When the traditional hotel loyalty program gets revamped
THE SITUATION:
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As a hotel chain primarily representing leisure brands, there was an interest in developing a loyalty program that would appeal to upscale business travelers that travel frequently – rather than the existing program that has been designed to appeal to less frequent leisure travelers.
MAGID APPROACH:
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Three key components of loyalty
Using a variety of qualitative approaches, we discovered that hotel guests want a program that focuses on three key buckets: (1) know me, (2) assist me, and (3) enrich me. While each are important, there are do’s and don’ts associated with each.
There are also specific components of a loyalty program that are particularly important to business travelers in a way that is differentiated from leisure travelers. A large focus of our efforts was making sure we screened in the most qualified respondents to address these differences. Finally, so many loyalty programs feel transactional in nature (e.g., earn X points and get Y rewards) as opposed to focusing on the relationship between the guest and the hotel chain (e.g., imagine how you treat a close friend when they come to your house).
This resulted in a blueprint for a loyalty program recognized as the most appealing in the travel industry.
PROJECT DELIVERABLES:
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» Facilitation of online communities
» Moderating the ideation phase, including solicitation of feedback from industry experts
» Focus group facilitation and reporting