Shangri-La is a luxury hotel group with just over 100 properties around the globe. I don’t talk about Shangri-La that much, given the limited opportunities with the hotel’s loyalty program, plus the heavy focus on Asia (much of which continues to be off limits to international travelers, especially with China being Shangri-La’s biggest market).
Continue reading: Details: Shangri-La Circle (New Loyalty Program)
Share your questions, experiences, and thoughts below.
Don’t you miss for your Jade tier description EARLY checkin and LATE checkout? It says “checkin and checkout” as of now (the time I’m posting this).
Another one bite the dust (Okay one third of 10 cent/p goes puff is hard, but not end of the world.
We'll see Marriott going more like IHG or Hilton dynamic.
It will be interesting to see what they determine will garner an invitation to Polaris status .
had to agree with VFTW on Polaris' "Welcome Experience: "... to say they’re amazing and over the top would be an understatement". of course likely none of us reading will be able to experience
IMO the "elite perks" are always designed for people who don't care about the perks at all. Following that logic, the Polaris status is for those Arabic princes.
I am wondering if you would also give your take on GHA Discovery program given it was recently refreshed as well.
Don't understand the point of these types of loyalty program. It wouldn't drive any additional stays from me because it's not competitive (and I'm sure I'm not alone). They might as well cost cut even more and just do away with the program completely if it doesn't change consumer behaviour.
My take is the typical Shangri-LA customer is the type of person who would redeem Amex points for an Apple Macbook - aka someone who doesn't care what the "maximum redemption value" of their points are. They just know there are points and it gets them free stuff. They're surprised and delighted there is status and it gets them benefits, but otherwise they don't care and won't affect their spending habits.
I like the idea of a competitive program, but the whole "zero properties in the US" is a bit of a challenge for loyalty, at least until I win the lottery and/or retire.
That said, I get why. The average Hilton/Marriott/Hyatt property in the US is sad trash compared to international equivalents. Why would they sully their name by putting inevitably substandard properties here?
Totally agree, most of the readers of this and other travel blogs are not the target audience and quite frankly, not even a significant portion of customers that these programs are aimed at. I think that most people who stay at Shangri-La will be surprised and delighted when they get some "special" perks and if/when they get a free room, it will just be icing on the cake.
I’d think that’s more the Four Seasons and Aman type of customer. If these points don’t affect their spending habits, then the entire loyalty program is a waste of money.
Sorry, this is complete nonsense. I am probably this kind of person (I stay in Aman-type hotels and fly first class often paying cash), but it doesn’t mean I don’t care about value for money at all, as I am sadly not a billionaire. Most of my stays go to Marriott or Hyatt for the points / upgrades or, where there is clearly a better option, then Four Seasons / Aman etc. Completely agree with this article that there is almost no point to Shangri-La’s loyalty programme now, it won’t attract either the people paying for the best hotel in town or the people wanting the best benefits so what is it the point?
I think there is a little more nuance to "Earning points with Shangri-La Circle", because if you're a Jade/Diamond/Polaris tier, you have bonus points. This means you get more points for every USD$1 spent, which results in a higher "cashback" value. For Jade members, as an example, you'd get 25% more in terms of points earned, meaning that your cashback value is around 8.3 cents per dollar (contrasted against 6.6 cents per dollar for entry level status), though this of course used to be higher pre-devaluation. It used to be good when the Amex Plat charge card bundled Jade status...but alas no more...
I really like the hotels, but gave up on their program when most of my work shifted away from Asia. And that was pre-COVID. Now, any meaningful status is very unlikely to achieve.
What am I missing? A 9.9 cent value per point (6.6 plus 50% elite earning bonus) is a pretty great yield, and this redemption rate now applies to room spend, not just spa/dining. Also, this yield is incremental to any additional yield you harvest booking via Amex.
You seem upset that your personal travels don’t take you to where Shangri La has hotels. Sorry about that!
Before Covid I was in diamond class for a long time, i do not know how I was taken down to gade class, the new changes make me start to search for better hotels
As someone who lives in Asia I frequently dine here, and will stay when Hilton properties are not available. I maxed out the launch offer with 5 events earning 1500 points during the promo period that ended 7/31. However they are yet to credit the points and I am starting to get nervous thinking they made the offer too rich and have no intention of honoring it. Did anyone get their points yet?
Can I transfer Amex Miles into the Shangri-La Circle program that I am a new member of? Thanks. Pete