Loyalty tips

Good morning from Skift. It’s Wednesday, March 27. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.

Breeze Airways announced Tuesday it would launch a co-branded credit card and a re-branded loyalty program, an ambitious step for the young low-cost carrier. 

Hilton said Tuesday it plans to let travelers book upscale outdoor lodging, or “glamping,” through its website and app later this year thanks to a licensing deal with operator AutoCamp. The hotel group will let members of its loyalty program earn and redeem points at the campsites run by AutoCamp, featuring amenity-filled tents, cabins, and Airstream trailers.

Marriott said Monday that the 200 millionth person had joined its loyalty program as the company aims to retain its title as having the world’s largest hotel rewards program.

Marriott International is the world’s largest hotelier, but Hilton Worldwide is a close rival. The following are noteworthy details from the latest annual 10-K filings for Marriott and Hilton.

In December 2019, Ariane Gorin, president of Expedia Business Services, moderated a fireside chat with Chairman Barry Diller and Vice Chairman Peter Kern at an all-hands employee meeting. Expedia Group had just parted ways with its CEO and CFO, and Kern would soon be named CEO.

After a sleepy holiday season, it was the biggest week in a while for startup funding in travel. 

Expedia CEO Peter Kern pled his case to hotel owners Monday: Take seriously the billion-dollar issue of wholesale rates being misused online.

The Venetian Resort Las Vegas is revamping its loyalty program in March, replacing its Grazie Rewards program.

Traveler sign-ups for hotel loyalty programs have soared in the past five years, and Hilton and Marriott have enjoyed some of the greatest gains.

Skift Research produces a wide range of reports, surveys, and data tools – we published more than 50 reports in 2023, a record for us.

Good morning from Skift. It’s Friday, December 22. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.

In the world of TikTok and social media influencers, hotels and tourism agencies have had to experiment with new ways of reaching younger audiences. 

IHG Hotels & Resorts CEO Elie Maalouf has been on the circuit talking up his hotel group’s strategy for growth. One of his notable talking points has been on the company’s co-branded credit cards with Chase.

Hyatt said on Thursday it would improve its hotel loyalty program in January. Hyatt’s most notable change will be to expand the ability of program members to give some benefits to friends and family in one-off gifts.

When Ennismore launched a rewards program in July, the lifestyle hospitality joint venture with Accor said it wanted to stand apart from supposedly boring, generic loyalty programs — partly by adopting a paid subscription model instead. Ennismore on Monday introduced its latest twist.

Expedia Group has been consumed with, and weighed down by, launching a new loyalty program and transitioning its three core brands — Expedia, Hotels.com and Vrbo — to a common tech platform. But now those tasks are behind it.

Nestled in the heart of Silicon Valley, Shashi has taken a bold step, diverging from the conventional path of hotel loyalty programs. Shashi’s unique approach cuts through the clutter, offering guests not just a place to stay, but a direct financial incentive to remain loyal.

Citi and Navan will soon be marketing a co-branded travel and expense solution for Citi Commercial Bank cardholders. The tools, powered by Navan, initially will be available only in the U.S., the two companies announced Thursday.

Delta has revised the changes to its Skymiles loyalty program that sparked a backlash when they were announced in September. Those changes shifted the key metric to build loyalty: The new emphasis would be on money spent.

American Airlines is making changes to its corporate travel loyalty program for small businesses – the airline said Monday the newly launched AAdvantage Business would replace Business Extra.