All you need to know this week about loyalty & CX: GLO Interview: Khalid El Bachraoui, Sia Partners • GLO Interview: Ali Bin Zayed, EmCan / Emarat • GHA Discovery Loyalty report • United Airlines • Alaska Airlines • Air Canada / Parkland • Changi Airport • Singapore Airlines • Avelo Airlines • Southwest Airlines • Sabre • Accor / Fairmont • lastminute.com • NH Hotels • Choice Hotels • Indigo • Trip.com • Airbnb • Regent Seven Seas Cruises • 7-Eleven • Claire's • American Express • Amadeus, etc,
GLOFeatured:
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GLO interview: Khalid El Bachraoui, Sia Partners on step-by-step structuring of a loyalty program 0:00 – on Sia Partners proposition in Loyalty & CX • 2:50 – on step by step questions you need to address when building or revising a loyalty program • 4:50 – which features need to be in a loyalty program for it to be competitive • 8:50 – loyalty programs KPIs and consultant’s “skin in the game” • 10:30 – one advice for anyone looking to redesign an existing loyalty program. |
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0:00 – on the experience in the first six months of program launch • 1:27 – on gamification uptake, raffles, and seamless digital CX • 4:02 – on new initiatives and features • 5:34 – on partnerships • 7:28 – on budgets for next year • 8:59 – one advice for anyone looking to launch a loyalty program |
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GHA Discovery report: What Travellers Want Most From Loyalty Programmes Kristi Gole, GHA EVP Strategy, commented: “The GHA survey is a barometer of consumer sentiment, the research spanned 94 markets and was conducted in four languages, not only surveying GHA DISCOVERY members but also including in-depth interviews with members of competing hotel loyalty programmes, as well as best-in-class loyalty schemes outside of the hospitality sector. |
Airlines & Alliances News:
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Alaska Airlines is rolling out new global award redemptions With focus on simplicity, value and availability, Mileage Plan members will have new options to choose from across our 24 partner airlines; award redemptions to start at 4,500 miles each way |
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United makes it easier to obtain status using its credit cards Starting in January 2024, United Airlines will simplify the process for MileagePlus members to accumulate qualification points for Premier loyalty status through purchases made with co-branded credit cards. This change is a minor adjustment to the loyalty program, unlike the more significant changes implemented by Delta and Frontier. |
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Parkland’s JOURNIE™ loyalty program invites Aeroplan Members to turn their everyday fuel and food purchases into meaningful rewards
JOURNIE™ Rewards – Aeroplan partnership launches today, giving members more ways to save at the fuel pump, in the convenience store, and in the sky. Aeroplan members can collect Aeroplan points as they refuel and shop at approximately 1,200 Pioneer, Ultramar, FasGas, Chevron and ON the RUN / Marché Express retail locations. Members can earn up to 3X the points when they link their and JOURNIE™ Rewards accounts. |
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ForwardKeys study estimates that Israel-Palestine conflict impacted air travel recovery Since the outbreak of the conflict, outbound flight bookings from Middle Eastern countries have decreased by nine percentage points. The slowdown is evident in various regions, with the Americas experiencing a 10-point decrease, Asia Pacific, Europe (including Israel), and Africa each slowing by two points. |
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Changi airport introduces free bike rides Responding to the growing demand for sustainable and authentic travel experiences, Changi Airport provides a service allowing passengers on layovers in Singapore to rent bicycles. As part of a year-long initiative, travelers are granted complimentary access to a bicycle for two hours, enabling them to explore outdoor attractions near the airport, such as the Jurassic Mile and nearby beaches along the East Coast of Singapore. |
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Singapore Airlines resumes 92% of pre-Covid flights The group plans to achieve or exceed pre-Covid capacity levels within the fiscal year 2024/25, starting on April 1, by gradually expanding services across its network. |
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Avelo Airlines Announces Multi-Year Strategic Relationship with PayPal Collaboration offers travelers more choice, convenience and security— including PayPal’s Pay in 4 interest-free payment feature |
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LOT Polish Airlines’ NDC content now available in Sabre’s GDS LOT Polish Airlines to distribute NDC offers through Sabre’s APIs and point-of-sale tools |
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Carrier updates sustainability strategy to focus on carbon, circularity, and collaboration |
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Southwest Airlines grants scholarships to support educational opportunities for students The 2023 Southwest Airlines Scholarship Program awarded 17 scholarships, pledging $290,000 to students over four years |
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United Raises Miles for Fisher House Foundation Ahead of Veterans Day Military and veteran families can stay at Fisher House locations for free while a loved one is in the hospital but travel costs can be a challenge United encourages donations through its Miles on a MissionSM platform and will match the first one million miles raised in November. |
Hotels & Hospitality News:
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Fairmont outlined 12 Merry Festivities across Fairmont Hotels & Resorts in North & Central America to have a holly jolly good time this Holiday season. |
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OTA lastminute.com renews multi-year distribution agreement with Sabre Sabre Virtual Payments adopted as B2B payment provider |
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Flagship US Property Joins Worldwide “Hotels with a Heart” Program to Host St. Jude Patients & Families. Offers Special “Holidays With a Heart” Glass Ornaments to Support St. Jude |
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Hotelbeds signs partnership with Barceló resorts Earlier this month, Hotelbeds, a part of the HBX Group, formed a strategic partnership with Barceló Hotel Group. This collaboration expands Hotelbeds’ range of accommodations and promotes the presence of Barceló Hotels & Resorts across Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, offering new options for travelers. |
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The Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and Klook, the leading travel and experiences platform in Asia, are intensifying their collaborative efforts to boost inbound travel to Singapore. The two organizations are jointly investing more than SGD2 million in marketing initiatives as part of their partnership. Launched on November 15, the marketing and tactical collaboration in Southeast Asia will primarily focus on digital content, leveraging Klook’s network of Klook Kreators. |
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Conquering festive fizzle-out head-on, the Holiday Hype Machine lets co-workers, friends and loved ones send personalized videos to anyone in need of a boost to tackle end-of-year work obligations |
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Ricardo Losada Revol Joins Choice Hotels as Senior Vice President and General Manager, International Move Comes as Company Continues to Expand Global Portfolio.
