{"id":7242,"date":"2021-12-11T03:50:00","date_gmt":"2021-12-11T03:50:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.verylvke.com\/en\/?p=7242"},"modified":"2022-02-19T15:16:05","modified_gmt":"2022-02-19T15:16:05","slug":"hotel-loyalty-program-series-gha-discovery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.verylvke.com\/en\/2021\/12\/11\/hotel-loyalty-program-series-gha-discovery\/","title":{"rendered":"Hotel Loyalty Programme Series \u2013 GHA Discovery"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Besides the likes of Hilton, Marriott and Hyatt, there is another form how hotel properties can get together and create a different \u2013 looser, but also \u201cfreer\u201d \u2013 alliance. GHA, or\u00a0<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" href=\"https:\/\/www.discoveryloyalty.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Global Hotel Alliance<\/a>, is one of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.verylvke.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/02\/gha-discovery-logo.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.verylvke.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/02\/gha-discovery-logo.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10868\" width=\"400\" height=\"221\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.verylvke.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/02\/gha-discovery-logo.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.verylvke.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/02\/gha-discovery-logo-300x165.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.verylvke.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/02\/gha-discovery-logo-768x423.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Rather than an alliance of hotels, GHA is an alliance of hotel groups. These groups are relatively small, so they need a platform like GHA to increase their visibility and drive sales, meanwhile without being too tightly tied or paying a high commission.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>[GHA Brands]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The main brands in GHA are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Anantara Hotels and Resorts<\/strong><\/li><li>Araiya Hotels<\/li><li>Avani Hotels and Resorts<\/li><li>Camprell Gray Hotels<\/li><li>Capella Hotles<\/li><li><strong>Corinthia Hotels<\/strong><\/li><li>Discovery Destinations<\/li><li>Divani Collection Hotels<\/li><li>The Doyle Collection<\/li><li>Elewana Collection<\/li><li>Fauchon Hospitality<\/li><li>GLO Hotels<\/li><li>JA Resorts and Hotels<\/li><li><strong>Kempinski Hotels<\/strong><\/li><li>The Leela Places, Hotels, Resorts<\/li><li>Lungarno Collection<\/li><li><strong>Marco Polo Hotels<\/strong><\/li><li>Mysk Hotels<\/li><li>Niccolo Hotels<\/li><li>Nikki Beach Hotels &amp; Resorts<\/li><li>NUO Hotels<\/li><li>Oaks Hotels, Resorts and Suites<\/li><li>Outrigger Resorts<\/li><li><strong>Pan Pacific Hotels and Resorts<\/strong><\/li><li>Parkroyal Hotels and Resorts<\/li><li>Patina Hotels and Resorts<\/li><li>The Residence by Cenizaro<\/li><li>Shaza Hotels<\/li><li>Sun International<\/li><li>The Sukhothai Hotels &amp; Resorts<\/li><li>Tivoli Hotels and Resorts<\/li><li>Ultratravel Collection<\/li><li>Viceroy Hotels and Resorts<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.verylvke.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2018\/07\/kempinski-hotel-istanbul.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.verylvke.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2018\/07\/kempinski-hotel-istanbul.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-4079\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.verylvke.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2018\/07\/kempinski-hotel-istanbul.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.verylvke.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2018\/07\/kempinski-hotel-istanbul-300x169.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Some of the brands here, e.g. Kempinski and Anantara are very reputable and I\u2019m sure you\u2019ve already heard of them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Given its nature it\u2019s not unusual to see frequent churns of members. However 2021 has been a particularly bad year for GHA \u2013 it lost Omni, Thon and Rydges, which had great footprint in the US, Scandinavia and Australia respectively.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>[Membership Tiers and Benefits]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>All the hotel groups under GHA share the same membership tiers:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Silver<\/strong>: entry level; free wi-fi during your stay.<\/li><li><strong>Gold<\/strong>: stay twice or spend $1,000; no real advantages over Silver.<\/li><li><strong>Platinum<\/strong>: stay 10 nights or two different brands or spend $5,000; welcome amenity, one-category room upgrade and 3pm late checkout.<\/li><li><strong>Titanium<\/strong>: stay 30 nights or three different brands or spend $15,000; welcome amenity, two-category room upgrade, 11am early check-in and 4pm late checkout.<\/li><li><strong>Red<\/strong>: invitation only and you need to be recommended by the general manager of one GHA brand, or at least three (vice-)directors; benefits unknown<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Note that room upgrade, early check-in and late check-out are all subject to availability.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\"><figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.verylvke.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/02\/gha-discovery-titanium.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.verylvke.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/02\/gha-discovery-titanium.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-10872\" width=\"400\" height=\"259\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.verylvke.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/02\/gha-discovery-titanium.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.verylvke.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/02\/gha-discovery-titanium-300x194.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.verylvke.com\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2022\/02\/gha-discovery-titanium-768x496.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p>Take the Titanium status as an example, it\u2019s much more achievable than in the old scheme as you only need a minimum of three one-night stays to obtain the status. On the other hand the benefits are also diluted in a way \u2013 9am check-in and 6pm check-out were much superior to what other hotels had been offering to their elite members.