Bilt Taps Luxury Hotels to Build Marketplace for Top Spenders
Photo Credit: Exterior of the Pendry Park City Hotel, which participates in Bilt's Home Away From Home program. Montage
Skift Take
Bilt is trying to thread a needle in building a hotel booking platform without becoming an OTA that hotels resent. One of its tactics is to offer spending data on its most loyal customers to help luxury hotels provide personalized service for first-time guests.
Bilt, the New York startup that lets members earn loyalty points on rent, mortgage payments, and other purchases, is deepening its push into recommending luxury hotels.
The company on Thursday announced Bilt Verified, a program that will invite hotels carrying Forbes Travel Guide star ratings to connect their technology systems to Bilt's platform in exchange for access to the company's base of high-spending customers.
The announcement builds on Bilt's effort in recent months to develop Home Away From Home, a selection of more than 1,700 luxury properties booked through Virtuoso travel advisors. Guests can get advice and help with restaurant and activity bookings at their destination through a mix of Bilt's AI-powered chat and the advisors.
Guests who book Home Away From Home or Bilt Verified properties receive a $100 credit to spend at a hotel, complimentary daily breakfast, flexible check-in and checkout times, and room upgrades when available.
