Interview: Launch of Club Carlson

Interview: The Launch of Club Carlson

 

On 31^st March 2011, the goldpoints plus^SM loyalty programme was re-branded to Club Carlson. As part of the re-brand, this global hotel rewards programme introduced an enhanced collection of superior benefits, service and privileges at their 1,000+ hotels worldwide - which includes Radisson, Country Inns & Suites, Park Inn and Park Plaza.

 

ICLP manages the programme for the EMEA region, and in this session John Kennedy, VP Marketing and CRM The Rezidor Hotel Group shares his thoughts on the programme, the competitive environment and future trends in the sector.

 

1. 1.       What drove the change from goldpoints plus^sm to Club Carlson^sm?

At the heart of the change is the desire to create what we consider to be the best frequent stayer programme. We operate in a dynamic marketplace and constantly look for opportunities to make membership more rewarding. Certainly, the changes to points earning and burning now positions us as one of the most generous programmes running. The changes sit well with our Ambition 2015 growth strategy too. Our aim is to expand our hotel portfolio by at least 50 per cent by 2015 - to more than 1,500 hotels in operation. The combination of wide geographical coverage and a strong loyalty programme help to provide flexibility and choice in terms of hotel booking and reward redemption for members.

 

1. 2.      What are the key features of the new programme?

There are some great member benefits, but some of my favourites are:

• Award Nights for less - we've reduced the number of points needed for an Award Night, for example from 15,000 points, down to 9,000
• Rollover nights - these allow elite members to roll over extra nights to qualify toward their next year's elite status
• Free Internet - available at all Radisson hotels worldwide, and all Carlson hotels in North America
• Concierge elite tier - our new top tier provides members with complimentary room upgrades and continental breakfast; early check in and late checkout; a 75 per cent point bonus on eligible stays; and a whole lot more!

 

1. 3.      How do you think Club Carlson fits into the Frequent Stayer landscape?

Hotel loyalty tends to be classed as a pretty mature marketplace. The Rezidor programme has a heritage dating back to 2003, for example, and as such, we're an established player. In terms of where our loyalty programme fits with the competitor set, I'm confident that the new enhancements put it at the forefront.

 

It's been a tough couple of years for most people and it still is, so we've worked hard to combine enhanced member benefits with a communications strategy that delivers relevant promotions and value-adds to the right audiences. I think it comes down to providing true value at a time when travellers are 'feeling the pinch', and Club Carlson delivers that.

 

1. 4.      Where do you see the biggest opportunity for the programme going forward?

I think I've already touched on it, but it's about finding ways of aligning Club Carlson with the needs of our current and potential members. This could take many forms, but here are just a couple of examples:

• Member feedback - one of the benefits of our industry is that our hotel employees enjoy face-to-face interaction with members. This provides us with a great opportunity to capture learnings from those interactions and use them to refine the programme.
• Aligning to lifestyle - with the continuing shift to mobile, we've launched a new mobile application featuring express booking, personalisation options, GPS mapping and the ability to redeem points. The app also links to "Explore Destinations," a best-in-class feature, which stores more than 4.4 million points of interest from local restaurants to tourist attractions.

 

For more information on Club Carlson please visit Club Carlson