Dive Brief:
- Sonesta International Hotels and Boyd Gaming Corp. have entered into an exclusive strategic affiliation that will add Boyd’s nationwide portfolio of casino resorts to Sonesta’s distribution network, Sonesta announced Monday.
- The pair will launch the Boyd Collection, featuring Boyd’s more than 9,700 hotel rooms, 19 casino resorts and 600,000 square feet of meetings and events space, which will join Sonesta’s signature list of brands. The Boyd properties will also remain available on Boyd’s traditional distribution channel, per the release.
- The tie-up aims to expand Sonesta’s portfolio of resort and casino-hotel destinations, while providing Boyd with enhanced distribution and loyalty capabilities. Sonesta and Boyd plan to expand the partnership by linking loyalty programs and exploring new development opportunities, per the release.
Dive Insight:
Not only does the partnership further Sonesta’s “asset-right, franchise-focused” growth strategy, but it also creates “meaningful new ways to serve our guests and expand our distribution reach in markets where travelers are seeking full-service resort hospitality entertainment and casino gaming experiences,” Keith Pierce, co-chief executive officer at Sonesta, said in a statement.
The strategic affiliation will add a broader range of resort and casino-hotel destinations in “key regional markets” to Sonesta’s portfolio, the company said. The Boyd Collection will include several properties across Las Vegas as well as others in Missouri, Indiana, Iowa, Illinois, Louisiana, Mississippi and Pennsylvania.
“Our guests increasingly want more choices, more recognition and more ways to make travel rewarding,” Phil Hugh, chief development officer at Sonesta, said in a statement. “Our relationship with Boyd gives us a platform to connect hospitality and entertainment in a differentiated way, while creating new avenues for franchise and development growth.”
The pair plans to build on the exclusive affiliation by exploring future hotel development projects and opportunities connected to Boyd’s existing properties, such as Sonesta hard-brand conversions, rebrands or new-build hotel projects, per the release.
The companies also anticipate linking their loyalty programs, Sonesta Travel Pass and Boyd Rewards. Sonesta’s loyalty program has more than 7 million members worldwide.
