The Spanish-based NH Hotel Group is set to join the Global Hotel Alliance (GHA), the world’s largest alliance of independent hotel brands. GHA launched in 2004 and now counts over 35 hotel brands under its umbrella, with its Discovery loyalty programme including 17 million members.
As a result of joining the alliance, the NH Rewards loyalty programme will merge with Discovery in early 2022, a move that will establish Discovery as one of the ten largest loyalty programmes in the hospitality sector, featuring over 900 participating hotels.
The NH Hotel Group comprises three brands – NH Hotels, NH Collection and Nhow – and operates over 360 hotels in 30 countries. The group is majority-owned by Thai-based hospitality group Minor Hotels, whose brands Anantara, Avani, Elewana Collection, Oaks and Tivoli are already member brands of the GHA alliance and participants of Discovery.
The Discovery loyalty programme was first launched in 2010, and the alliance is currently preparing to launch a redesigned version in October 2021, with plans to unveil new features such as a digital rewards currency and benefits for local members even when they are not staying in the hotel. The alliance states that further details on the new programme “are due to be announced soon”.
Chris Hartley, GHA’s CEO, commented:
“NH will strengthen the alliance during what has been a difficult period for the hospitality industry, further leveraging our collective buying power and collaborative marketing efforts. It also gives our 17 million-plus DISCOVERY members access to hundreds of new locations in South America, Spain, Germany, Italy, and Benelux, where until now we had limited coverage.”
Ramon Aragones, CEO of NH Hotel Group, who will also be joining GHA’s board of directors, added:
“Being part of Minor Hotels, we are already expanding NH’s presence into new markets, such as Australia. With Minor’s brands participating successfully in the DISCOVERY loyalty programme for many years, this was a logical step for NH and our customers. It enriches the choice for NH’s 10 million members, opening up destinations across Asia, Australia and North America; and makes us more competitive with a loyalty platform to rival the best in the industry.”
