Good news from Madrid

NH Hotel Group becomes a member of the Global Hotel Alliance (GHA)

On June 10, it was officially announced in Madrid: 20 CEOs of GHA member hotels from all over the world came especially to the magnificent premises of the casino in Madrid. Exciting times for NH Hotel CEO Ramón Aragonés and GHA CEO Chris Hartley, as the new partnership will create one of the largest and most exciting hospitality customer loyalty programs in the world."


Text: Susanne Freitag and Simone Dressler


After two years of pandemic, the NH Hotel Group's entry sends an important signal and comes at the right time. Joining the GHA and transforming NH Rewards into NH Discovery is an important milestone for NH Hotel Group and our guests at a time when the travel and hospitality sector is recovering rapidly, as evidenced by the encouraging turnaround in our Q1 results," said Ramón Aragonés, CEO of NH Hotel Group and member of the GHA Board of Directors. NH can grow in this way and accelerate its development in new markets. Contracts have already been signed with 20 hotels that are due to open in the coming years, said Aragonés. At the same time, NH Discovery will give the hotel group access to additional sources of revenue. Nothing will change for the ten million NH Rewards customers, except that they will be able to access more hotels in more destinations with the Discovery Dollars they have collected, explains Aragonés. With the new addition, the number of members of the GHA loyalty program increases to 21 million.


Back to better

Most of the 20 or so other CEOs of Allianz member brands who traveled to Madrid for the conference also had positive news to report. "Tourism has returned and 2022 has recovered faster than expected," said GHA boss Hartley. May in particular brought hoteliers results "well above" 2019. Hartley expects results at the 2019 level by the end of the year. "People want to travel," added Dillip Rajakarier, CEO of Minor Hotels. However, their demands have changed after the pandemic: "They are looking for safe places that can offer them flexibility and convenience. We have a responsibility to our guests," he emphasized. Customers have also become more health-conscious. "Hotels need to offer holistic health concepts paired with comfort," continued the Minor boss. Sustainability also plays a key role in customers' decision for a hotel and a destination. This was also emphasized by Alessandra Priante, Head of Europe at UNWTO, during an exciting travel trend discussion with Dillip Rajakarier, Dilhan C. Fernando, owner & CEO of Dilmah Tea, and Hector Saracho, strategist at the consulting firm Interbrand. "Sustainability must be more than just a word. It must be part of the corporate strategy and made measurable."

The CEOs also reported light on the horizon in terms of business travel. However, smaller meetings are still predominantly planned and there is a trend towards B-Leasure, the combination of business and private travel, according to the tenor. Forecasts for 2023 are also cautious: "Nobody knows how long the war in Ukraine will last. Inflation and the faltering supply chains will only really have an impact next year," says Aragonés.


Information on all GHA members:

www.ghadiscovery.com