Dive Brief:
- Wyndham Hotels & Resorts launched Wyndham Rewards Experiences, an experiential platform where loyalty program members can bid at auction to gain exclusive access to festivals, concerts and events, the hotel company announced Tuesday.
- Simultaneously, Wyndham announced a new partnership with fast-casual restaurant chain Applebee’s, which will enable Wyndham Rewards members to earn loyalty points and receive free delivery when they place a mobile order on their Wyndham app at more than 1,500 participating Applebee’s locations nationwide while staying at a Wyndham hotel.
- The loyalty program enhancements debut as Wyndham aims to become “the absolute best hotel rewards program” with upgrades that make it easier for its growing number of participants to get more out of their membership, according to Michael Shiwdin, group vice president of loyalty and partnerships at Wyndham.
Dive Insight:
Through the Wyndham Rewards Experiences platform, guests will be able to “turn points into incredible experiences,” including concerts and sports-related activities, according to Wyndham.
More than 150 experiences will launch on the platform over the coming weeks, including VIP tickets to the sold-out Vans Warped Tour in Washington, D.C.; a ride on the Zamboni during a New York Rangers regular season home game at Madison Square Garden; tickets to the Christmas Spectacular starring the Radio City Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall; and Minor League Baseball tickets.
The new rewards and redemptions launch as travelers seek more music- and sports-themed experiences, hospitality pros shared with Hotel Dive earlier this year.
Wyndham’s loyalty partnership with Applebee’s, meanwhile, debuts as consumer demand for mobile food delivery services ramps up. Other hotel players to recently expand offerings in this space include Choice Hotels International and Hilton, which partnered with GrubHub.
Hotel loyalty membership for Wyndham and key competitors surged in 2024, with brand partnerships driving the growth, CBRE reported last month.
Wyndham currently has more than 115 million loyalty members, according to the Tuesday release. As of year-end 2024, the Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program led competing programs by member count, with 228 million members, according to a Skift report from February.
In March, Wyndham debuted Recharge with Wyndham, a loyalty program specifically targeting truckers in the U.S. and Canada.
