Why are Hilton, Marriott, and Banyan Tree revamping their loyalty programs?
1. New Ways of Thinking About Today's Loyalty for Independent Hotel Brands | Skift | 2022.09.19
TL;DR: Loyalty programs are becoming central to hotel branding and guest experience.
The story:
Kristi Gole, VP of GHA (the world's largest independent hotel brand association), put it plainly: "For hotels, loyalty programs matter hugely — for data, marketing, and profitability."
Hospitality loyalty programs used to focus narrowly on business travelers. In recent years, they've evolved into a broader tool for brand positioning and customer experience.
Looking ahead to a cookieless web, Gole points out that loyalty programs will be the primary way to collect first-party guest data. They also enable personalized CRM, and incentivize direct bookings through tiered benefits, discounts, and points — all of which improve margins.
In practice, major chains like Hilton, Marriott, and Banyan Tree are overhauling their membership programs.
Loyalty programs drive high-value repeat customers. It's time to ask: what kind of loyalty program fits your property?
2. WELLNESS TRAVEL ON RISE AS CONSUMERS PRIORITIZE HEALTH | Phocuswire | 2022.09.21
TL;DR: Wellness tourism could grow 21%+ annually through 2025.
The story:
An Accenture survey of 11,000+ consumers across 16 countries found that 39% of high-income travelers have already booked wellness trips — and 21% of Millennials have done the same.
More than half of all consumers (regardless of income) plan to increase their travel spending. The Global Wellness Institute projects that wellness tourism will grow over 21% per year through 2025.
Since travel resumed, Korean tourists have gravitated toward "healing" and "rest".
Korea's Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism has even designated wellness tourism as a national priority. Korean hotels should lean into wellness content aggressively.
TL;DR: ONDA passed ₩100 billion GMV in H1 2022.
The story:
An interview with Oh Hyun-seok, CEO of ONDA — the hospitality tech and data company that crossed ₩100 billion in transaction volume in the first half of this year.
As of August 2022, ONDA connects over 500,000 rooms to 42+ channels globally. About 70% of Korea's online room inventory flows through ONDA's platform.
Next up: ONDA is expanding across Asia — China, Japan, Vietnam — with localized language support and tax integration. The company also plans to target global hotel chains in Europe and North America.
The piece covers ONDA's business model, multinational workforce, and overseas expansion roadmap.
TL;DR: Hotels are hiring furiously. New grads aren't biting.
The story:
As COVID transitions to endemic, hotel revenues are bouncing back sharply. But hospitality school graduates are turning their backs on hotel careers.
From January to August 2022, hotel job postings on Incruit surged 58.5% vs. 2020. Applications, however, plunged 60.5% over the same period.
Why? Experts point to COVID layoffs. Seeing senior hoteliers lose their jobs convinced the next generation that hotel careers aren't stable.
Now, with hotels understaffed and demand soaring, the remaining staff face crushing workloads.
Unless working conditions improve, the exodus will continue.
TL;DR: The global hospitality robotics market could hit over $4 trillion by 2030, growing at 25.5% CAGR.
The story:
Allied Market Research forecasts explosive growth in hotel robotics, driven by service quality improvements and differentiated guest experiences.
With staffing shortages plaguing hotels and travel globally, robot adoption is accelerating worldwide. Hotel robots can handle check-in, luggage transport, room service, food delivery, carpet cleaning, disinfection — practically the full service spectrum.
6. Japan Visa-Free Entry Hope Sends Japan Travel Bookings Up 2,400% | Newsis | 2022.09.22
TL;DR: Japan travel demand is exploding on visa-waiver speculation.
The story:
On September 12, Japan signaled it would actively consider allowing visa-free entry and independent travel for foreign tourists.
Currently, foreign group tours are permitted, but visa requirements remain a bottleneck. Since the announcement, Japan travel product bookings have skyrocketed.
Modetour reported a 2,400% jump in Japan bookings from September 1–20 vs. August. Hanatour saw an 800%+ spike. On the travel platform Triple, Japan flight searches rose 363% and hotel searches 446%.
If visa-free entry and independent travel are greenlit, Japan travel demand will surge even higher.
TL;DR: Yanolja and Hanatour M&A talks reportedly underway.
The story:
Sources say that when Yanolja moved to acquire Interpark, it also held M&A discussions with Hanatour.
Many Hanatour employees have already moved to Yanolja, and the two sides have negotiated at least once. The odds of a Yanolja–Hanatour merger are rising. Could Yanolja add Hanatour to its portfolio after Interpark?
+ Bonus: Musinsa is expanding into leisure and lodging. The comprehensive shopping platform — valued at ₩4 trillion and beloved by Gen Z and Millennials — is expected to shake up the booking platform landscape.
8. 8,900 COVID Accommodation Vouchers Used by Minors | Seoul Economic Daily | 2022.09.19
TL;DR: Thousands of COVID hotel vouchers were misused by minors.
The story:
The government's accommodation subsidy programs (like the Great Korea Stay Campaign) — launched to revive lodging after COVID — have been misused by minors, including for illegal cohabitation.
Data from the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and the Korea Tourism Organization show that of roughly 2 million vouchers used from 2020 to 2022, 8,893 were redeemed by minors. Over 80% were used at motels (3,563) and hotels (3,560) — including many unmanned properties where age verification is difficult.
Since these programs were meant to support the lodging sector, the government and booking platforms need better safeguards to prevent underage misuse and related crimes.
9. Can Busan Stop BTS Concert Price Gouging? | Hankyoreh | 2022.09.16
TL;DR: Busan is cracking down on concert-driven hotel price spikes — but has no real enforcement power.
The story:
The city of Busan has launched an enforcement campaign against excessive room rate hikes ahead of the BTS concert on October 14–15 (held to promote Busan's bid for the 2030 World Expo).
On October 14, one hotel in Seomyeon was charging ₩1 million per night — a 10x markup from its usual ₩100,000 rate.
But Busan can't actually force hotels to lower prices. Under the Public Health Control Act, hotels aren't required to report rate changes to authorities.
From the industry's perspective, this is the first real windfall after years of COVID losses. Let's hope hotels keep rates reasonable and leave a positive impression on Korean and international visitors.
10. "For Your Experience" — How Search Filters Help Your Trip | Metro Seoul | 2022.09.19
TL;DR: Inclusive tourism is becoming a core value in travel.
The story:
Travel companies like Airbnb and Expedia are embracing inclusive tourism — offering equal travel opportunities to all guests, regardless of gender, age, or physical ability.
Expedia Group's "Inclusive Travel Insights Report" found that 92% of respondents believe it's important to meet the needs of all travelers, including vulnerable groups. And 70% said they'd pay more to stay at properties with inclusive amenities.
Hotels.com now offers 8 accessibility filters under its disability-friendly category, including step-free entrances, staff fluent in sign language, and in-room accessibility features.
Korean travel companies should join the global conversation on inclusive tourism.
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