Worldwide: Preferred Hotel Group has announced a series of updates to its I Prefer loyalty program, including two new membership tiers and more.
More than 3.8 million members are enrolled on the I Prefer Hotel Rewards program. In response to calls for greater differentiation in membership, Preferred has introduced two additional tiers – Explorer and Authority – each with its own set of benefits.
The two new tiers complement the existing Insider and Elite tiers, offering benefits such as priority early check in and late check out, complimentary room upgrades, access to exclusive partner offers, and between 20 to 50 per cent bonus points per eligible stay.
With the addition of the Explorer and Authority tiers, member benefits of the existing tiers have been revised as follows:
• Insider (0-24,999 points) – new members automatically receive Insider status. Points can be earned for every eligible stay, and benefits accessed such as early check in and late check out, room upgrades, a Beyond Green stay benefit bonus, and digital access to Preferred Travel Magazine.
• Explorer (25,000-49,999 points) – offers all Insider benefits, plus a welcome amenity such as a bottle of wine, spa credit, or bag of locally made coffee, and 20 per cent bonus points per eligible stay.
• Elite (50,000+ points) – includes all benefits of Insider and Explorer status, as well as 50 per cent bonus points, a digital anniversary gift, and food and beverage offering such as complimentary cocktail or breakfast voucher.
• Authority (invite-only access) – offers all Insider, Explorer and Elite benefits, in addition to complimentary daily breakfast for two, concierge lounge access, dedicated reservation line, and the ability to gift Elite status to three friends per calendar year. It is available only by invitation.
Members can also now refer friends and family to I Prefer and earn 1,000 bonus points for each new sign-up. Preferred is offering the 1,000 point bonus to travel agents too which onboard new members to the loyalty program. There is no cap to the number of friends, family and clients that members refer through the new offer.
Other enhancements include the ability to book free reward nights with points; the launch of I Prefer Auctions where members can bid and win travel experiences; and I Prefer Loves which offers members access to retail offers.
“Over the past year, our loyal I Prefer Hotel Rewards members have shared consistent feedback requesting greater value and differentiation in their membership, a faster route to more benefits, a wider variety of points redemption options, and earlier recognition,” said Jeri Salazar, vice president of loyalty for Preferred Hotels & Resorts. “As part of our constant commitment to improvement and service excellence, we took on board these learnings to create several new member-focused initiatives that travellers can enjoy this summer and beyond as more travel freedoms are introduced.”
