What do you give the person who has everything? It was a question that was asked many times during the holiday season, but also in the hotel loyalty industry.
A suite upgrade is nice, but what if the person already buys suites? That benefit is a non-benefit to someone in that position, and does nothing to encourage loyalty from the person who books what they want.
If they can buy a suite frequently, you can bet it is a nice touch, but it is not something that will make sure that the high value person stays with your hotel chain.
How do you fix this?
The answer? That is a constant question to solve. For now, the best attempt appears to be the newest tier, invitation only status 'Polaris'. Some of the benefits of this rarified status are enough to make some eyebrows raise.
The world's best hotel status is being considered.
Most top tier hotel status is about potential. There is a chance for a free breakfast, late check out, and suite upgrades. There is not much beyond that.
This is where the most baller hotel status is found. Late check out and early check out take on new meaning with this invite only tier. Checking in also does.
The Shangri La Polaris offers...
You can check-in from midnight on the day of your reservation.
Even when not staying, you have access to the facilities.
Personal concierge for all travel needs.
Up to 10 times per year, complimentary upgrades for up to 14 nights per stay.
The access to club lounges, pools and gyms is what makes these amazing, but they are not all that unique. That feature is cool for people who live in cities with a Shangri-La.
Would you like to have a private chauffeur drive you around the city for shopping or a meal out? When staying at any Shangri-La Hotel, invitation only Polaris members receive 4 hours of chauffeur service.
Going behind the scenes for inexpensive experiences in some of the best cities in the world would be great. A world famous sushi chef, a suite stay and a private dinner for two are included in the Polaris tier.
Each year, invite-only members receive a unique Polaris Discovery choice, which is a free mini trip to thank them for their loyalty.
There are other things you can do, such as a helicopter tour of the Great Wall, a butler and aMichelin starred meal, and a caviar experience with a suite. These are great.
One off access to a hotel buffet for 4, a two night stay for a family, with a family themed and tailored trip, and some spa privileges are included too.
Raising the loyalty bar is good for everyone.
The economics of hotel loyalty are different from airlines and other businesses. The hotel loyalty programs rarely own the physical hotel you are staying in, and the hotels are often owned by private investors.
A group of people build a hotel, then hire a big chain to manage the property and the loyalty program. It is a limbo because owners get chippy with costs like free breakfast.
Most of the hotels that bear the Shangri-La name are owned by Shangri-La. Since people stay loyal to the group, it can do more to entice customers. There are less broken bones.
Even though most hotel loyalty programs will never reach the heights of baller elite status which Shangri-La has introduced, this new program may provide plentiful inspiration to leaders in other programs looking to hone in on wallet share.
