This week Wyndham Rewards, the only hotel loyalty program to offer guaranteed rewards after just one stay, announced a new opportunity for its members to earn additional points all year long─up to 10 points for every dollar spent─through a partnership with Thanks Again and its network of more than 25,000 local businesses and airports nationwide.
Thanks Again is touted as the world’s only airport-centric coalition loyalty program.
Mike Mueller, vice president, global loyalty and partnerships, Wyndham Hotel Group, participated in a Q&A with Loyalty360 to discuss the new partnership.
What prompted the partnership with Thanks Again and how will this impact the customer experience/engagement factor for Wyndham guests?
We’re focused on providing our members with new ways to engage with our program that brings value to them every day, not just when they travel. Our partnership with Thanks Again creates a new and effortless way to earn Wyndham Rewards points at over 25,000 local businesses, as well as 160 airports – simply by registering their credit card and making purchases at those locations. Wyndham Rewards points can be used for hundreds of reward options including free stays at any of our over 7,000 participating properties throughout more than 50 countries without blackout dates. Members can also register with their Wyndham Rewards Visa Card and earn even more rewards.
How many members are there in Wyndham Rewards and how much has it grown?
Since launching the program nearly a decade ago, we’ve grown to more than eight million active members.
Was this partnership launched due to customer feedback? If so, in what way?
We’re always listening to customer feedback and we combined that with the increasing customer take-up of our Wyndham Rewards Visa Card (where customers can earn Wyndham Rewards points on everyday spending) to develop more opportunities to engage in the program and earn rewards.
What are your goals for this partnership with Thanks Again and when did this technically launch?
The partnership was launched in December 2013. Whether it’s via Thanks Again or another partnership, our goal is to be continually improving the customer value proposition and driving new levels of engagement from members in the Wyndham Rewards program.
To participate, members can visit www.thanksagain.com/wyndham where they may securely and conveniently enroll using their preferred Visa, MasterCard, or American Express card and link it with their Wyndham Rewards membership. Members will then earn points when using their enrolled card with any business in the Thanks Again Rewarding Merchant Network(TM). Additionally, members can earn a 10,000-point bonus when they spend $1,000 or more through the network over a 90-day period. A full list of participating businesses is available at www.thanksagain.com/locator.