Hotel Rewards and Loyalty Programs in India
The essence of a good travel is how luxurious the stay is. Great hotels make our trips worth being cherished throughout our lifetime.
Their hospitality and pleasant environment brings an unforgettable spark to our holidays and tours.
But are you familiar with other advantages of staying at hotels? Several hotels provide it’s customers with convenient and rewarding programs according to customers’ stay and purchases.
So, if you be strategic regarding your choice of hotels and spending money in their partner brands, you can become a member of such programs and enjoy various rewards accordingly.
It is especially of a greater value to the people travelling regularly for their business tours and staying at classy five star hotels.
Complete the requirements of the associated hotel’s loyalty program and earn points which can be redeemed.
These reward and loyalty programs are growing rapidly with the growing network of international hotels in India.
Let us take a look at the various hotels and the various methods to earn reward points.
Taj Inner Circle
The Taj Hotels Inner Circle provide with loyalty program and a variety of ways to redeem the earned points.
Members:
Copper
Silver – 10% discount
Gold – 15% discount
Platinum – 20% discount
How to earn points:
One points is earned with expenditure of 125 rupees. At platinum level, expenditure of 60 rupees earns you a point.
Free stay:
For Taj Mumbai, 2500 points are required and 5300 points are required for a free stay at Taj Hyderabad.
With stunning views of the Burj Khalifa, the @TajHotelDubai, is a great place to experience the Emirates from! Can you #GuessThePoints? pic.twitter.com/D5MM3yRC2d
— Taj InnerCircle (@TajInnerCircle) July 31, 2017
Redemption of points:
At Vivanta and Gateway brands by Taj, points can be redeemed. There are a number of partners and charities too.
The points expire with an inactivity of 12 months. The upgrading of membership goes like,
Silver – 10 nights or expenditure of 100,000 rupees
Gold – 40 nights or expenditure of 400,000 rupees
Platinum – 80 nights or expenditure of 800,000 rupees
How to join:
Online enrollment which is free if cost. Visit here for further information.
Oberoi Hotels & Resorts
They provide the simplest reward program without any redemption. Any stay of five nights will be rewarded with a free stay or room upgrades.
Joining cost:
Free of cost
Oberoi Hotels & Resorts has been considered for the Condé Nast Traveler Readers’ Awards 2017.
To vote, click here https://t.co/hcKOFaADBv pic.twitter.com/fLNjxBrOpX
— Oberoi Hotels (@OberoiHotels) July 25, 2017
How to join:
During a check out, provide your email address and enroll for the program.
Oberoi has property in Agra, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Shimla, Chandigarh, New Delhi, Kerala, Udiapur, Mumbai, Jaipur, Ranthambhore and Gurgaon.
Terms and conditions:
The programs are modified annually. Sometimes, the stay is required to be at a particular time. The rewards have a limited time period.
You can visit the online site of the hotel: Click here
Hyatt
Their loyalty program is called the Hyatt Gold Passport (now World of Hyatt).
Levels:
Gold
Platinum – 5 stays or 15 nights
Diamond – 25 stays or 50 nights
How to earn points:
Five points are earned for every US dollar spent and 15% bonus for platinum and 30 for diamond.
Welcome to your new loyalty program! Visit https://t.co/x8A2XqWNss to learn more about the program that rewards you for being you. pic.twitter.com/kwCEfeW7nM
— Hyatt Tweets (@HyattTweets) March 1, 2017
Free stay:
Points required range from 5000-30000. Points can be used for upgrading of rooms, at restaurants and car rentals.
Redemption of points:
There are expected to be over 100 hotels by 2020 in India and thus, it is a rapidly growing program.
Points expire with a 12 month inactivity.
How to join:
Online and it is free of cost. For more information, visit here
Starwood Hotels and Resorts
It is considered best in India due to presence of a larger number of hotels.
How to earn points:
Two points are rewarded for every US dollar used. The points increase as the level increases.
Tier system:
Gold and platinum memberships
Free stay:
For this reward, points required are from 3000 to 7000.
Introducing SPG Take Three. https://t.co/IFqacTXOAv pic.twitter.com/YJZj2oPAZc
— SPG (@spg) May 15, 2017
Redeeming points:
The Park hotels and ITC hotels are included. Their wide range of partners include over 10 brands, airlines and over 1000 hotels worldwide.
Terms and conditions:
Members are required to display an action annually. Upgrades in memberships are achieved with an increase in stays.
How to join:
Online joining is available.
Cost of enrollment:
Free of cost
The hotels are available in Agra, Aurangabad, Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bangalore, Bhopal, Bodhgaya, Chennai, Goa, Srinagar, Pushkar and many more, covering the most states in India.
Starwood hotels, is the online site that can provide you further information.
International Hotels Group
IHG rewards club is one of the oldest ones having the largest loyalty programs. The levels provide are gold, platinum and spire.
How to earn points:
Ten points can be earned as per every US dollar spent. They provide bonuses as per the levels, with 10% if you are at gold level, 50% at platinum and 100% at spire.
It’s easy to earn points and reward yourself with the exclusive member benefits of #IHGRewardsClub. https://t.co/x6pO5LlxYW pic.twitter.com/bqflCYH6ft
— IHG Rewards Club (@ihgrewardsclub) July 20, 2017
How to redeem points:
It includes over 4000 hotels all over the world with 22 hotel chains in India. The hotels associated are Holiday Inn, Indigo hotels, Holiday Inn Express, Crowne Plaza etc. By the end of the year 2020, 47 new hotels within this program will be launched in India, thus making it a valuable asset here.
