the Hard Rock network.

Jim Allen, chairman of Hard Rock International and CEO of Seminole Gaming, told TPG ahead of the launch that the global loyalty program — which replaces prior limited offerings like Hard Rock Rewards, Seminole Wild Card and Wild Card Rewards — has been in the works for about a decade.

"The challenge was that so many of our competitors in this space own 100% of their business, and it's easy [for them] to create a mandate that we're going to have a centralized customer rewards redemption program. But in our case, [it's] a brand that's more than 50 years old and [involves] partnerships and relationships in 70 countries around the world," he said. "Some are in hotels, some are in restaurants, some are in retail or online, some in sports betting, some in gaming, some in regional casinos and some in big, huge integrated resorts. It just took, candidly, some time for everyone and the technology platform to come together."

Unity by Hard Rock has four membership tiers: Star, Legend, Icon and the invite-only X status. Unity's Star tier is achieved by having anywhere from 0 to 3,999 Unity Tier Credits, while Legend is for those with 4,000 to 14,999 Tier Credits. Icon is for those with 15,000 or more Unity Tier Credits.

Hotel benefits like early check-in, late checkout, welcome amenities and room upgrades are offered to those at Icon and X status. Interestingly, a nightly room refresh is offered as a membership benefit only to those with X status. A full list of tier benefits can be found here.

Members move up the membership tier ranks by earning