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Building on the brand’s largest-ever international marketing campaign – The World’s Neighborhood Hotel, Borrowed by Hotel Indigo continues to highlight what it means to be inseparable from the community |
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Trip.com introduces TripGenie – personalised AI booking tool Trip.com’s newly released TripGenie introduces the concept of the Language User Interface, guiding users to detailed itinerary planning, personalized recommendations, and flight and hotel bookings. |
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Airbnb upgrades bookings site with 3 enhancements to increase CX Airbnb is introducing three enhancements that include a selection of accommodation favorites, a revamped ratings and reviews system, and new listing management tools. |
Cruises:
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Regent Seven Seas Cruises recently revealed details about its latest multi-million-dollar art collection, set to be showcased on its newest ship, Seven Seas Grandeur. |
Retail & F&B:
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Claire’s and Sony Pictures Television collaborate on new series for kids to increase loyalty As Claire’s continues to evolve its brand platform for today and tomorrow’s generations, this partnership will spark immersive engagement through original broadcast content IP |
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7-Eleven, Inc. Debuts New Holiday Gifts and Apparel on 7Collection.com Snag stocking stuffers for the whole family and save on 7NOW Gold Pass this season |
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The Iconic return: Taco Bell® Introduces inaugural nacho fries lover’s pass subscription Bringing back the best: Taco Bell offers Rewards Members exclusive access to 30 days of Nacho Fries with the all-new Nacho Fries Lover’s Pass for $10 via the Taco Bell app. |
Transport, Fuel Retail:
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Cloudics and Suresite collaborate to offer advanced mobile payment solutions in the UK Suresite, a provider of forecourt payment technology in the UK, has recently partnered with Astro Baltics, a global leader in mobile payment solutions and advanced control technology for various businesses. This collaboration involves utilizing Astro Baltic’s Cloudics mobile platform to drive the functionality of Suresite’s upcoming PitStop platform. |
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7-Eleven Japan will pilot use of AI to create new products 7-Eleven Japan is leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities for product design and development. The convenience store chain aims to streamline processes by creating a cloud-based IT system that conducts data-driven analysis to generate new product ideas. |
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Australia’s APCO Service Stations launches new app APCO Service Stations, an Australian retailer, has introduced a revamped app for its customers, featuring pre-order services in addition to a forecourt locator for price checks. |
Payments, Finance, Insurance, Wealth Mngm & Social Media:
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MilesTalk Founder Dave Grossman Launches YourBestCreditCards.com Completely reimagined platform leverages advanced filtering capabilities, optimal card combinations, and powerful bonus offer notifications |
Loyalty Solutions & Technologies:
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Qualtrics Announces Top Consumer Experience Trends for 2024 Just under half (48%) of consumers are comfortable engaging with chatbots and AI-powered customer support. Consumers are increasingly less likely to provide companies with direct feedback about bad experiences, so brands need to tap into feedback where customers are giving it. |
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Len Covello commented that the traditional concept of loyalty, where individuals accumulate a specific currency like air miles over time and then redeem them, has shifted in recent years. Loyalty programs have increasingly embraced personalization. |
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WTM London 2023: AI reshapes the travel experience at Trip.com AI reshapes the travel experience |
Reports / Research / Insights:
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Ernst & Young survey: 50%+ of global consumers plan to reduce holiday spending to save money An Ernst & Young report has identified changes in consumer spending behavior due to increased inflation, elevated interest rates, and a rise in credit card delinquencies, which are diminishing consumers’ buying power. |
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American Express Travel’s 2024 Trending Destinations American Express Travel unveiled its annual Trending Destinations list for 2024 on Wednesday, featuring the top 10 vacation spots derived from global American Express Card Member travel bookings and insights from the 6,000-member expert Travel Consultants team at Amex Travel.. |
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Amadeus Travel Trends 2024: How will we travel next year? Influencers become agents, business class fares unbundle, artificial intelligence matures, and musical tourism drives demand, while eVTOLs[1] prepare for take-off |
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World Tourism Organization: new and growing customer segment – digital nomads The number of destinations offering Digital Nomad Visas has risen significantly over recent years, with almost half now offering visas for at least one year. |
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Increase in use of voice search and voice control and rise in contactless payment options, drives the growth of the global travel technology market. |
Source: GLO
