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What guests don’t like about hotel loyalty programs

July 26, 2012 | Hotel Marketing

An in-depth analysis of the frustrations experienced by primary, frequent-traveler members of the top hotel groups and loyalty programs in the US reveals that there are real consequences to being a “vulnerable” brand.

According to a study released by The Chief Marketing Officer Council, “The Leaders in Loyalty: Feeling the Love from the Loyalty Club“, 54 percent of the consumers surveyed let it be known that thanks to the barrage of irrelevant messages, low value rewards, and impersonal engagements, they aren’t feeling the love. In fact, they are thinking of asking for a divorce.

The study suggests “The reality of today’s loyalty landscape is that too many rewards, points or perk programs out there are still only as sophisticated as those early trading stamp programs. They dish discounts and free stuff to repeat buyers and gather about as much insight from the customer as those first shopkeepers exchanging place settings for swollen stamp books.”

Here are some key takeaways that customers didn’t like about loyalty programs.

- Too much spam and junk email topped the list of negatives at 44 percent
- Too many conditions and restrictions at 38 percent
- Rewards that lacked real value at 37 percent

Other prevalent complaints included members having a hard time redeeming points or rewards, program membership lacking value, and communications and services not being personalized or target specifically for members.

Get the full story at The Advisor

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