Wyndham to Evolve Its Loyalty Program

Wyndham has announced major changes coming to Wyndham Rewards on April 3. It looks to increase program engagement by making its rewards more accessible to its core customers. A direct response to research and feedback from program members, the effort underscores Wyndham’s ongoing commitment to delivering a simple, generous rewards program that’s designed for the needs of the everyday traveler. Wyndham Rewards currently has approximately 61 million enrolled members worldwide.
 
“We know members love the simplicity and generosity of Wyndham Rewards, but we also know they want greater flexibility when it comes to where and how they can redeem their points,” says Eliot Hamlisch, Senior Vice President of Global Loyalty and Partnerships at Wyndham Hotels & Resorts. “With these changes, we’re making thousands of hotels available for half the points, and what’s more, drastically expanding the ways in which they can earn and redeem those points, making it easier than ever for them to engage with the program.”
 
Hamlisch continues, “It’s really been over the past year or so that we have spent a lot of time talking to our members, to our owners, to get perspective on what about the program they love, and where there are opportunities.” He notes that, in order to determine customer needs, Wyndham gathered both qualitative data from focus groups and qualitative data from a global survey taken by thousands of Wyndham Rewards program members.
 
Though the changes are substantive, Hamlisch emphasizes that he considers these updates to be an “evolution” of Wyndham Rewards, not a relaunch. “This as an opportunity to evolve what we’ve done over the past handful of years and really build upon what has become an award-winning loyalty program in the hospitality space.”
 
These are some of the changes Wyndham will implement in April:
 
A Faster Way to Earn Free and Discounted Nights
 
Wyndham Rewards will begin offering three tiers for both free night redemptions (dubbed “go free”) and points-plus-cash redemptions (“go fast”). Members will also start earning points on the cash portion of points-plus-cash redemptions.
 
Free night redemptions will be available at 7,500 points, 15,000 points, and 30,000 points, while points-plus-cash redemptions will be available at 1,500 points-plus-cash, 3,000 points-plus-cash, and 6,000 points-plus-cash, respectively. All redemptions will be per bedroom, per night. Approximately one-third of the program’s hotel portfolio—nearly 3,000 hotels—is expected to move to the more affordable 7,500-point tier while approximately 200 properties will move into the new 30,000-point tier.
 
A Redemption Portfolio of More than 30,000
 
Wyndham Rewards already offers an expansive redemption portfolio, but it will increase in size with thousands of club resorts, vacation rentals, and more than 900 La Quinta hotels. La Quinta hotels will officially become a part of Wyndham Rewards on April 3. Free night redemptions will start at 7,500 points, and with every qualified stay, members will earn 10 points per dollar spent or a minimum of 1,000 points, whichever is more.
 
Additional Earning and Redemption Options
 
To expand its earning and redemption options, Wyndham Rewards will debut several partnerships this April. Members will be able to earn points for food delivery through DoorDash, earn and redeem points at Marathon gas stations, and earn and redeem points when booking tours and activities with Viator. The program will also unveil a new shopping portal, enabling members to earn points on purchases with thousands of online retailers.
 

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