Hotel Loyalty Programs Beyond Elite Status Levels

The Hyatt Courtesy Card is just one of the new aspects of hotel loyalty programs I learned about today in my Hotel Loyalty Programs presentation at the FlyerTalk Chicago Seminar Do.

Last night I ate dinner with a 400,000 mile per year frequent flyer and leisure traveler InterContinental Royal Ambassador. He showed me his certificate for complimentary Royal Ambassador status to another person. One of the perks of being Royal Ambassador is complimentary in-room mini-bar items.

So how does one reach these invitational über-elite status levels?

Being someone with influence, high spend, frequent stays, and true loyalty revenue potential.

There is a FlyerTalk thread on Hyatt Courtesy Card über-elite status. Here is my favorite line from the Hyatt thread in an experiential post from Hyatt Courtesy Card member InJapan:

“Sometimes, you get the very best suite the hotel has to offer, the very best means you are walking a long way from kitchen to bedroom. These are the rooms usually featured on the hotels homepage, with super sized entry, separate living area, office, kitchen, and a workout area in the bathroom.”

Well, perhaps this sentence from the post is even more entertaining –  

“Is there anything above CC? Probably the only thing better is being one of the owner’s children.”

Here is a link to a 13-photo display of the Courtesy Card package, materials and card. The package comes with a robe.

There is also an article in October 2010 Executive Travel magazine by Alessandra Bianchi about these über-elite status levels – The New VIP Hotel Experience.