THE PRICE OF LOYALTY

摘要

The first months of 2013 saw the major brands tighten their loyalty-program benefits much more than in previous years. Whether they risk losing some of their loyal business travelers because of this remains to be seen. While the decrease in some of the loyalty-program benefits for guests has business travel columnists, forum users and bloggers sounding off, hotel companies say adjusting the benefits of the loyalty programs is perennial, and recent changes simply reflect higher ADR and the fact that programs must remain economical for their other customers - hotel owners. "Hotel programs, unlike the airlines, award points per dollar to ensure the value a member receives is commensurate with their relative profitability," says Laurie Goldstein, senior public relations manager at Marriott International. "As ADRs increase, members earn more points for each night, and the value of a free night increases.