For Maggie Lang, Senior Director of Guest Marketing, Kimpton Hotels & Restaurants, today’s launch of the Kimpton Karma Rewards loyalty program−which will effectively replace the existing InTouch program−is a significant milestone for the company.
“We’re extremely active in social media and we looked at how we rewarded and engaged,” Lang told Loyalty360. “It’s time to keep innovating and we took a new look at loyalty. We went to our most loyal members and asked them why do they keep coming back? We don’t offer points. They said because of the experience.”
Therein lies the essence of Kimpton Karma Rewards, affectionately dubbed “Kimpton Karma.” Coupled with the launch of the new loyalty program is the launch of a new company website.
“We’re taking a radically different approach to loyalty focusing on guest experience,” Lang explained. “We’re showcasing real people, real moments−people with curves, people with tattoos, people with imperfections. We want to showcase people more in our imagery and create a digital experience that is a visually fun experience.”
Kimpton Karma Rewards is about paying it forward because Kimpton Hotels believes that’s what necessary to earn customer loyalty. The new loyalty program shifts the focus to rewarding guests for true engagement with Kimpton, rather than just room stays.
For example, attending wine hour or an exercise class, direct booking, dining with us, tweeting about Kimpton, or bringing a pet to stay at a Kimpton hotel are all ways that members may advance in the new tiers of the program.
Kimpton’s sophisticated CRM technology enables employees to enter things they’ve learned from engaging with their guests about specific customer behavior. A guest might receive a framed photo of their favorite Hollywood star in the room as a fun little surprise, or a spa credit, or a complimentary chef’s treat designed to be personal and add surprise and delight to the visit.
“We’re building and rewarding relationships,” Lang said. “Why shouldn’t we reward them when they talk about us? We also added an unpublished layer of 200-300 different behaviors we may reward and engage on. We re-imagined the website and we will deliver a highly visualized experience. Rewards and perks now have a visual treatment. Our advanced CRM technology is powering both our employees and website.”
The new program is not a “points for stays” system. Kimpton Karma assigns every member a cumulative ranking calculated via a “secret sauce” proprietary formula that weighs brand engagement and other behavior. Based on this, guests will be assigned a specific tier level, and each tier has different perks and personalized experiences. With more activity, guests move up in tiers and experience additional Karmic rewards.
Earning free nights with Kimpton Karma is just as easy as it was with InTouch–seven eligible visits or 20 eligible nights (whichever comes first) will earn members a free night. Kimpton Karma is a blend of tier perks, personalized experiences, unpublished benefits, and free nights.
With every stay, Kimpton Karma members enjoy perks such as free WiFi, a “Raid the Bar” voucher (a $10 credit ($15 in New York) toward a great experience at the adjacent Kimpton restaurant bar or a treat from the mini bar), in-room spa service discounts, a complimentary treat from Kimpton chefs at the adjacent Kimpton restaurant, personalized welcome amenities, room upgrades based on availability, personalized surprises– like a make-your-own cocktail station with a guests’ favorite spirit or a sports-themed basket of treats with the guest’s hometown team as inspiration.
What’s more, members will have the opportunity to grow their “Kimpton Karma” when they enjoy a Kimpton restaurant or bar. Whenever a registered credit card is used, dining spend contributes to Kimpton Karma Rewards tier progression.
“We have remained razor-focused to make sure we haven’t changed our focus on you and being generous,” Lang said. “We have leadership support that absolutely believes in the philosophy of doing the right thing.”