GLO FEATURED

GLO Interview: Jelena Kezika, Snr. Director Strategy, Global Hotel Alliance (Full Interview)

Topics discussed: Update on and objectives of Green Collection; Other notable initiatives over the past 12 months; Key takeaways from the GHA member survey; On emotional loyalty and experiences; GHA's approach to building emotional loyalty; GHA community project; One prediction for next 12 months

GLO

00:00 – Intro

00:30 – Update on Green Collection

02:13 – Objectives of Green Collection

03:05– Other notable initiatives

05:05 – Key takeaways from the GHA member survey

06:51 – On emotional loyalty and experiences

08:00 – GHA’s approach to building emotional loyalty

08:25 – GHA community project

10: 50 – One prediction for next 12 months

0:00 Introduction

00:31

GLO: Dear Jelena, it is great to see you again at Arabian Travel Market in Dubai. Last year, you were part of our loyalty panel about sustainability and loyalty, where we discussed your Green Collection, which you had just launched.  I believe you had an amazing year. Could you share some highlights with our members?

Jelena Kezika, Senior Director Strategy, GHA: Green Collection was launched in March 2023 with just 190 hotels. 12 months later, there are 221 hotels in the Green Collection portfolio. Some of our hotels in Global Hotel Alliance are going through the certification process right now, which means that in 2024, our program members will see even more Green Collection hotels this year but also beyond.

01:22

GLO: That is amazing growth, and congratulations on achieving that. And how was Green Collection received by your members? Have you seen any impact on the length of stay, or have you had any feedback about the spending behaviours at your Green Collection hotels?

Jelena Kezika, Senior Director Strategy, GHA: We noticed last year that program members loved Green Collection hotels. Although just one-quarter of the hotels in our portfolio were part of the Green Collection in 2023, member stays generated 55% of our total revenue. We’ve also noticed that our program members, when they stay at Green Collection hotels, stay 13% longer, and they’re ready to spend more on their stays—85% more.

02:13

GLO: This must be a real incentive for the other members of the Global Hotel Alliance to join Green Collection. What’s in store for the next 12 months?

Jelena Kezika, Senior Director Strategy, GHA: When we launched Green Collection, we had two objectives in mind. First, we wanted to make sure that our program members have sustainable accommodation choices in our portfolio. And the second was to help our hotels in the alliance to start their sustainability journey. And this can be achieved through great examples of other hotels that have already spent 12 months in the Green Collection. These are our objectives for 2024 and beyond as well. We really want to continue talking about Green Collection to the industry and our program members and share the commitment and success stories of our hotels.

03:05

GLO: And what comes after the Green Collection? You’re Senior Director of Strategy at Global Hotel Alliance, and Green Collection is a great success. However, the Global Hotel Alliance has also signed many other partnerships since we last spoke. So, what is your overall strategy for expansion?

Jelena Kezika, Senior Director Strategy, GHA: Of course, we spent a lot of time and energy on launching the Green Collection 12 months ago, but it did not mean that we did not work on other initiatives and benefits to enhance GHA Discovery. We continuously listen to the needs and preferences of our program members and work very hard to reflect their needs in the GHA Discovery program. For instance, in the past 12 months, we launched other projects, not just Green Collection. One of them is Donate Discovery Dollars. This initiative allows our program members to donate their loyalty currency, Discovery Dollars, which they earn for stays, to charities they would like to support. These are charities that our hotel brands work with in their local markets. It’s a great initiative. Last month, we launched a new programme benefit: a complimentary breakfast at participating brands for our Titanium members. We have been talking about these benefits for years, and now, finally, it’s part of our program. You also mentioned partner benefits. We know that our programme members enjoy GHA Discovery when they stay, but they also want to be part of GHA Discovery when they think of any single step of their user journey. For instance, in the past 12 months, we launched two very exciting partnerships which are very close to my heart. One is with Regent Seven Seas Cruises, and then the other one Plum Guide vacation homes.

