SAHARA Las Vegas has partnered with Laasie to reimagine an exciting new kind of guest loyalty program, the SAHARA Insider Program. Leveraging Laasie’s signature Retain platform, a powerful membership program created to cultivate dynamic, one-to-one relationships with guests, SAHARA has effectively enhanced its existing player's program to usher in a new era of guest loyalty.

SAHARA Las Vegas is completely remodeled and reimagined for a new era, offering guests an impressive variety of modern amenities and luxuries, an enticing selection of five-star dining options, and a world-class casino. Style and sophistication are synonymous with the SAHARA brand, and, with this in mind, the cultivation of a forward-facing technology stack remains of the utmost importance.

“We pride ourselves on offering guests a truly unique and intimate Vegas experience,” explains Kat Carrera, the Executive Director of Digital Marketing at SAHARA Las Vegas. “To offer this kind of experience at scale, we frequently examine our processes and platforms to identify opportunities for growth and evolution. To that effect, Laasie has been a great addition to our hotel loyalty technology stack. It has driven impressive booking growth in our direct channel while ensuring an instantly gratifying experience for our guests and no operational headache for our hotel staff.”

Harnessing the undeniable power of instant gratification and Laasie’s exclusive Rewards Network, SAHARA Las Vegas can now offer guests instant, high-value rewards at every interaction and touchpoint, both online and on-property. The new SAHARA Insider Program will grant guests access to Laasie’s open marketplace of local, national, and global rewards partners mindfully curated based on their interests and values. This platform is not only designed to delight guests and exceed expectations but will also seamlessly drive repeat transactions and grow customer lifetime value.

“With three distinct hotel towers that set a new standard for Vegas hospitality and personalized service, SAHARA has long been at the forefront of emerging trends and innovation,” shares Ellis Connolly, Chief Revenue Officer at Laasie. “When we think of leaders in the marketplace that are eager to explore bold new ideas and do things differently, SAHARA emerges as an obvious choice. Their commitment to personalization and exceptional service is unmatched. This partnership will introduce a new kind of loyalty program that will solidify and enhance their position as a sought-after destination and an industry leader.”

As an iconic Las Vegas experience, SAHARA will leverage this new partnership to better serve their guests and, more importantly, prove that guest loyalty isn’t a thing of the past – it just needs to be earned. “The SAHARA Insider program will drive revenue for our properties and give our guests access to exclusive experiences that are not to be missed,” shares Carrera. “We are incredibly excited to expand our partnership with Laasie with their next-gen loyalty product and continue to see their suite of instant-reward based products as differentiators for SAHARA Las Vegas.”

Laasie’s unique platform is unlike any other solution on the market, with a proven track record of increased conversions and net revenue. The lightweight, turnkey solution delivers incentives upon the desired action and rewards guests on the hotel’s website, while on-property, or traveling home. It also supports white labeling for all customer-facing interfaces to match a brand’s marketing guidelines.

To learn more about Laasie’s next-generation loyalty solution, please click here.

About Laasie

Laasie powers a new kind of loyalty for 1,200 hotels & resorts through AI and a network of 1,000+ instant gratification partners. Awarded the #1 Direct Booking Platform by HotelTechAwards, Laasie has driven $500 million in direct bookings. Today’s savvy customers are uninspired by yesterday’s rigid loyalty programs, often leaving with unused points and limited brand affinity. Laasie leverages AI to drive conversion and loyalty with personalized, instant rewards that motivate customer actions like booking directly, taking a survey, joining a marketing program, and more. The result? Customers enjoy enriched experiences with each brand interaction and partners benefit with increased net revenue, actionable data insights, strengthened customer relationships, and a scalable loyalty program that increases the lifetime value of every customer. To learn more, visit laasie.ai

About SAHARA Las Vegas

SAHARA Las Vegas epitomizes the timeless soul of Las Vegas. With a bold, sophisticated flair and a boutique approach to personal service, SAHARA provides guests an intimate and unexpected experience that sets a new standard for Vegas. Completely remodeled and reimagined for a new era, SAHARA offers three distinctive hotel towers, a variety of five-star dining options, and a world-class casino. With unexpected delights around every corner, SAHARA embodies the style, sophistication and playful sense of possibility that’s truly the spirit of Vegas - and brings the iconic Vegas experience to a whole new generation.

Ellis Connolly
Chief Revenue Officer

By Sara O’Brien

Traditional points-based loyalty programs have been around since 1983, emerging as a unique way for major brands to build stronger relationships with their most valued customers. At the time consumers found them appealing and interesting, allowing hotel brands to generate buzz and additional revenue.

