Losing elite status in an airline or hotel loyalty program doesn’t mean a member is done travelling—or done with your brand. Too often, brands treat every downgraded member the same, missing a critical opportunity to retain high-value customers. By understanding the distinct profiles of downgraded elites, loyalty programs can tailor retention strategies to keep the […]

The post Rethinking Elite Status Downgrades appeared first on Travel Data Daily by Mark Ross-Smith

Each year I review past loyalty predictions and make new predictions for the upcoming 12 months. The report card for my 2021 predictions is 4 out of 5 transpired throughout the 2021 year. The big one which didn’t happen – yet – ‘a loyalty program will buy/acquire an airline‘ – is coming. Perhaps the call […]

The post Airline Loyalty Predictions for 2022 appeared first on Travel Data Daily by Mark Ross-Smith

Over the past two years –  airlines, hotels and travel companies extended complimentary status for elites because, Covid. These elite status extensions were mainly justified under the premise of ‘goodwill’ – the idea that elites couldn’t requalify for status based on the published program criteria through no fault of their own. Often due to their […]

The post Will airlines & hotels ever end the unlimited free elite status extensions? appeared first on Travel Data Daily by Mark Ross-Smith

Some of the brightest people in the travel sector have hung up their boots and are beginning new careers in other industries – and good for them. It can take real courage to shift industries. [side note: A great story on Qantas pilots becoming bus drivers here] These same travel companies are lining up for […]

The post Airlines – Wakeup and Smell the Money appeared first on Travel Data Daily by Mark Ross-Smith

Can airlines and hotel loyalty programs have too many elite members? What happens to the core business when programs are top-heavy on elites? Does the core business generate more revenue, or is there a drop-off in status attractiveness? These are some of the questions I asked two of smartest minds in the airline loyalty industry […]

The post Leadership Interview: Can Airlines Have Too Many Elite Members? appeared first on Travel Data Daily by David Feldman

According to research by Loyalty Data Co, up to 60% of all Status Match submissions are fraudulent. With no way to know how many times a cardholder has requested matches with competing Loyalty Programs, and no way to verify the cardholders existing status is real – why do Loyalty Programs continue beating down the same […]

The post Loyalty Status Matching – What’s the Future? appeared first on Travel Data Daily by Mark Ross-Smith

Industry veterans, Dave Canty and Phil Gunter join the Loyalty Summit WebCast to discuss reinventing loyalty programs. In the Loyalty Leaders Insights discussion series, we seek out the smartest minds in loyalty and dig deep to uncover their thoughts on the most relevant topics that can assist loyalty program managers. Following the live WebCast, I […]

The post Leadership Interview: Reinventing Loyalty Programs appeared first on Travel Data Daily by David Feldman

Extend elite status or Not to extend elite status? That’s the million-dollar question circling around the travel loyalty industry lately. The unprecedented grounding of aircraft, significant decline in demand, and empty hotel rooms are forcing management to be creative and discover new ways to generate cash, stimulate demand, and in some cases – survive as […]

The post Should Airlines & Hotels Extend Elite Status in Times of Crisis? appeared first on Travel Data Daily by Mark Ross-Smith

How airline loyalty programs use big data to drive new revenue The past few years have seen a wave of travel companies member accounts compromised which have rocked the industry. Cathay Pacific had 9.4M accounts compromised. British Airways had 380,000 card payments breached. Raddison hotels had up to 10% loyalty program accounts compromised. Hyatt twice […]

The post How airline loyalty programs use big data to drive new revenue appeared first on Travel Data Daily by Mark Ross-Smith

The location is everything in the hotel world. But are hotels doing enough to make the most of their locations and enable better experiences for guests? Power to the people In recent months Futurice has created eight retail trends that focus on a 2020 vision for the retail and consumer markets. One of these trends […]

The post Disrupting loyalty: How can hotels become enablers, not just destinations? appeared first on Travel Data Daily by News

Intercontinental Hotel Group (IHG) is the latest major global hotel chain to cut off loyalty perks for elite loyalty members who make their reservations through an OTA after January 1, 2017. TravelDataDaily spoke with a top manager from a major Hong Kong hotel chain, who revealed that while more than 50% of their room nights […]

The post IHG turns its back on loyal OTA guests appeared first on Travel Data Daily by Mark Ross-Smith