Hotel loyalty programs should always include an easy and straightforward process for earning a free night, according to Liz Weiss, Lead Travel Editor for Vacation Rankings, Cruises, Travel Rewards at U.S. News & World Report.
U.S. News & World Report released its 2015 list of the Best Hotel Rewards Programs.
Weiss told Loyalty360 that the methodology used to identify the top hotel rewards programs includes the following five components: Network size, property diversity, geographic coverage, extra benefits, and ease of earning a free night. In total, 18 of the most prominent hotel loyalty programs were evaluated for the 2015-16 rankings by U.S. News & World Report.
The top three ranked hotel programs are: Marriott Rewards, Wyndham Rewards, and a tie between Best Western and Club Carlson.
“Many hotel loyalty programs come with a string of caveats that can make it difficult for loyalty program members to maximize their points,” Weiss explained. “It all goes back to the ease of earning a free night and additional benefits.”
Marriott Rewards offers a variety of ways to earn and redeem points at 3,800 participating hotels across 70 countries.
“Marriott’s gives members a plethora of options and the diversity of options really gives members a lot of choices,” Weiss said.
The new Wyndham Rewards loyalty program, which launched in May with the tagline, “You’ve Earned This,” has earned high marks in a short time.
According to the new Wyndham Rewards, there are three key components:
The first, and most important, is called the “Go Free” award. For 15,000 points, members receive a free night at any Wyndham Rewards hotel in the world. No blackouts. No restrictions. That’s more than 7,500 hotels within 15 brands and 70 countries. It’s a free night for one single, simple, understandable redemption rate.
The second component is on the earnings side. It’s still 10 points per dollar, but now Wyndham Rewards guarantees a 1,000-point minimum per stay.
The third component is “Go Fast” and that only requires 3,000 points plus some cash for a reward night.
“Wyndham was a game-changer this year,” Weiss said. “It changed its program dramatically in recent months, and made it much easier to use and redeem points with a simple, straightforward approach. Wyndham seems to be doing quite well with its new structure. I would think more programs would want to shift in that direction.”
Best Western’s loyalty program, Best Western Rewards, has emerged as an award-winning powerhouse among hotel loyalty programs in recent years.
In addition to being recognized by U.S. News & World Report for the past three years, J.D. Power has also ranked the loyalty program as one of the top three hotel loyalty programs.
What’s more, in April Best Western earned its second consecutive 360-Degree Platinum Award at the Loyalty360 Awards
Best Western Repeats as 360-Degree Platinum Champ at Loyalty360 Awards.
The 360-Degree Award is given to the company that earned the highest cumulative score across the five categories evaluated: Loyalty or Rewards Program; Technology & Trends; Customer Experience & Engagement; Customer Insight or Voice of the Customer; and Creative Campaign.
For more than 25 years, the program has served as one of the industry’s most generous rewards programs where points never expire. It has the lowest redemption thresholds for awards, and is one of few loyalty programs that is truly international. With hotels in more than 100 countries, Best Western makes it easy for members to earn points that can be redeemed global free room nights with no blackout dates, the Best Western Travel Card, dining, shopping and entertainment gift cards, gas cards, airline/partner rewards and much more. Best Western’s Status Match...No Catch® program will match members' elite status in any other hotel loyalty program, free of charge.
Weiss explained that there is no perfect loyalty program that fits every person’s needs and goals.
“It depends on what’s most important for you,” she said. “Extra perks of low thresholds for earning and redeeming are appealing to members. For this year, ease of earning a free night and additional benefits were weighted higher.”
What should other hotel program do to adapt and evolve in ways that better engage their members?
“Provide greater transparency,” Weiss said. “Greater transparency offers greater value, and providing different ways to collect and use points. Points that are transferrable add greater value for consumers. The top three programs in our rankings are value consistent.”
About the Author: Mark Johnson
Mark is CEO & CMO of Loyalty360. He has significant experience in selling, designing and administering prepaid, loyalty/CRM programs, as well as data-driven marketing communication programs.