But much has changed in the last 40 years. Technology and A.I. (Artificial Intelligence) have evolved to be able to deliver things people want when they want them. Netflix recommends which movie you’d like to watch next and Amazon can tell you what you should buy for your child’s birthday this year. Yet, so many hospitality loyalty programs offer a generic, transactional “loyalty” experience that is no longer relevant for today’s consumer.

More and more, consumers are telling us that what has worked in the 80s just won’t work for them today. The average U.S. household belongs to 21 different loyalty programs, 78 percent of Americans abandon them,  and 44 percent complain about the lack of reward relevance, flexibility, and value. In short, loyalty programs are failing to effectively reward today’s consumers.

Imagine a loyalty program in which a guest receives immediate benefits rather than waiting weeks, months, years, and sometimes never accumulating enough points for a reward or reaching the next tier. Instead, imagine a program that gives the guest an instant, desired and personalized reward. That is loyalty done right! These types of rewards make the customer feel valued, appreciated, and recognized.

Below are 3 ways to award loyalty the right way for today’s consumers.

1. Get personal

It may be a simple concept, but we feel it bears repeating: What works for one customer will not work for all. Only 22 percent of guests believe today’s hotel offers are relevant, even though the majority (54 percent) of hotels believe they are. The disconnect is real, but there is a way to close the gap.

Hotel brands can continue pushing rewards that they believe will appeal to their customers, or they can actually learn what each individual wants through A.I. The way brands like Amazon, Netflix, and Spotify offer personalized experiences and recommendations has forever changed how consumers expect to be treated by brands, and it’s time for the hospitality industry to catch up.

A.I. allows brands to elevate relationships with their customers by personalizing the rewards based on their preferences and transactions, by learning and predicting what they want in real time. Let’s say a guest chooses a flight credit from Delta Airlines and a VIP shopping pass at Bloomingdales as their rewards, a next-generation loyalty program will remember that selection and offer similar rewards in the future, improving their experience and satisfaction with the brand.

2. Give choices and immediate benefits

New data confirms that consumers are dissatisfied with waiting to accumulate points and unattainable tiers. Seventy-eight percent of guests prefer immediate benefits and 61 percent want to choose their own rewards.

Loyalty programs in which you earn points to redeem something in the unforeseeable future will not move the needle for your brand. Consumers will either be frustrated that they need to wait or they will forget about and even abandon the program altogether.

Next-generation loyalty feels more like a relationship and less like a sales tactic by making guests feel valued immediately and frequently with personalized and instant rewards.

3. Offer experiences

With over 65 percent of U.S. travelers looking to experience something new while traveling, travel brands have an opportunity to enrich their guests’ travel journeys beyond the hotel property by offering unique and relevant rewards they can use before, during, and after their stay.

One way to elevate loyalty with experiences is to incorporate 3rd-party products and services. A concept that is coined as the “Amazonification” of travel, hotel brands can extend their offers beyond generic on-property perks, giving the guest control to select the incentives that will enhance their stay or provide additional opportunities to explore.

For example, with geo-targeting, we would know that a guest located in New York is looking to travel to Miami. In that case, her reward offering may include a complimentary 1-hour paddleboarding session in Miami as well as New York Yankees tickets to enjoy after her trip when she’s back in New York.

Wrapping it up

The brands that are truly disrupting loyalty understand the need to shift from a transactional experience to a personal and dynamic relationship with the customer. It’s up to hospitality leaders to see the writing on the wall, take note from other brands paving the way, and listen to their customers who are more vocal than ever about what they truly want.

About Us

LaaSie AI rewards direct bookings and loyalty the right way for hotels through instant gratification and A.I. We drive guests to book direct by offering relevant, immediate, and personalized rewards. Our Smart Engine delivers the right incentive to the right user at the right moment. A traveler can receive a flight credit from their preferred airline while enjoying VIP access and complimentary cocktails at their favorite restaurant in town. To date, we have incentivized over $300 million in direct bookings.

In addition, our technology enables us to power loyalty in a more relevant way for today’s consumers. Loyalty as a Service redefines how to engage and retain guests: No points. Just instantly gratifying rewards and a personal relationship with your guests.

Current hotel partners include Aqua-Aston Hospitality, Highgate Hotels, and Menin Hospitality. LaaSie was recently awarded the #1 Direct Booking Engine for 2019 by HotelTechAwards and won the Most Innovative - Judge's Choice Award at HITEC 2017.

hello@laasie.ai

Sources:
https://www.cnbc.com/2015/04/07/loyalty-members-hate-these-five-things.html
https://www.adweek.com/brand-marketing/challenger-brands-are-winning-at-instilling-loyalty-among-consumers/
https://www.revinate.com/loyalty-guide/
https://lodgingmagazine.com/oracle-study-reveals-travelers-perceptions-of-hotel-loyalty-programs/
https://research.skift.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/ExperientialTravelerTrends2018_Report.pdf