THE independent guest loyalty programme Voilà Hotel Rewards is looking for partners in the Middle East and is already in talks with several hotel groups, says a company executive.
“We are talking to two independent hotel groups in the region,” CEO Mokhtar Ramadan tells TTN, “and they will probably be on board before January.
Voilà is an innovative frequency guest loyalty programme, created by Hospitality Marketing Concepts (HMC), specifically for independent hotels and resorts. It is being billed the first and only points-based, guest loyalty programme that gives independent hotels and resorts the competitive edge previously reserved for only the largest global hotel brands.
“So many hotels today face the challenges of low awareness, limited resources and marketing funds in addition to loss of business due to the lack of a loyalty programme. We have launched Voilà Hotel Rewards to equip independents with the tools and technology to address these challenges and ultimately increase occupancy and revenue,” says Ramadan.
The goal, he adds, is to reach 1000 hotels in the next two or three years, and a customer base of about 5.5 million. “We’ve already signed on about 250 hotels, and we have several deals in the pipeline, so we should be able to reach that target in about 15 months.”
Voilà supplies all the systems, technology and support services required to operate the programme via the Voilà CRM Partner Portal. The automated capabilities that drive Voilà, such as points administration, data storage, PMS and CRS synchronization; drastically reduce labour costs, previously associated with loyalty programmes.
Voilà Hotel Rewards has entered into an agreement with Great Hotels Organisation as the European partner for the independent hotel sector. GHO’s Great Hotels Rewards will provide the platform through which independent hotels will be able to join the Voilà Hotel Rewards network in Europe, Middle East, and Africa.
It is being launched with three membership tiers: Gold, Platinum and Black. Points are awarded per dollar spent at member hotels.