Hotel chains are competing for the ‘loyalty’ of Indian guests amidst a travel boom, diversifying their offerings and crafting personalized experiences in their loyalty programs tailored to meet their preferences.
Khushnooma Kapadia, Vice President of Marketing for South Asia at Marriott International, introduced the Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Bank Credit Card last year, marking India’s first co-branded hotel credit card. Kapadia revealed that the chain presently boasts six million members in India, with aspirations to elevate this figure to 10 million. She noted a significant 18% growth in Indian members last year compared to 2022.
“Our entire vision, right from the global headquarters to regional offices is simply focused on growing our Marriott Bonvoy occupancies.We need to make sure we are garnering enrolments and encouraging members to redeem points,” she said.
“The adoption of our Marriott Bonvoy HDFC Bank Credit Card has been fantastic and there are ongoing conversations to consider potential partnerships with other banks,” she added.
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Shalini Tewari, General Manager of Corporate Loyalty and Spa at the Lalit Suri Hospitality Group, announced the launch of The Lalit Rewards, a novel digital loyalty program. It operates on a point-based system, serving both B2C and B2B (corporate) customers, as well as participants in its comprehensive Pure Love loyalty program.
“This comes as a response to changing market dynamics, ensuring our members enjoy personalized benefits and seamless engagement,” said Tewari and added that membership has grown 35% over the past year.
Nikhil Sharma, Managing Director of the Eurasia market at Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, observed a significant uptick in consumer interest in loyalty programs in India, mirroring the growth of the middle class and increasing disposable incomes.
“Our programme Wyndham Rewards has seen a 29% rise in Indian membership compared to 2022 and a 50% increase compared to 2019,” he added.
Last year, Accor teamed up with Katrina Kaif, a member of ALL-Accor Live Limitless, the chain’s loyalty program, in an effort to reach a broader audience and entice new members.
“In India, the membership growth of ALL-Accor Live Limitless has been substantial,” Accor said in a statement.
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Anuraag Bhatnagar, CEO of The Leela Palaces, Hotels, and Resorts, mentioned that Leela DISCOVERY has amassed over five lakh members in India, witnessing a growth of over 50% in the past two years.
“This year, we are excited to announce our first ever Double DISCOVERY Dollar promotion which allows members to avail double the reward currency while booking our member special rates for stays at any of our hotels in India. This is scheduled to be launched at the end of this month,” he added.
Every tier within Leela’s loyalty program enables members to accumulate real currency in terms of dollars, in addition to receiving enhanced stay benefits.
Accor’s loyalty perks encompass booking tickets for concerts, sports events, and securing car reservations. Members have the opportunity to redeem accumulated points for complimentary nights and various privileges such as room upgrades, late check-outs, and exclusive invitations to ‘limitless experiences’. Deepa Krishnan, Head of Marketing for India and Southwest Asia at Hyatt India Consultancy, noted a robust double-digit growth in the customer base in India.
“There have also been recent changes in the programme to further enhance the rewards and benefits to our guests. These include rewards at more regular intervals, more choices at each milestone, and cultural exploration opportunities through FIND experiences,” she added.
Marriott International ranks as one of the top three sponsors for the forthcoming Ed Sheeran tour in India.
“Such events and tie ups provide a platform to connect with our existing members for opportunities that they usually don’t get. Partnering for IPL was another one of those endeavours. Our aim is to constantly find these big-ticket avenues, strengthen our existing member base, acquire new members and encourage them to spend more with us,” said Kapadia.
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