The Global Hotel Alliance (GHA), including founding member Kempinski Hotels, has just celebrated its milestone birthday in style at the Hotel Adlon Kempinski Berlin. In keeping with the International Hospitality Investment Forum (IHIF) taking place in Berlin, where the special customer loyalty program was launched 20 years ago, numerous guests were able to toast the success together.
GHA was conceived along the airline alliance model, with the goal of helping independent hotel brands to compete with the major global players, and to become less dependent on high-cost third parties for distribution. The majority of the alliance’s 800 hotels are owner-operated and GHA gives them the tools, technology and marketing reach that are difficult to achieve alone.
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“We are very proud to be a founding member and partner of the Global Hotel Alliance,” said Amanda Elder, Chief Commercial Officer Kempinski Hotels and Member of the Management Board. “Our members enjoy VIP benefits and generous rewards at home or away. Kempinski DISCOVERY members earn and pay with our exclusive currency, DISCOVERY Dollars (D$), and enjoy outstanding experiences curated by the hotels especially for our members. Our DISCOVERY Dollars can also be used to purchase services at a hotel near the member’s home without having to book an overnight stay.”
“The hospitality industry has seen significant consolidation over the last two decades, making it costlier for the smaller players to maintain market share; nonetheless, many owners remain fiercely independent, and so collaboration with like-minded independent brands is a great way to remain competitive”, says Chris Hartley, CEO of GHA. “We are majority-owned by two of our founder member brands Kempinski and Pan Pacific, plus Minor and Corinthia, and our primary goal has always been to drive incremental revenue and reduce costs for their hotels, rather than to maximise profit for the alliance.”
GHA now has 40 brands with 800 hotels in 100 countries and continues to grow. In Q1 alone, the alliance welcomed The Lore Group and Cheval Collection as its latest member brands.
All GHA member brands and hotels share one loyalty platform – GHA DISCOVERY – which in 2023 delivered US$2.3 billion in total revenue and 10 million room nights from its 26 million members; and the unique, multi-brand loyalty program has won 120 awards for its program innovation.
Lead image: The GHA team at the celebration.
