At its first-ever global brand conference, held at The Venetian Resort Las Vegas, Sonesta International Hotels Corporation debuted its unified loyalty program, Sonesta Travel Pass, and combined website.
Following Sonesta’s acquisition of Red Lion Hotels Corporation, the updated sonesta.com brings Sonesta’s brands, including Royal Sonesta, Sonesta Hotels & Resorts and Sonesta ES Suites, together with the Red Lion brands, including Red Lion Hotel, Americas Best Value Inn and Signature Inn, under one umbrella and into a centralized booking site.
With a singular loyalty program for the entire portfolio, members now have access to unified benefits and a single currency across a network of 1,100 hotels. Members can accrue and redeem points across all 13 brands, with former Red Lion Hello Rewards members transitioning into Sonesta Travel Pass.
“Sonesta Travel Pass members now have endless opportunities to make memories at nearly 1,100 hotel destinations,” said Chris Trick, CMO, Sonesta. “By creating a unified booking platform and loyalty program, we are not only expanding opportunities for rewards and benefits but also forging stronger connections across our family of brands. For example, frequent guests of Red Lion Hotel, Inn & Suites by Sonesta can now explore a Sonesta MOD hotel with their points, while Signature Inn by Sonesta guests might also become Sonesta Simply Suites loyalists.”
John Murray, president/CEO, Sonesta, said that the company has also added a “by Sonesta” tag to the brands acquired in the Red Lion deal, except for Knights Inn, which will also not be a part of the Sonesta Travel Pass program.
“We set up a separate website for the brand,” he said. “It’s still one of the brands that Sonesta owns. The owners of Knights Inns in many cases don’t want the Travel Pass program because their guests really aren’t staying at Knights Inn to build loyalty points.”
The company also revealed at the conference that, to support this launch, it has released a new consumer campaign, titled “Rewards Season.” With promotional materials starring actress Judy Greer, the campaign encourages members to join the newly expanded program and book or redeem their travel through Sonesta.com.
“Our portfolio has so much breadth, we wanted to make sure that Sonesta Travel Pass members are rewarded for different types of stays,” said Elizabeth Harlow, chief brand officer, Sonesta. “Whether they’re booking a family vacation at a Sonesta Hotel & Resort, saving up points for an Americas Best Value Inn road trip, or booking a luxurious Royal Sonesta long weekend, Sonesta has a brand to fit every traveler and every trip, all now bookable with points.”
SOURCE: Hotel Business