Newly launched Cinnamon DISCOVERY loyalty to be fully functional by March-end

• Cinnamon Hotels and Resorts becomes first Sri Lankan hospitality brand to join GHA DISCOVERY, positioning it among a portfolio of over 800 hotels across 40 brands in 100 countries
• Four-tier loyalty to enhance experience

By Pranavesh Sivakumar

The Cinnamon DISCOVERY loyalty programme, which is rolled out in collaboration with the Global Hotel Alliance (GHA), a global multi-brand loyalty programme, would be fully functional in end-of-March.

Launched on January 6, Cinnamon Hotels and Resorts is the first Sri Lankan hospitality brand to join GHA DISCOVERY, which positions it among a portfolio of over 800 hotels across 40 brands in 100 countries. GHA DISCOVERY offers meaningful rewards and benefits to its 30 million members.

The portfolio includes Cinnamon Grand Colombo, an urban sanctuary in the heart of the capital; the tranquil Cinnamon Wild Yala, located on the edge of the Yala National Park, offering wildlife enthusiasts an unforgettable stay; the Cinnamon Habarana complex, offering a touch of rustic charm to reconnect you with nature; Cinnamon Dhonveli Maldives; Cinnamon Velifushi Maldives; and Cinnamon Hakuraa Hura Maldives.

The move to collaborate with CHA elevates Cinnamon’s brand and strengthens Sri Lanka’s standing as a premier destination for global travellers, giving them more reasons to choose Sri Lanka over competing destinations.

“We’re in the announcement phase. Actually, two hotels were being tested before. Now, nine hotels are live. And by the time we finish, rolling and onboarding all the hotels, it would be end-of-March. Nine hotels now, by March 31, all 17 hotels,” Cinnamon Hotels and Resorts Chief Commercial Officer Radhey Tawar said speaking at a round table discussion held recently to share the details about the programme.

The Cinnamon DISCOVERY loyalty programme has been built on four tiers – Titanium: top-level, platinum, gold and silver: entry-level.

Late check-outs, early check-in, amenities in the rooms, bigger discounts and upgrades are some of the facilities offered by the programme. The tier differentiation has a direct impact on the experience.

In terms of investments, Tawar shared that the only investment is an effort to start the programme.

“Initially, there is no monetary investment going on. But how the programme works is, every time a guest stays with us, there is a percentage charge by the programme. So that’s how the programme runs. Based on your tier membership, you pay up to 4 to 7 percent of the total revenue that is booked to the programme. Therefore, that’s the fee,” he said.

“There are, of course, sometimes, the integration cost of the software that comes up. 

But that’s any integration you do, so that’s your setup and the operational cost. But there is no fee up front per say to get into the programme. 

You only pay as you generate the bookings (paying based on the four tiers),” he added.

According to Cinnamon Hotel and Resorts Chief Executive Officer Mikael Svensson, Cinnamon was keen on having such an offering on a global platform.

“When you join a programme of this nature, it is not only for Sri Lankans, it is also for everybody else. We also had to ensure they (GHA) were excited about us joining. You can’t just join GHA by calling them up. There has to be a process of do we fit them and vice-versa,” said Svensson.