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Travel website Expedia just launched its loyalty programme, Expedia+. With more and more people booking their trips online, and by themselves without the aid of travel agents, Expedia is looking to build a base of loyal users for its products by offering three slabs in its new programme, based on usage.
According to a survey conducted by the online portal, 32 per cent Indians with travel loyalty programmes redeem points once in six months, and 44 per cent Indians would be open to enrolling into new travel loyalty programmes. This seemed like a favourable environment for Expedia to launch its new, three-tiered loyalty programme.
The survey asked participants to choose the kind of upgrades, benefits and services they would like, to which 82 per cent said they would like a complimentary upgrade of the hotel/room category, 77 per cent preferred free drinks and meals, 34 per cent said hotel nights abroad, and 27 per cent chose the flexibility to redeem or gift points. The survey found that 61 per cent of its respondents use their personal account for office travel bookings, and an even higher percentage (73 per cent) volunteer to book travel for their extended family in order to earn reward points.
This makes the Expedia+ well-suited for those in the last two categories. “Our survey on loyalty programme discovered that 47 per cent Indians are a part of 2-3 travel loyalty programmes while 38 per cent participate in at least one programme. This clearly reflects that there is an appetite for loyalty programmes as the Indian consumer is growing smarter and wants to accumulate and avail benefits on every purchase,” says Manmeet Ahluwalia, Marketing Head, Expedia India.
The three tiers — +blue, +silver and +gold — work on the basis of number of nights stayed at predetermined hotels and the amount of the transactions with Expedia. According to the travel website, a free membership automatically gives you +blue status; this is followed by +silver status after you spend Rs 330,000 on eligible bookings or staying at seven qualifying hotel room nights; and you get the +gold status after spending Rs 660,000 on eligible bookings or staying 15 qualifying hotel room nights.
The survey was conducted online from October 26 to November 4, 2015, across Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Pune. Participants included 215 employed adults aged 18 years and older.
The benefits of opting for the loyalty program is that members get twice the value for their points when they’re redeem for a +VIP Access hotel, award travels can be booked for others (so pleasing the in-laws with a special package can be an option), and they can also avail free amenities such as spa discounts and free drinks at select +VIP Access hotels.
