International hotel chain Starwood has unveiled a major revamp of its Starwood Preferred Guest loyalty program, targeting elite travelers with a host of new benefits.
The chain, which operates Sheraton, Westin, W Hotels, Le Meridien and St Regis, says that it’s responding to the global uptick in travel to target the ‘sophisticated’ market, which it believes has become ‘jaded’ about traditional schemes.
Among the most notable aspects of the change is a new service called Your24, which will let frequent travelers pick their own check-in and check-out times within a 24-hour timeframe — so if you check in at one property at 10 PM, you won’t have to check out until 10PM the next day.
Trump Hotels has announced a new loyalty program for its luxury-loving members, promising unique benefits to guests who hand over their Trump Card.
The Trump Card Privilege Program was unveiled by the luxury chain January 25 as a way for Trump to compete with other brands such as Ritz-Carlton and Fairmont, which both offer their own elite loyalty programs.
Unlike its competitors though, the Trump Card is sold on the well-known faces behind Trump, promising access to “once-in-a-lifetime experiences associated with the Trump family and lifestyle.”
International airline alliance SkyTeam is to roll out a global premium service for its top-paying customers – based on a package offered by US airline Delta since 2010.
The SkyPriority service will standardize the luxury travel experience for customers flying with SkyTeam members at over 1,000 airports around the world.
The service includes specifically prioritized check-in areas, baggage drop-off points, ticket offices, transfer desk, boarding lines and baggage handling for customers flying First or Business class.
Ferrari plans to create one of the world’s most exclusive collector car clubs, according to reports.
The brand is looking to create a new group of its most elite customers who will be offered the best opportunities to get their hands on limited-edition models.
Ferrari plans to open it only to people who possess at least five of the eye-wateringly expensive Italian supercars. That amounts to around 300 people around the world.
VIP suites which were previously the preserve of royalty, heads of state and visiting diplomats are now open to passengers at Heathrow for the first time.
The Heathrow by Invitation (HBI) service offers exclusive VIP suites away from the gaze of the media and members of the public.
Starwood’s Preferred Guest program has topped a list of the ‘best value’ reward programs from US website NextAdvisor.
Preferred Guest, a loyalty program which rewards hotel guests for their stays in Starwood-operated brands such as W Hotels, Sheraton, Westin, Le Meridien and St Regis, offered a worth of $0.021 per point when redeemed for a hotel stay.
It isvconsiderably higher than competing programs such as Marriott Rewards and Hilton HHonors, whose points were worth $0.008 and $0.005 respectively.
