Hotel chain teams with airlines to enhance loyalty rewards

One of the world’s largest families of hotels recently announced that members of its rewards program can take advantage of frequent flyer miles thanks to a new partnership.

Best Western International is introducing members of its Best Western Rewards frequency program to the the customer reward program provided at TACA and Avianca Airlines. Under the agreement, members of Best Western’s rewards program can earn 250 LifeMiles, the frequent flyer points offered from the airlines’ reward programs.

“Avianca and TACA Airlines offers one of the most comprehensive networks in Latin America, and is an ideal partner for Best Western,” said Suzi Yoder, vice president of international operations at Best Western. “We have hotels in nearly every Latin American country they serve, and LifeMiles’ over 4 million members will now have the advantage of earning miles for their stays at any Best Western.”

The frequent flyer points can be redeemed at any Best Western location across the world. Also, between January 16 and March 31, 2012, Best Western Rewards members who have chosen to participate in the LifeMiles program will be awarded an extra 250 bonus miles for qualified stays at Best Western locations in the United States, Mexico, Canada, the Caribbean, and Central and South America.

“In terms of distribution throughout Latin America, Best Western’s presence is very strong,” said Mauricio Angulo, business development director at LifeMiles. “This partnership provides a huge added benefit for our frequent flyers, as they can earn LifeMiles for hotel stays in nearly every city we fly to in the region.”

One of the industry’s leading reward programs, Best Western Rewards offers incentives available at more than 4,000 locations spanning 100 countries and territories. A recent innovation in loyalty programs is making it easier for merchants to interact with their customers.

Infor, a leading provider of business application software with more than 70,000 customers, recently announced the launch of Infor10 Marketing,a next-generation suite that helps marketers plan, monitor, and execute their direct-to-consumer activities and customer touches across outbond as well as inbound platforms.