Elena Belashova
General Manager
Crowne Plaza Moscow World Trade Centre hotel
The main idea of bonus and loyalty programs could not always be seen on the very top. Keeping a client loyal is always an aim, though keeping him happy is a much more delicate and tough objective to achieve. A client should feel cared about, and such programs are a strong means to help hoteliers do their outmost.
Could a hotel live up to the expectations of its guests by just offering them a comfortable and genuine accommodation in combination with superior services? High service and accommodation standards are now a vital point for hotels of any rank due to annually rising competition. And the question of additional benefits is a point that any hotel comes up with sooner or later. Your client is willing to get a greater value for the money he paid. A thinking ahead hotelier should understand that involving a loyalty program into business will raise the hotel's value for present and potential clients.
Moscow's hospitality market is now booming, plenty of hotels ranked four or five stars open annually, increasing the tough competition. It is widely known that a vast quantity of travelers prefer choosing hotels according to loyalty programs they provide. Travelers stick to the benefits they could get. Chain hotels from the very beginning acquire the mother company's bonus programs for example all hotels of InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) chain benefit from using the Priority Club Rewards (PCR). Crowne Plaza Moscow being a part of IHG's family highly involves the PCR program in its activity. It is always a challenge to make something more for your guest than just providing first class excellence, even though there are only few ways to differ from rivals. Our PCR for example gives it's participants a chance to spend their points for nights in any hotel in the world, even the competitor's.
Nowadays any country's hospitality market share mostly belongs to the chain hotels. Chain hotels prove to support the best services and accommodation one could get. A known brand provides confidence, and it is always that way. But all the chained hotel brands have more or less the same quality standards, so how could a traveler decide what to chose. And here again comes the role of bonus and loyalty programs.
Of course, besides global programs, most hotels provide local programs. They could be divided to B2B and B2C types. B2B loyalty programs like Crowne Plaza's Business Club provides benefits for corporate decision makers allowing them to gain bonuses just for being a partner of the hotel. B2C programs are slightly different and are aimed at supporting accompanying services. As an example, Moscow's guests usually consider hotels' restaurants to be unreasonably expensive and prefer to have dinner out in the city. Providing guests with programs allowing them to gain discounts or special bonuses stop most clients from floating away. And this as well works for the locals. Crowne Plaza's RFR Club program has proved itself successful mostly for Moscow's inhabitants. This year we will strongly improve RFR Club and turn it to new RFR Bonus program. I am sure that additional value in the form of discounts in combination with various valuable benefits will continue supporting our Real Food Restaurant with loyal clients and they will continue coming back again. And it is not just the benefits they value but also our caring attitude.
In my opinion, the role of bonus programs both global and local will gain much more value in the near future influencing the decisions of travelers. But the hotels should never forget about the high standards of services and accommodation as one will never work without another.
