Loyalty Programs of Turkish Hotels: Which Is Better?
The new booking season for summer 2019 has started and the key question for tourists' is choosing the hotel for vacation in Turkey. A hotel loyalty program is a key strategy used by hotels to attract to its properties while selecting a hotel. It works on 100% for the direct clients. But what do we know about travel agents'(TA) loyalty programs? Traditionally Turkish hotels used to deal with big travel operators (TO) and there was debugged "kick back" system. It gives real money back for TO at the end of the season. This knowledge was TO's advantage for discounts if necessary.
Those days have passed. Now TO companies own hotels too. It's impossible today to surprise somebody by definition "turbulent world economic development period". For being successful hotel today it is necessary to involve TA too. The hotels are looking for the new clients among them while the managing directors of TA are choosing the most profitable strategy to save companies.
Which hotel is the most interesting for them today?
The time demands new approaches, the Turkish hotels are looking for the variants. And they are rather different! Let's speak about some of them. We have taken the most known programs and divide the compared hotels conditionally into 3 groups.
Programs of single hotels.
The most understandable and comfortable in usage is Calista's: www.calista.com.tr/ru/Loyalty/Programma-Loyalnosti-dlya-Agenstv/
Information is open, each booking can be evaluated in currency and the most unusual moment is that loyalty programs for clients and agents can be gathered together for usage. For example: the booking of 7 nights in Superior room = 140 points = 140(ˆ). And booked 7 nights in villa = 700 points = 700 (ˆ).
The cost of superior room LV in September-October is 2545$. So, booking of 1 villa and 13 superiors can give TA chance to stay in Calista in autumn, or to get cash and choose something other.
The question is whether this program is real for TA? For regional independent TA the answer is "No", as the main point of TA interest is to satisfy the client by quality/price proportion and get him back for the next booking. This program works only if TA's and clients points will be collected. That is not very simple task.
BELLIS DELUXE HOTEL 5* in Belek. Here 25 rooms booked during summer period equals 1 week in DBL room for vacation in October after the agreement with the hotel. And there is the SP for personal rest for TA workers, it depends on TA's activity in booking too. And there is the opportunity to stay FOC at the hotel for 2 nights in spring till 27.04.19 to be acquainted with it.
UTOPIA WORLD HOTEL 5* in Alanya. Here 20 rooms during the season = 7 nights FOC (DBL, Standard)in low season. If TA worker wants to visit hotel it is possible on agreement and it may be 1 night FOC for testing the hotel.
Conclusion: single hotel should be very attentive in choosing the target audience and don't spoil resources on single TA. Better to find MICE and VIP oriented companies.
Hotel chains or groups.
Rixos hotels (8 hotels in Turkey)has rixos-bonus.com. Points here depend on many booking details, but thanks to number of hotels TA with 2 and more offices can book the required number of rooms for FOC stay in autumn. But that will be consolidated account of several TA employees.
Voyage hotels (6) and Maxxroyal have common management. In spring hotels' management invites chosen TA for season starting motivating event, all the season then getting reports from them and finalizes their total points amounts and invites the best for autumn event with awards. Those TA which were not among the best are invited to stay in off-season period for earned duration FOC.
Sherwood hotels have 7 objects in Turkey. TA should book 30 rooms in Suites hotel or in Sensative hotel for getting the week vacation in any of the hotels.
Papillon Hotels work for 25 years and own 3 objects in Turkey. They suggest TA the registration at: prm.papillon.com.tr. Then TA enters the bookings before arrivals. Bonus points depend on room category and stay duration. Getting minimum 250 points TA can get bonus stay. The hotel representative
(E: olga.kryukova@papillon.com.tr) can arrange hotel visit too.
Conclusion: These programs are for TA with more than 2 offices, and it is important to contact the person engaged with bonus programs' checking. That may be senior manager, the managing director or the owner. The account may also be consolidated and the used as encouragement or incentive measure by TA management.
Hotels with cash back system.
Kilit Hospitality Group (KHG) works since 2005 and owns 18 hotels including 5 stars hotels like Crystal Hotels, Nirvana Lagoon Villas and Amara World Hotels. (https://www.kilithg.com)
It includes also economical 5* and 4* hotels like: Astoria hotel 4*, Botanik 4* (3 hotels), Champion Holiday Village 5*, Club Boran Mare Beach 5*, Grand Mir'amor hotel 4*, Kilikya 5*(2 hotels) etc. This huge group has started marketing network development sometime ago with the cards for coming into the system for getting cash back at the end of the season. The real figures depend on concrete hotel. But there is system of points exchange if TA wants to get vacation in the chosen hotel of this network. But there is the simple way to get just cash! Even if it is modest amount up to 50$ it may be just pleasant psychological moment for TA, where managers = owners.
Conclusion: this type is rather famous and many TA today are looking for coming into this network. It gives more freedom in hotels choice. And doesn't push to book definite one, as the hotel's quality continue to be the final decision-making reason for TA.
While writing this article the new travel public in FB has appeared for exchanging information about bonus programs for TA. This is the litmus paper for the topic: there are numerous hotels in Turkey and lack of information for TA. That is the high time for hotels' management to think about. And all the best in 2019 coming season, dear colleagues!
