Product
Loyalty that works: designing tiers guests care about
May 2026 · 5 min read
Why most hotel loyalty apps feel dead, and the mechanics that make repeat booking behaviour visible.
The problem with points
Points alone are an abstraction guests cannot feel. Tiers work when the next benefit is concrete, near and personally relevant — a late checkout on the stay you already booked beats a distant free night.
Mechanics that move behaviour
Show progress against a single clear threshold, never three competing meters.
Grant one benefit instantly on enrolment so the programme starts with a win.
Make redemption possible inside the booking flow, not in a separate rewards silo.
Instrument it
Tie every tier change to booking frequency and average ticket. If you cannot explain a lift, you cannot defend the programme's cost.
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