Sonesta Built a Hotel Empire During the Pandemic: Here's What's Missing
Photo Credit: Sonesta's wild growth during the pandemic continues, but company leaders recognize they need to implement some kind of loyalty program to appeal to more customers. Sonesta International Hotels Corp.
Skift Take
Sonesta is now a major hotel company with hundreds of franchised properties and an eye toward further growth. But the big hurdle is expanding its loyalty program. Marriott's takeover of Starwood showed the complexities of engineering loyalty across brands at a huge scale.
Find all the hotel development news you need with Early Check-In, arriving every Monday morning to Skift Pro subscribers.
“We’re spinning a bunch of plates right now, but it’s important work for us,” Sonesta CEO Carlos Flores said in an exclusive interview with Skift about the brand’s next growth steps. Flores and Keith Pierce, who now oversees the combined company’s franchise division, have been on a major outreach campaign to RLH franchise owners since the acquisition was announced late last year. Part of those talks are about stabilization and retention — competing hotel companies