Serviced residence company the Ascott Limited has launched a new loyalty programme as part of its ongoing global digital transformation efforts.
The company claims Ascott Star Rewards is the first scheme in the serviced apartment industry to offer unlimited points earning, no blackout dates and no minimum points requirement for redemption.
Ascott Star Rewards will offer benefits in the form of discounts and special seasonal offers. Membership is free and guests can earn points for each overnight stay booked at participating properties.
The programme will use a four-tiered membership approach, ranging from Classic to Platinum based on guests’ accumulated spending during the qualifying period. Earn rate percentages will increase depending on tier level and guests can still collect points on promotional room rates.
In order to earn points, guests must book directly through the Ascott website. Members can view their points and rewards through their personal online dashboard.
Members will be offered both instant and cumulative rewards, such as birthday discounts, seasonal offers and welcome gifts, with full and partial redemptions available.
During the first roll-out, 25 countries will participate in the loyalty scheme, with brands such as Citadines Apart’hotel, Ascott The Residence, Lyf, The Crest Collection and Somerset all taking part.
Along with the launch of Ascott Star Rewards, the company has redesigned its booking websites to enable members to access their rewards, redemptions and booking history. The booking process has also been reduced from six steps to three.
Head of operations Alfred Ong said: “Ascott already has a strong sales team globally that generates more than 50 per cent of our revenue directly from corporates. We are rolling out Ascott Star Rewards to drive more direct bookings on our websites and reduce our cost of sales. We aim to increase our brand websites’ share of online revenue to 40-50 per cent of total online revenue by 2021.”
the-ascott.com/en/member/benefits.html