Driving Hospitality Loyalty: Carlson Hotel's Engaging Customer Loyalty Campaign
Carlson Hotels, one of the largest global hotel networks, operates across the US, Europe, Middle East, and Asia with a significant membership in their customer loyalty programme. The challenge for Carlson was substantial; managing the risk associated with a growing loyalty points liability while simultaneously transitioning members from business to leisure users. This scenario posed both a financial risk and a strategic opportunity to enhance brand loyalty and engagement.
The Challenge
Carlson Hotels faced a significant challenge: the financial and operational implications of their loyalty points liability, which represented a potential loss directly impacting their bottom line. The strategic objectives were clear; gain greater control over the points liability, reposition Carlson as a viable option for leisure stays among loyalty members, and retain these members to sustain a predictable revenue stream.
The Strategy
To address these challenges, we devised a sophisticated, personalised loyalty campaign for Carlson Hotels. This initiative leveraged a direct marketing approach via personalised emails, featuring bespoke collages of members’ past hotel stays extracted from their Facebook timelines. This nostalgic reflection was paired with a dynamic trip planner tool that provided tailored holiday suggestions, allowing members to redeem points based on their leisure preferences, directly integrated with the booking system.
Outcome
The campaign resulted in a significant uplift in points redemptions and an impressive 11.4% click-through rate. This strategic initiative not only reduced the points liability but also successfully repositioned Carlson as a leisure-oriented brand. The campaign received accolades for ‘Best Use of Communications’ and ‘Best Use of Data’ in a loyalty campaign at the Loyalty Awards, demonstrating a successful blend of technology integration and strategic marketing.
