Loyalty tips

Marriott International CEO Anthony Capuano on Tuesday toured the , the first sailing vessel in The Ritz-Carlton Yacht Collection. Capuano said in an interview that yacht-style cruises on the 623-foot — which hosts fewer than 300 people at a time — represent an important pillar of growth for the world’s largest hotel operator by pulling the levers of loyalty and luxury.

Dutch hotel group CitizenM has signed 18,000 members to its “Plus” loyalty program that launched 10 months ago. But the company views the $12-a-month subscription as a means to grow its business rather than a revenue stream.

Global Hotel Alliance gained from Spain’s tourism recovery in the fourth quarter of last year, following the addition of NH Hotels into the fold.

Five years ago, Airbnb toyed with the idea of launching a a “superguest” loyalty program, but CEO Brian Chesky seemed to shoot down the notion of a rewards program a couple of weeks ago.

Would you like a luxury travel subscription from Inspirato with those Amina Muaddi Rosie 95MM Metallic Leather Slingback Pumps from Saks Fifth Avenue?

Accor plans to broaden its subscription cards to be more global, granting members discounts and perks worldwide instead of regionally, the Paris-based hotel giant said Tuesday.

As we look ahead toSkift’s Future of Lodging Forum, happening in London Wednesday, March 29 at The Londoner Hotel, we wanted to unpack some of the big themes and questions facing the industry ahead. 

Financial services company Brex is relaunching its travel booking platform after swapping agency partners.

Expedia Group, which is combining its Expedia and Hotels.com rewards programs and extending it to Vrbo, hopes its upcoming One Key program will be used by regular people, or relatively infrequent travelers, and not just those who board first at the front of the line on major airlines.

Marriott International has long relied on its array of 30 brands to appeal to diverse mix of travelers. But the hotel giant increasingly would like consumers to believe its loyalty program gives them access to a surprising mix of lodging. Its marketers appear to hope that travelers will make Marriott’s mobile app their default place to book hotels.

Six Senses, the operator of luxury hotels, resorts, and spas, plans to add a product — clubs — under a new brand, Six Senses Place. Once several are open, the operator would like to create a membership service giving travelers access to the clubs worldwide.

Hyatt is acquiring UK boutique hotel booking site Mr and Mrs Smith for £53 million — or about about $66 million in today’s exchange rates at the time of the announcement.

South America’s Avianca has rolled out a subscription program just for businesses.

Keith Barr said Friday he would step down as CEO of IHG Hotels & Resorts. Elie Maalouf, who’s headed the American operations, will become the new chief of the UK-based group on July 1.

Good morning from Skift. It’s Thursday, May 11. Here’s what you need to know about the business of travel today.

Is it the right place and moment for Chase Travel, which says it generated $8 billion dollars in sales in 2022?

The complexity of point loyalty programs has pushed several travel companies to rethink their strategy, and the most recent to flip the script is Marriott Bonvoy. 

The traditional knock on Expedia Group in its matchup against rival Booking Holdings is that Booking has been way more profitable. And Booking can take those profits, plow them back into marketing, and win more market share.

Homes & Villas by Marriott Bonvoy has grown from 60,000 listings to 115,000 in just a year. But the premium short-term rental offering from the world’s largest hospitality group isn’t focused on being the biggest.

Six travel tech startups raised $58 million over the past two weeks.

Norwegian Air and Nordic hotels group Strawberry said on Tuesday they plan to form a joint venture company which will provide benefits to the members of the groups’ respective loyalty programmes.