Enrollment is online and free of cost.
Club ITC
Participation in these hotels and Wills lifestyle stores will help you earn points.
Tier levels:
Silver, gold and Platinum
Silver allows 3% points’ gain, gold allows 4% and platinum 5%.
Redemption of points:
ITC hotels, Wills lifestyle, John Players, Air India, Jet Airways and Bose.
#ResponsibleLuxury
Celebrate your special moment in #UnhurriedLuxury with a bespoke dining experience at the @ITCGrandBharat. pic.twitter.com/e1rFEHCcSm
— ITC Hotels (@ITCHotels) July 18, 2017
Upgrading membership:
Spending over 25000 at Wills lifestyle for gold and 50000 for platinum. You can also upgrade to gold by having 8 stays or 16 nights at ITC hotels annually for gold and 16 stays or 30 nights for platinum.
How to join:
Stay at an ITC hotel or shop over 7500 at Wills lifestyle.
Cost of enrollment:
Free
You can visit, here,for more information.
Marriott
Marriott rewards should not be confused with the club. It is a loyalty program provided by the hotels.
Tier system:
Silver, gold, platinum
Points can be earned as per every dollar spent. Bonus for silver is 20%, for gold is 25% and for platinum, it is 50%.
Points to get a free stay:
7500 to 15000
Redemption of points:
They can be redeemed at Countryyard by marriott, ritz Carlton, renaissance etc.
Enjoy 500 bonus points every night in #Agra for your trek to the #TajMahal: https://t.co/kpx05YCAkX #DailyDeal pic.twitter.com/3iyneKcxUH
— Marriott Rewards (@MarriottRewards) July 9, 2017
Terms and conditions:
An inactivity for 24 months expires the membership plans. Upgrading the membership requires the person to stay 10 nights for silver, 50 nights for gold and over 75 for platinum.
How to join:
Online enrollment
Cost of joining:
Free of cost
You can visit their online site
Hilton Honors Programs
They provide with the most diverse variety of redeeming of points. Read more details here
Tier levels:
Blue, silver, gold, diamond
Points are earned as per US dollar spent with a bonus of 15% at silver, 25% at gold and 50% at diamond.
Free stay:
To get a free stay, you need 20000 to 40000 points.
Redemption of points:
There are over 60 airlines, 12 brands, thousands of hotels worldwide under this chain. The number of hotels is India is 14 and is expected to increase in number.
Points bring your next vacation into focus! Book with the Hilton Honors app to get 500 bonus Points. https://t.co/SeZ6JZgzIC pic.twitter.com/DzQQkEIIzR
— Hilton Honors (@HiltonHonors) August 15, 2017
Terms and conditions:
The reward expires in case if inactivity for a period of 12 months. For silver membership, stay for 10 nights is required, for gold, 40 nights and for diamond, 60 nights.
How to join:
Online joining
Cost of enrollment:
Free of cost
Visit website for more info.
Le Club Loyalty Program
Provided by Accor Le Club, it has a vast network in Asia. The levels of memberships are classic, silver, gold and platinum.
Points earned are as per every euro spent, ranging from 5 to 25 points.
Free stay:
€40 gets discounted for 2000 points.
Redemption of points:
Spa brands, Thalassa Sea, Ibis Style, Mercure, Sebel, Novotel etc are some areas to redeem your points.
12 months of inactivity expires the rewards.
How to join:
Online enrollment
Cost of joining:
Free of cost
Visit website for more information
Club Carlson Loyalty Program
20 points cans be earned as per every US dollar spent. For a free stay, points required are 9000-70000.
Tier level:
Red
Silver – 15 nights or 10 stays
Gold – 35 nights or 20 stays
Concierge – 75 nights or 30 stays
Use your Club Carlson Visa® from the pump to hotel check-in to earn Club Carlson Gold Points® on everyday purchases. https://t.co/h4OjzOeYn6 pic.twitter.com/d6IvsKG9Uy
— Club Carlson (@clubcarlson) June 19, 2017
Redemption of points:
At Radisson Blu, Radisson, Park Inn, Suits by Carlson, Country Inn etc. The conversion of points to airline miles is available.
The plan expires with an inactivity for 24 months.
How to join:
Online joining with no cost
Visit website for more information
The Leela
Their loyalty program, Leela Solitaire, a point is earned by expenditure of 1000 rupees on rooms and 2500 rupees on banquets or conferences.
Redemption of points:
One point is equivalent to 20 rupees. They can be redeemed at leela hotels, lifestyle, Bombay store, shoppers stop etc
It is an honor to be named among the Top 15 Hotel Brands in the World by @TravelLeisure 2017 World’s Best Awards for a second year in a row. pic.twitter.com/PHYxZr9xE7
— The Leela (@TheLeelaHotels) July 27, 2017
Joining is done by invitation and no online enrollment is available. It is free of cost. You can visit here for more info.
The loyalty programs are a great way of assuring a relationship between world class hotels and their members.
The most relevant programs in India are provided by the Taj, Leela, Starwood, Oberoi and Hyatt. With their growing excellence and number in India, they provide a great diversity in rewards and redemption methods.
Keep in mind these loyalty programs the next time you plan a trip and earn rewards. Who doesn’t like to be rewarded!
Show your loyalty and enjoy rewards.
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