--- title: "Top 10 Hospitality News — Week 4 of September" description: "Why are Hilton, Marriott, and Banyan Tree revamping their loyalty programs?" published: 2022-09-23T03:00:00+00:00 author: "ONDA 편집팀" category: "Insights" image: "https://zqcfqfqgiyckyhazcfrk.supabase.co/storage/v1/object/public/blog-images/webflow/6316f3f75130788ec2d762dd/65cedd3896fc59cc84882654_Frame_25.jpg" canonical: https://global.onda.me/en/blog?slug=9weol-nesjjae-ju-top-10-hoseupitalriti-nyuseu locale: en --- # Top 10 Hospitality News — Week 4 of September > **1.** [**New Ways of Thinking About Today's Loyalty for Independent Hotel Brands | Skift | 2022.09.19**](https://skift.com/2022/09/19/new-ways-of-thinking-about-todays-loyalty-for-independent-hotel-brands/?utm_campaign=Daily%20Newsletter&utm_medium=email&_hsmi=226572373&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-83sRBRGidySJqzIb7lP816teG2zxQjzGhSiLzzX70FGIjRLW0L8SoOd_W57f6oO3H6Krkxpx7jyxaxzGL0TNtwKxnDBg&utm_content=226572373&utm_source=hs_email) **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](https://www.newstomato.com/ReadNews.aspx?no=1080799&inflow=N). 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**](https://www.phocuswire.com/wellness-travel-on-the-rise-consumers-prioritize-mental-physical-health?oly_enc_id=5156A8982123J3Z) **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"](http://segyebiz.com/newsView/20220920514576?OutUrl=Zum). 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.** > **3.** [**From Running a Korean Motel in the U.S. to Building a ₩100B Booking App: ONDA's Second-Act Success | Maeil Business Newspaper | 2022.09.17**](https://www.mk.co.kr/economy/view/2022/821090) **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.** > **4.** [**"Low Pay, Endless Grind" — Why Gen Z and Millennials Are Avoiding Hotel Jobs | Korea Economic Daily | 2022.09.20**](https://www.hankyung.com/economy/article/2022092036041) **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.** > **5.** [**Exclusive Insights: Hospitality Robots Market Set to Grow at a Remarkable Pace — AMR | Newswires | 2022.09.16**](https://www.einnews.com/pr_news/591203972/exclusive-insights-hospitality-robots-market-size-is-set-to-grow-at-a-remarkable-pace-in-the-coming-years-amr) **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**](https://newsis.com/view/?id=NISX20220921_0002021459&cID=13001&pID=13000) **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.** > **7.** [**Will Yanolja Acquire Hanatour Next? Evolving Into a Travel-Centric E-Commerce Giant [Park Dong-hwi's Consumer Report] | Korea Economic Daily | 2022.09.20**](https://www.hankyung.com/economy/article/202209187847i) **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**](https://www.techm.kr/news/articleView.html?idxno=101670). 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**](https://www.sedaily.com/NewsView/26B4UVWQA5) **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**](https://www.hani.co.kr/arti/area/yeongnam/1058847.html) **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**](https://www.metroseoul.co.kr/article/20220919500584) **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.** --- ⚠️ All rights reserved. Cite this piece as 'ONDA (온다)' when quoting.