USA: Curated journey rewards platform Journey has launched, permitting travellers to earn and redeem factors throughout a curated community of accommodations and brief time period leases.
The community is described as an “unique alliance” of particular person and personal properties, representing a handpicked number of high-end properties the world over.
Claiming to be the primary rewards programme tailor-made particularly to non-public leases and boutique accommodations, Journey Rewards members [travellers] earn no less than 5 factors per greenback on each eligible keep booked immediately with the property, in comparison with no less than one level per greenback for bookings by way of third-party OTAs.
The platform additionally gives operators with AI advertising and marketing instruments to personalise the visitor expertise, optimise low season durations, entice repeat visitors and compete with the most important worldwide chains.
Members will have the ability to switch factors between one another or mix them with mates and/or household to e-book an Alliance member property, whereas they will additionally earn smaller rewards too if they want.
Trying forward, Journey plans to ascertain a “guild” of “influencers” – or frequent travellers – who will contribute evaluations for the platform and nominate stays for future inclusion on the location. In the meantime, travellers can earn factors for offering suggestions on stays, in addition to “favouriting” properties.
Journey’s management workforce and traders embody:
• John Sutton, founder and CEO: Beforehand holding various roles at media firm Crimson Ventures [the parent company of The Points Guy], together with chief digital officer, Sutton will probably be liable for setting and executing Journey’s strategic imaginative and prescient as CEO, whereas hiring new expertise.
• Brian Kelly, senior adviser and investor: Kelly based The Factors Man in 2010 and constructed it into a number one journey media empire. In 2017, The Factors Man was acquired by Crimson Ventures, the place Sutton and Kelly first linked.
• James McBride, Alliance ambassador and senior adviser: At Journey, McBride will draw on a long time of management to assist impartial journey, serving to operators thrive in a aggressive market whereas sustaining their distinctive identification.
• Eric Wu, senior adviser and investor: Wu was CEO and co-founder of Opendoor, an e-commerce platform for residential actual property. His expertise constructing modern, scalable companies will help in driving Journey’s future progress.
• Chris Burch, senior adviser and investor: Because the co-founder of Tory Burch and the proprietor of Nihi Sumba Resorts, Burch will carry a wealth of data in luxurious, journey and hospitality, offering perception into crafting world-class visitor experiences.
The launch additionally consists of Journey’s acquisition of short-term rental journey offers web site StayWatch [formerly known as Sponstayneous]. Talking on LinkedIn, StayWatch co-founder and CEO, Zach Busekrus, stated that he was “thrilled” to affix as head of the Journey Alliance, whereas including that he would “assist discover the world’s finest independently owned stays and accomplice with the hospitality entrepreneurs behind them to reimagine loyalty for the subsequent technology of travellers”.
Kelly stated: “Greater than ever, loyalty is vital to shoppers. Travellers wish to earn and redeem factors for all times altering experiences. Whether or not that’s a safari or a non-public trip rental, most of the finest lodging choices don’t exist inside the present loyalty panorama.
“That’s the place Journey is available in — a game-changing platform that rewards travellers for staying at properties that they historically haven’t been in a position to earn factors for. With Journey, travellers will not need to sacrifice loyalty when looking for bespoke and boutique journey experiences,” he added.
Sutton stated: “Travellers right this moment face an amazing quantity of selection. Our curated assortment of outstanding, impartial stays showcases a handpicked number of one of the best lodging throughout the globe.
“By designing a platform from the bottom up, we introduce travellers to inspiring, off-the-radar properties whereas rewarding them for supporting impartial operators.
“Journey is about creating an ecosystem the place impartial operators can thrive with out compromising their identification or income. For much too lengthy, loyalty programmes have made cash for the loyalty programme and never for the lodge or trip rental. We don’t assume it needs to be that approach,” he added.
By the point Journey’s iOS and Android apps launch formally in spring subsequent 12 months, the platform is anticipated to have 2,000 non-public residence leases and 200 boutique accommodations inside its ‘Journey Alliance’. Resorts together with Nihi on Sumba Island in Indonesia and Daybreak Ranch in Sonoma, California, in addition to Onera treehouses and Dunton Locations resorts and houses, will probably be included on the Journey platform from the beginning.
Talking to Bloomberg, Sutton stated that Journey was seeking to introduce a brand new bank card for frequent travellers and produce in additional profitable income. The product might ultimately compete with different bank card and fintech choices introduced out by JPMorgan Chase & Co., American Specific and Capital One, whereas Expedia Group is launching two co-branded bank cards with Wells Fargo and Mastercard to enhance its One Key loyalty programme, which debuted final 12 months.
