Global Hotel Alliance Announces 2019 Results
The steady rise in revenues was driven largely by a further 18% growth in DISCOVERY membership, which reached 16.4 million members by the end of 2019.
Global Hotel Alliance (“GHA”), operator of the world’s largest loyalty platform for independent brands, DISCOVERY, today revealed that 2019 was a record year for room revenue production and new brands, with seven luxury brands joining the alliance, namely:
- Campbell Gray Hotels
- Capella Hotels & Resorts
- Divani Collection Hotels
- Fauchon Hospitality
- Nikki Beach Hotels & Resorts
- Sun Resorts
- The Sukhothai Hotels & Resorts
With 77 new hotels going live on the DISCOVERY platform in 2019, the alliance has now reached 570 properties and entered key European capitals like Paris and Athens while expanding its footprint in important Asian markets including Shanghai and Bangkok.
Overall room-revenue from stays by DISCOVERY loyalty programme members increased to US$1.7 billion. Cross-brand performance improved by 20% to 700,000 room-nights (that is nights generated by members who enrolled at one brand and then stayed at another), reaching US$125 million in rooms revenue. In the best performing hotels, the DISCOVERY programme is now producing more than half of total room-nights sold and adding up to 7.5% in incremental occupancy from cross-brand customers.
The steady rise in revenues was driven largely by a further 18% growth in DISCOVERY membership, which reached 16.4 million members by the end of 2019. Seven million of those members reside in North America, with continued strong growth in Asia (now 2.9 million members), Europe (2.6 million) and Australasia (1.4 million).
In 2019, elite tier customers represented 4.2% of the active member database but produced over US$420 million in room revenues.
GHA’s CEO, Chris Hartley, is excited about the growth and continued enthusiasm that the independent brand sector is showing for collaboration of this nature: “GHA plays a vital role in insulating our member brands from external threats, as the mega-players pour hundreds of millions into their own loyalty platforms. GHA provides a solution for independent brands that protects them from the twin threats of industry consolidation and the marketing might of the OTAs, without losing their identity or control.”
In terms of channel, more DISCOVERY members booked direct than ever before on discoveryloyalty.com, and the DISCOVERY App has become a critical booking platform with a 49% increase in bookings year over year, representing nearly one-third of all online bookings. DISCOVERY members who booked direct did so at a rate premium of 40% over the average DISCOVERY rate, which was despite the popular 10% direct booking discount benefit, now in its third year and available in most of the 570 hotels participating in the DISCOVERY programme.
The most popular hotels booked on the DISCOVERY website in 2019 throughout the six continents represented were the Pan Pacific Singapore, Kempinski Nile Hotel Garden City Cairo, Egypt, PARKROYAL Darling Harbour, Australia, Hotel Adlon Kempinski Berlin, Germany, Outrigger Waikiki Beach Resort, United States, and the Tivoli Mofarrej Sao Paulo Hotel, Brazil.
Local Experiences, DISCOVERY’s innovative rewards, saw a further 35% growth in redemptions over 2018.
In terms of stabilised destination performance, Dubai remained strong at 23% growth in cross-brand bookings, with Singapore and London seeing 15% and 6% growth, respectively. Leisure travel to resorts saw the most growth, with new beach resorts in Mexico and Australia, in particular, seeing strong demand from DISCOVERY’s global member database.
Editor’s Notes:
About Global Hotel Alliance
Global Hotel Alliance (GHA) is the world’s largest alliance of independent hotel brands, bringing together more than 35 brands with over 570 hotels in 78 countries. GHA uses a shared technology platform to drive incremental revenues and create cost savings for its member brands. GHA’s award-winning loyalty programme, DISCOVERY, provides 16 million members exclusive opportunities to immerse themselves in local culture wherever they travel. GHA’s hotel brands currently include Anantara, Atura, Avani, Capella, Corinthia, Discovery Destinations, Divani, Doyle, Elewana, Fauchon, GLO, JA Resorts, Kempinski, Leela, Lungarno, Marco Polo, Meritage, Mysk, Niccolo, Nikki Beach, NUO, Oaks, Omni, Outrigger, Pan Pacific, PARKROYAL, QT, The Residence by Cenizaro, Rydges, Shaza, Sukhothai, Thon, Tivoli, Ultratravel Collection and Viceroy. For more information, visit globalhotelalliance.com
About DISCOVERY Loyalty
A memorable trip demands more than a comfortable stay. DISCOVERY, an award-winning global loyalty programme, provides 16 million members recognition and perks across over 570 hotels, resorts and palaces in 78 countries. Elite members have the opportunity to immerse themselves in local culture through Local Experiences, distinctive activities that capture an authentic taste of each destination. For more information, visit discoveryloyalty.com
*Source: AETOSWire
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200217005373/en/