05:06

GLO: You recently published a survey asking your members what they wanted. So, what do your members want?

Jelena Kezika, Senior Director Strategy, GHA: When we decided to relaunch GHA Discovery, we also decided that every year, we would conduct a customer research project asking our program members what they like about GHA Discovery today and what they want to see in the program in the future. Our first survey reflected on member behaviour in 2022. Our second survey was just conducted in Q1 of this year. It’s very interesting to see how the preferences of our members have shifted from something that was more financially driven. 2022 was the last year of the pandemic, and members wanted to travel. However, travel became very expensive, and related products and services increased in price. Inflation was everywhere, across all regions. And again, we wanted to travel. So this is why our programme members 12 months ago were asking us about financial benefits discounts, special deals, and promotions. But this time, it was interesting to see that this has changed. Members were asking us more and more about experiential benefits to enhance their stay and also see more partner-related benefits so they can think of GHA Discovery every time they rent a car for the trip or maybe book a cruise for their next journey.

6:51

GLO: You mentioned that members are asking for experiences. This year’s topic at the Arabian Travel Market is emotional loyalty and experiences. What is GHA offering its members, what tools do you use, and what kind of experiences do you offer?

Jelena Kezika, Senior Director Strategy, GHA: We have about 1000 tailored experiences for our program members. These are part of our value proposition for GHA Discovery. These 1000 experiences are created by our hotels, and they are in very different categories. But one of the most preferred categories among our program members is tours and classes. Something that helps them to explore the location of the destination where they travel but also maybe learn some new skills. So, this is one part of what we offer. And, of course, there are other benefits that enhance the stay, such as early check-in, late check-out, and room upgrades—all of these are so important for our program members to enjoy their stay in style.

08:00

GLO: The competition is heating up. There are a lot of other luxury hotels competing for members’ attention. What is your approach to creating a long-lasting emotional attachment with your members?

Jelena Kezika, Senior Director Strategy, GHA: Our recipe is very simple. We continue asking our program members what they want to see in GHA Discovery. We’re working very hard in our corporate office and with our 40 beautiful independent hotel brands that are part of the Global Hotel Alliance to deliver memories for our members. So, without them and their efforts to deliver experiences when members stay in the hotels, GHA Discovery would not be the same. So we’re working very hard to deliver what our program members want. Because when they see that we’re able to deliver, they trust us, and this creates loyalty.

09:06

GLO: Last year, when we met at the Arabian Travel Market, you talked about one of your initiatives, Live Local, to build communities and engage with your members. How are you taking this to the next level now?

Jelena Kezika, Senior Director Strategy, GHA: Yes, when I spoke about new projects that we launched in the past 12 months apart from Green Collection, communities was one of these aspects. In Q3 of last year, we started inviting our program members to the GHA Discovery hotels to meet like-minded travelers, whether they’re travelling to any destination or if they live in this destination. Because very often, we feel lonely, and we want to catch up with like-minded people to discuss life, travel, sustainability, and other aspects. So, this is something we have launched and already offered our program members five events.

10:15

GLO: It’s really amazing to hear, and congratulations on all your progress in the last 12 months. And we very much look forward to catching up with you again next year to listen to what your 2024 has brought you. But before I finish the interview, I would like to ask you one question, and then we can repeat it next year and see how your predictions have changed. So, if I could ask you to give me one prediction for the next 12 months, what would it be?

Jelena Kezika, Senior Director Strategy, GHA: I think the next 12 months will see an increase in the benefits of loyalty programs—benefits that are not just related to hotel stays but benefits that go beyond: partner benefits. Our program members are clearly indicating that they are ready to travel the world with just one loyalty program. They don’t need to be members of multiple loyalty programs if this program delivers what they want. This is why we are not only enhancing the stay benefits of GHA Discovery but also investing a lot of time, effort, and commitment into partner benefits. This is our focus in 2024 as well.