The world's largest global hotel group is the first to pass 21 million members
Priority Club Rewards, the customer loyalty programme of InterContinental Hotels Group, today announced it has enrolled more than 21 million members to become the world's largest hotel loyalty programme, surpassing all other hotel loyalty programmes in total number of members. Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) have been amongst the fastest growth areas, with this region enrolling its two millionth member this summer.
InterContinental Hotels Group includes InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn hotels, Express by Holiday Inn hotels, Staybridge Suites hotels, and Candlewood Suites. Launched in 1983, Priority Club Rewards was the first hotel loyalty programme and prides itself on its user-friendly attributes.
"We designed Priority Club Rewards to be the industry's easiest and most valuable programme to use," said Steve Sickel, senior vice president, loyalty marketing, InterContinental Hotels Group. "We're the fastest-growing hotel loyalty programme in the industry because we offer the benefits that are most important to frequent travellers, and we have a wide group of properties for guests to choose from."
According to Sickel, the success and growth of the programme can be attributed to its distinctive offerings, detailed at www.priorityclub.com, including:
- No point expiration
- No blackout dates on reward nights
- Fastest way to Elite status
- Ability to transfer points to any other member
- The range of rewards available, tailored by region to suit travellers in all markets
- Regular incentives for members such as this summer's double points campaign (www.priorityclub.com/double)
With 21 million members, Priority Club Rewards now has more members than the population of Australia. To put this figure into even more perspective, consider the following:
Priority Club Rewards' membership base is now larger than the entire population any city in EMEA, The programmes' base now outnumbers the population of many entire countries, including the Netherlands, Hungary and Syria.
In the last four years alone, Priority Club Rewards members have recorded more than 115 million nights away from home in IHG hotels, the collective equivalent of 315,068 years on the road.
During that same period, members have redeemed 50 billion Priority Club Rewards points worth more than $340 million in free hotel nights, store vouchers and special activities such as rally driving and hot-air balloon flights. Members who choose to collect airline frequent flyer miles through the programme have earned nearly three billion frequent flyer miles since 2000, enough for roughly 120,000 round trip tickets on most major airlines
If every Priority Club Rewards member decided to attend the Euro 2004 final at Lisbon's magnificent Est?dio da Luz that drew the biggest attendance of the competition, seeing Greece defeat the hosts Portugal they would have filled the stadium 334 times over.
Priority Club Rewards offers a large collection of programme rewards, including free nights at each of its hotel properties, frequent flyer miles for over 40 airlines worldwide, exclusive wines, store vouchers and special activities.
Recently, the programme received six first place and eight second place awards at the 2004 Freddie Awards, the most prestigious consumer-generated awards in the travel industry.
Enrolment in Priority Club Rewards is free. Guests enrol online at www.priorityclub.com, by calling +44 (0) 870 607 2582 or by enquiring at the front desk of any InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn, Express by Holiday Inn, Staybridge Suites or Candlewood Suites worldwide.
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Note to editors
Priority Club Rewards is the world's first and largest global hotel loyalty programme spanning more than 3,500 hotels in nearly 100 countries and territories around the world. With more than 300,000 new travellers joining the programme each month, Priority Club Rewards has more members than any other loyalty programme in the hotel industry. Membership has doubled over the last three years, to more than 21 million, with 20 percent of new members enrolling via the Internet in FY 2003.
InterContinental Hotels Group PLC of the United Kingdom [LON:IHG, NYSE:IHG (ADRs)] is the world's most global hotel company and the largest by number of rooms. InterContinental Hotels Group owns, manages, leases or franchises, through various subsidiaries, more than 3,500 hotels and 535,000 guest rooms in nearly 100 countries and territories around the world (www.ichotelsgroup.com). The Group owns a portfolio of well recognised and respected hotel brands including InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts, Holiday Inn Hotels and Resorts, Holiday Inn Express, Staybridge Suites, Candlewood Suites, and Hotel Indigo, and also has a controlling interest in Britvic, the second largest soft drinks manufacturer in the UK.
InterContinental Hotels Group offers information and reservations capability on the Internet - www.intercontinental.com for InterContinental Hotels & Resorts, www.crowneplaza.com for Crowne Plaza Hotels & Resorts, www.holiday-inn.com for Holiday Inn hotels, www.hiexpress.com for Holiday Inn Express hotels, www.staybridge.com for Staybridge Suites by Holiday Inn hotels, and www.candlewoodsuites.com for Candlewood Suites, and for the Group's rewards programme, www.priorityclub.com.
For the latest news from InterContinental Hotels Group, visit our online Press Office at www.pressoffice.ihgplc.com.
For more information contact
Dave Greenwood
Communications Manager
InterContinental Hotels Group
01753 410356
dave.greenwood@ichotelsgroup.com
Lisa Woodman
PR Co-ordinator
InterContinental Hotels Group
01753 410 259
lisa.woodman@ichotelsgroup.com
© Press Release 2004
