Mandarin Oriental Debuts App and Revamps Loyalty Program

Mandarin Oriental Hotel Group launched a revamped loyalty program and its first-ever mobile app on Tuesday, signaling the luxury hotelier's push to deepen its relationships with customers.

"This program is about redefining [guest] recognition in the luxury space — not through points and redemptions, but through forging a closer connection with members," said Alex Schellenberger, chief brand and marketing officer.

The overhauled "Fans of M.O." program skips point redemptions and tier classes like "platinum" and "titanium" in favor of invitation-only communities, with names like "Silk" and "Pearl."

The hallmark of the revamped program is the offering of new "spontaneous moments" as an additional redemption option as opposed to more formulaic offerings like room upgrades. Local hotels will be encouraged to offer redemption opportunities toward experiences that reflect each property's distinctive offerings.

In essence, the more one stays and spends, the more distinctive experiences are unlocked. Think invitation-only art viewings at local galleries or an intimate meal prepared directly by a Michelin-starred chef.

Up until this week, the current inducements for guests to join the free program were more prosaic, such as getting access to basic Wi-Fi.

Mandarin Oriental's First App

In a related move, Mandarin Oriental introduced a mobile app for iOS and Android. The app provides digital services spanning the entire customer journey from bookings and itinerary planning to in-stay requests in 17 languages.

"The real innovation is actually having that ability to engage, to genuinely recognize and to understand across all different touchpoints," said Andrew Cleary, vice president, global customer relationship management and customer strategy.

The company hopes its new chat feature will also expose casual visitors to the brand's bars and restaurants, not just overnight guests.

"There are five times as many local fans versus in-staying guests," Cleary said. "We really wanted to have more frequency of engagement from a CRM perspective. ... Our food and beverage and spa services are used by local fans and the app will be designed to facilitate those bookings, too."

Behind the scenes, the hotel chain developed a companion app for staff that provides real-time access to guest profiles and preferences. The aim is to help staff have relevant information at their fingertips when serving guests. 

"Everything the customer is telling us through the customer-facing app is relayed to the colleague through the colleague app," explained Peter Norris, who leads digital at the brand.

While check-out and payment features weren't included in the app launch, executives said these would follow soon.

Mandarin Oriental's growth ambitions are substantial, with plans to more than double its current portfolio of 43 hotels, 12 residences, and 26 homes over the next decade.

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