Grant Martin

Millennium's new revenue-based loyalty program is slightly reminiscent of Mandarin Oriental’s Fans of M.O. which launched last year — light on complexity but still valuable for fans of the brand.

It's rare that loyalty program members get worked up enough to create their own activist campaign. They usually just bolt. That Marriott's members have done so is a testament to how loyal some of its customers want to remain.

The Bonvoyed campaign is certainly the most ostentatious attempt at drawing attention to Marriott’s latent IT issues. If it’s not careful, however, bonvoyed.com may face the same fate as United’s blocked customer activist website, untied.com.

It's been a long time since frequent travelers have seen a promotion as plainly altruistic as the new partnership between American and Hyatt.

A new partnership with SBE hotels will make Chase's Sapphire Reserve card slightly more competitive with American Express and its Platinum line of cards. But SBE's limited footprint and any potential booking cost differences may not be enough to satisfy Chase's most hungry travelers.

Like Crossover Rewards and Rewards Plus before it, a new partnership between American and Hyatt may help elite loyalty members in both programs earn some extra perks. And with little cost associated, participation is a no-brainer.

Who can market itself as the most digital airline alliance? Following a stream of announcements from Oneworld's 20th anniversary celebration, Star Alliance has been quick to share its own upcoming digital offerings. Any word, SkyTeam?

Being a member in loyalty programs today is about as engaging as a trip to the auto mechanic. For most, complex rules and constraints take much of the utility out of the programs while other, more motivated travelers simply find them uninspiring. To survive, tomorrow’s loyalty programs will need much more than blockchain — they’ll need true disruption.

Wyndham pulled an about-face on its award-winning loyalty program last week. Perhaps aligning every award room in the hotel's network to the same price wasn't sustainable after all.

IHG plans to experiment with moving award pricing in its Rewards Club loyalty program to a dynamic model, which will allow it to price rooms according to demand. The details — and the impact on loyalty program members — will take shape through the year.