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A new addition to the Titanium status is brand-specific benefits. Here is how they are described in some of the brands\u2019 website:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Niccolo \/ Marco Polo<\/strong>: free breakfast + welcome fruit platter + 30% off mini bar<\/li><li><strong>Kempinski<\/strong>: increased cancellation flexibility when booking through official channels<\/li><li><strong>Pan Pacific<\/strong>: 25% dining discount<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Note that the benefits are totally at the discretion of individual brands which is why you can\u2019t find a detailed list on GHA\u2019s website. The brands can change or terminate such benefits at any time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There are a few ways for you to get GHA\u2019s elite status faster:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Status Gifting<\/strong>: Titanium members can gift Titanium status to a friend once a year, which is valid for the current and next calendar year<\/li><li><strong>Credit Card Match<\/strong>: there are occasional promotions with credit card issuers (e.g. Mastercard recently) that offer instant status<\/li><li><strong>Status Match<\/strong>: if you hold elite status with another hotel group you can apply for a status match by emailing\u00a0discovery@gha.com; however from recent data points they only match you to Platinum at best<\/li><li><strong>Fast Track<\/strong>: there have been double night credit offers in the past which accelerates your progress too<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>[Earn and Spend]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>GHA has now transitioned into a revenue-based reward program, and you earn cashback from your stay spend in their reward currency called D$ (which is equivalent to USD). The rebate and expiry depend on your tier:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Silver: 4% 6 months<\/li><li>Gold: 5% \/ 18 months<\/li><li>Platinum: 6% \/ 24 months<\/li><li>Titanium: 7% \/ 24 months<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>6-month expiry for Silver members is harsh, and note that once D$ is earned it has a fixed expiry date \u2013 account activity or tier upgrade doesn\u2019t extend its expiry.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>A couple of things to note:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li>Only your first third-party booking earn points<\/li><li>The minimum points you earn per stay is 5D$<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>D$ can be used like cash for your check-out spend when you stay at a hotel. You must book via official channels though, and the minimum redemption threshold is 10D$.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Currently you can only earn \/ spend D$ on services like dining and spa during your hotel stay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>[Local Experiences]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The earning rate of the new D$ system is underwhelming, and I don\u2019t think people will get excited about it unless they run bonus promotions. The&nbsp;<em>Local Experience<\/em>&nbsp;reward from the old program was a lot more ludicrous and did drive a lot of people to book GHA hotels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>There is a similar offer with the new program, breaking down into three sections:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\"><li><strong>Local Offers<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2013 Dining \/ Spa discount at individual hotels<\/li><li><strong>Experiences<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2013 Similar to the old&nbsp;<em>Local Experience<\/em>, however you must pay for them now<\/li><li><strong>Stay Offers<\/strong>&nbsp;\u2013 Room rate discount at individual hotels<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>They are not rolled out to many hotels yet, for example there\u2019s nil in London at the moment. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.verylvke.com\/en\/2022\/02\/15\/complimentary-access-to-gym-swimming-pool-and-beach-at-gha-hotels-even-when-you-are-not-staying\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" title=\"Complimentary access to gym, swimming pool and beach at GHA hotels, even when you are not staying!\">Sometimes with local offers you can even access the gym and swimming pool for free<\/a>, when not staying at the hotel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>[Summary]<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I status matched to GHA Black when I needed to stay at Thon hotels in Oslo. However I find it hard to stay with them again given that I already have elite status with Marriott, Hilton and IHG, which have great coverage almost wherever I want to go.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now that Local Experiences is gone, I\u2019m not sure how much traction GHA can still get. If you have their Titanium status, will you be moving your stays towards them?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Besides the likes of Hilton, Marriott and Hyatt, there is another form how hotel properties can get together and create a different \u2013 looser, but also&#46;&#46;&#46;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7242","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-gha-discovery"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.verylvke.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7242","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.verylvke.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.verylvke.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.verylvke.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.verylvke.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7242"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.verylvke.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7242\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10873,"href":"https:\/\/www.verylvke.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7242\/revisions\/10873"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.verylvke.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7242"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.verylvke.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7242"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.verylvke.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7242"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}