Centara Hotels launches its first loyalty programme on Valentine’s Day with theme ‘Loyalty from the heart’.
BANGKOK- Love is in the air and it will be take the shape of a card for Centara Hotels & Resorts. St Valentine’s Day, on February 14th, will effectively mark the launch of the new loyalty card from Centara Hotels & Resorts under the theme, “Loyalty from the Heart”.
Centara – The 1 Card is a newly created recognition and rewards programme for those who love travelling and staying in the best hotels. By accruing points, members will be able to enjoy a free stay in a Centara hotel or resort, anywhere in Thailand or overseas, with no blackout dates. “St Valentine’s Day is, we feel, the perfect time for us to launch Centara – The 1 Card,” said Thirayuth Chirathivat, CEO of Centara Hotels & Resorts.
“We feel it will be of great value to our guests and customers, and a very heart-warming and giving way in which we can show how much we value them and how much we appreciate their loyalty.”
There are four tiers to membership, namely Classic, the entry level; Silver; Gold; and Platinum Elite.
Members progress upwards through the tiers simply by earning more points. At each level the rewards increase, with free room upgrades, early check-in and late checkout, pre-registration, guaranteed room availability, and much more.
Mr. Chirathivat said that members of the programme would find it very easy to earn points that go towards a free hotel stay: “They will earn five points for every THB 30 they spend when staying with Centara Hotels & Resorts, dining in a Centara restaurant, or relaxing in a Centara spa. By booking direct through the Centara website, our customers will even double their earning points”.
A major advantage for the users of Centara- The 1 Card is that it is merging with the existing Central- The 1 Card from Central Retail Corporation, another activity of the group in Thailand. Central Department Stores have now issued for almost a decade a loyalty card with points being earned. “It gives us the benefit to reach four million customers who can convert their current card into a Centara- The 1 Card”, highlighted Chris Bailey, senior vice president for sales and marketing at Centara Hotels & Resorts.
Some one million customers are already registered in Centara Hotels mailing, with 70% being foreigners. “It gives us a basis of 700,000 foreign customers, a number that we are keen to rapidly increase”, added Mr. Bailey.
“We also feel that the combined benefits of Central Group add up to Centara – The 1 Card being the only card that anyone will need.” said Mr. Chirathivat.
Centara is now working to add more partners into its programme. “We are talking with airlines as it is of course an important element of attraction. But also to other partners in the industry. We already have a commercial partnership with AirAsia and are part of loyalty programmes at Bangkok Airways and Thai Airways International. I am sure that we will make some announcement of airline’s partnership during the year”, said Chris Bailey.
The card will help to also gain more support and loyalty for the new properties that the company will open over the next years. “We have currently 20 properties in project or development and Centara- The 1 Card is definitely an important promotion tool,” explained the senior vice president.
Membership of Centara – The 1 Card is free.
Luc Citrinot a French national is a freelance journalist and consultant in tourism and air transport with over 20 years experience. Based in Paris and Bangkok, he works for various travel and air transport trade publications in Europe and Asia.
