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(23 Apr 2021)
NH Hotel Group has unveiled plans to join the Global Hotel Alliance (GHA) and
merge its NH Rewards loyalty programme with Discovery, GHA’s
loyalty programme, in early 2022.
The merger will establish Discovery one of the ten
largest loyalty programmes in the hospitality sector, with over
900 participating hotels.
Based in Madrid, Spain, the NH Hotel Group is one
of the largest hotel companies in the world. Under three brands,
NH Hotels, NH Collection and nhow, it operates over 360 hotels in
30 countries, primarily in Europe and South America.
NH Hotel
Group is majority-owned by Minor Hotels, a Bangkok-based operator
of more than 160 hotels and a GHA shareholder. Minor’s global
family of brands such as Anantara, Avani, Elewana Collection, Oaks
and Tivoli are already member brands of the alliance and
participate in Discovery.
Chris Hartley, GHA’s CEO, said, “NH will strengthen the alliance during what has been a difficult period for the hospitality industry,
further leveraging our collective buying power and
collaborative marketing efforts. It also gives our 17 million-plus
Discovery members access to hundreds of new locations in
South America, Spain, Germany, Italy, and Benelux, where
until now we had limited coverage.”
GHA is preparing to
launch a redesigned version of its Discovery programme in Q4 2021. The
upgrade will include an array of new features such as a digital
rewards currency and promotions and benefits for local members
even when not staying in the hotel.
Ramon Aragones, CEO of NH Hotel Group, who will be
joining GHA’s board of directors, said, “Being part of Minor
Hotels, we are already expanding NH’s presence into new markets,
such as Australia. With Minor’s brands participating successfully
in the Discovery loyalty programme for many years, this was a
logical step for NH and our customers. It enriches the choice for
NH’s 10 million members, opening up destinations across Asia,
Australia and North America; and makes us more competitive
with a loyalty platform to rival the best in the industry. I am
delighted to join Dillip Rajakarier, Minor’s CEO, on the GHA
board, where I look forward to being involved in the strategic
growth of the alliance through a strong collaboration with a
fabulous collection of independent brands.”
See also:
What is the IATA Travel Pass, and what does it mean for
travellers, airlines and the global travel industry? Exclusive
video interview with Vinoop Goel.
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