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$11 Billion in Free Nights
Unredeemed points keep piling up. But that isn't a bad thing.
Travel Loyalty News
Read Skift’s in-depth coverage of the world of travel loyalty. Discover the latest news about airline loyalty programs, hotel loyalty programs, points strategies, and other programs that vie for repeat consumer business.
Hopper Takes Over Canadian Bank Deal From Expedia
The RBC contract is a significant B2B win for fellow Canadian company, Hopper. Exclusivity may have been a precedent that Expedia saw as too limiting.
GMH Hotels: Is $7 Billion in Hotel Points a Problem?
On this week’s Good Morning Hospitality, A Skift Podcast: Hotels Edition, Sarah Dandashy and Steve Turk break down the growing loyalty balance at Marriott Hotels and Hilton, and what nearly…
The $7 Billion Loyalty IOU: What Marriott and Hilton Owe Members
Marriott alone owes loyalty members $4 billion in unredeemed points. Across seven hotel giants, the total tops $11 billion. The numbers signal strength, not weakness.
Global Hotel Alliance Looks at India to Drive Growth
India has potential and travel intent. The Leela’s luxury lean and Global Hotel Alliance’s strategic partnership is now translating that intent into solid numbers.
Hotels Are Losing Travelers’ Discovery Window — And Scrambling to Get It Back
Hotels are no longer just competing at booking. As discovery shifts to social platforms, recommendations, and artificial intelligence tools, big groups are trying to shape demand much earlier.
Hilton’s Yotel Franchise Deal Tests New ‘Platform’ Model
The hotel giants are becoming distribution "platforms" of brands run by others, not just brand owners themselves. Hilton is the latest to embrace this shift with its new "brand of brands," Select by Hilton.
Hilton Cuts Yotel Deal, Launches Select by Hilton
Hilton’s newest brand is aimed at bringing outside brands into its system without buying them outright. Yotel is the first test of that model.
Travel’s Most Celebrated Number Is Its Most Meaningless
The travel industry celebrates loyalty member counts the way it celebrates sustainability commitments: loudly, frequently, and with very little evidence the numbers have changed anything.
Iran War Forces Gulf Airlines to Loosen Loyalty Requirements
In the last 24 hours, two of the three biggest Gulf carriers have eased loyalty rules. A simple case of looking after the customer or a sign that disruption may outlast current recovery timelines?