Keeping things simple is just fine for Pamela Barnhill, President and COO of InnSuites Hospitality Trust (IHT) and InnDependent Boutique Collection (IBC) Hotels. That simplicity is what helps IHT and IBC build strong customer engagement and brand loyalty.
“InnDependent InnCentives allows guests to log in via Facebook and Google, and keeps track of stays automatically in their accounts,” Barnhill explained to Loyalty360. “Free nights are automatically applied in the checkout process for ease. No need to remember anything or carry a card in your wallet. We are constantly improving our mobile and web interfaces with a larger improvement planned in 2016.”
IHT has two divisions: InnSuites Hotels & Suites and InnDependent Boutique Collection (IBC) Hotels. The network comprises more than 6,450 hotels with more than 600,000 rooms and suites. A key customer-centric initiative for InnSuites Hotels & Suites was the launch of its loyalty program called InnDependent InnCentives, which is a free nights-based program for guests that book Independent Hotels on ibchotels.com. The program launched in July 2013.
Barnill stressed the importance of customer experience. She told Loyalty360 that the customer experience is so crucial in the hotel space and, as an independent hotel chain, it might even be more important especially with the power of today’s social media.
“InnDependent InnCentives customers enjoy independent and boutique stays of all lodging segments over monotonous branded stays,” Barnhill explained.
Customer data can be overwhelming for loyalty marketers. What is Barnhill’s advice?
“I think we are so focused on the data that sometimes we forget to consider there are people and privacy behind that data,” she said. “InnDependent InnCentives doesn’t sell or share that data.”
Customer-centricity is always the focus at IHT.
“Bring individual hoteliers and their guests closer together through transparency, rather than focusing on the larger brand,” Barnhill explained. “The customer and their data belong to the individual hotel.”