Travel Loyalty News

To switch to revenue-based loyalty programs or not to switch? Many airlines are just doing the math, and anticipating the outcry.

The skirmish between Expedia and Orbitz over their respective revamped loyalty programs continues, as Expedia points out that that its VIP program has more hotels, and its points don't expire as quickly.

Starwood is looking to capture a greater market share of B2B activity, which is growing globally in response to the economic rebound. It's likely that other major brands will respond with some loyalty scheme of their own.

The majority of frequent business travelers uphold hotel status as equal or more valuable to airline status. In fact, wealthier hard-core travelers prefer hotel status overwhelmingly.

Today, frequent flier miles get you only so far. Instead, focus on redeeming your business travel hotel points when vacationing with family or friends.

Mobile devices and on-demand services from Uber to Seamless are creating a generation more accustomed to instant gratification then the satisfaction of working for reward, and the trend has very real implications for hotels looking to gain millennial travelers' loyalty from a young age.

There is more technical innovation occurring in the hospitality sector than in any other part of the travel industry, and that oftens gives hotels the tools to turn guest data into revenue.

Hilton Worldwide's room-selection initiative is vindication for fading startup Room77, which sought to get hotels to adapt the feature, but met resistance. Guests will want additional room intelligence, including images, ratings and amenity information.

If greed is good in the movies, cheap is good at CheapTickets, which is seeking to target extremely price-focused consumers. Whether its rates will be cheaper than those on Orbitz is another question.