Hotel loyalty programmes: What may and may not work

eHotelier.com by Guest Contributor|July 21st, 2016

Hotels should consider developing customer loyalty programmes that balance economic and social rewards to establish “sustainable relationships” with their customers, according to Dr Jin-Soo Lee, Dr Nelson Tsang and Dr Steve Pan of the School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM) at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. In a recently published study, the researchers have explored how customers perceive different types of rewards and how those perceptions influence customer loyalty. Their particular concern lies in how that loyalty is expressed in terms of customer behaviour that supports the company.
根據香港理工大學酒店暨旅遊管理學院的 Nelson Tsang 博士與 Steve Pan博士的分析研究，旅館酒店應該要考量發展自身的客戶忠誠計劃(會員制)以平衡經濟利益與社群獎勵建立起與顧客之間的「永續發展關係」。在最近出版的研究期刊中，研究學者已發現顧客是如何理解不同的會員獎勵以及這些理解內容是如何影響客戶忠誠度。他們特殊的考量在於忠誠度是如何表現在顧客支持公司事業的行為之中。

According to the researchers, relationship marketing is used by marketing firms to “develop and sustain long-term relationships with valued customers”, and is “prevalent in the hospitality industry”. The popularity of relationship marketing, for both companies and their customers, has led to a proliferation of loyalty and reward programmes designed to reward customers and make them feel “special, important and appreciated”.
根據研究學者的看法，「關係行銷」是行銷公司用來培養及維繫與重要客戶之間的長期關係，而且這在旅館產業中相當常見。對於公司及其客戶而言，關係行銷的盛行已導致忠誠獎勵計劃的激增，而所謂的忠誠獎勵計劃是設計用來獎勵顧客，並讓顧客體驗到「特殊感、重要感及感激」。

Economic vs social rewards (經濟利益 vs 社群獎勵)

The rewards offered by companies might be in the form of economic or social benefits. Hotels, for instance, might offer economic rewards in which, as the researchers put it, “members accumulate points to redeem for a free room, free food and beverage, and discounts”, or social rewards that offer personalised services, preferential treatment and attention.
企業公司的獎勵可能會以經濟利益或社群福利的方式提供。比方，旅館酒店可能提供經濟利益型獎勵，如研究學者所述「會員累積點數以兌換免費住宿、免費餐飲，及其他折扣優惠」，或者是社群型獎勵如個人化服務、優先接待與關注。

The researchers explain that economic rewards help to build customer loyalty, especially among new members, by enhancing trust and commitment. Social rewards, in contrast, help firms to build relationships with their customers, because the customers perceive the benefits as rare and exclusive and thus “increase a sense of belonging and emotional attachment”. In retail industries, economic rewards are generally considered to be more effective in boosting customer loyalty because members fear losing the economic benefits.
研究學者解釋說：經濟利益型獎勵藉由增加信任度及承諾來建立起顧客的忠誠度，特別是在新會員的區塊。而相對的，社群型獎勵則能讓公司企業與其客戶建立起關係，因客戶能感受到所提供的福利是限量且獨家，也因此憑添歸屬感及情感上的依附。在零售產業中，經濟利益型獎勵通常在增加客戶忠誠度方面被視為較有效的方式，原因在於會員總擔心失去經濟層面的福利。

Nevertheless, the researchers note that the mechanisms by which economic and social rewards affect customer loyalty in the hospitality and service industry are relatively underexplored, and suggest that social benefits may be just as important as economic benefits. This position they base on the concept of “relational worth”.
然而，研究學者指出經濟利益型與社群型的獎勵影響旅館業與服務業的客戶忠誠度的機制過程相對而言是尚待探索研究的區域，並且提出社群型的福利或許與經濟利益型的福利都同樣重要。研究學者的立論點是在於「關聯性價值」的概念。

Relational worth(關係性價值)

Relational worth, write the researchers, can be described as the “nonfinancial, social benefits” that companies accrue from building relationships with their customers. It includes five dimensions – advocacy, immunity, openness, acquiescence and honesty – that indicate, for instance, a customer’s willingness to share positive information about the firm and defend it from criticism, and the extent to which they will remain loyal “despite an appealing offer from competitors or negative publicity about the firm”. Hence, relational value is highly regarded by firms.
研究學者所述的關係性價值可以說是「社群型、非財務性的福利」，它是從公司企業與其客戶建立關係的過程所形成的。它包括五個面向 ─ 擁護、免疫、開誠佈公、默許及誠信 ─ 舉例來說，這意指一位顧客會去分享該公司的正面資訊及保護其免於遭受批評的意願，即使來自於競爭公司的誘因或者是該公司的負面宣傳，該顧客仍會保有對該公司一定程度的忠誠。因此，關係性價值被公司企業高度重視。

The researchers conducted an online survey with 334 participants, almost evenly split between men and women. To take part, the participants had to be members of hotel reward programmes and to have stayed at the related hotels at least once in the past year. They subscribed to various loyalty programmes, such as those of the Hilton and Marriott hotel groups, and their monthly incomes ranged from less than US$2,000 to more than US$8,000.
研究學者執行了一項網路民調，共有334名受訪者，男女性別幾近均等。參與民調的受訪者必須是酒店獎勵計劃的會員，並且在過去一年內已住過該酒店集團旗下據點至少一次。本民調的受訪者都參加了各個酒店會員制，比方像是希爾頓集團的「希爾頓榮譽客會」及萬豪集團的「萬豪禮賞」，而受訪者的月收入範圍從未滿2000美金(約新台幣62000元)到超過8000美金(約新台幣248000元)都有。

The participants were presented with one of two scenarios describing a hotel reward programme. The “social reward” scenario offered what the researchers describe as “preferential benefits” including “personal recognition and extra attention” and a member-exclusive personal lounge, health club, concierge services and invitations to special events. The programme did not include financial or economic incentives. In contrast, the “economic reward” scenario offered financial incentives such as reward points that could be redeemed for a free night, spa and massage services or a room upgrade, but offered no social rewards.
受訪者被提供二種描述酒店獎勵計劃的版本之一。在「社群型獎勵」版本中，研究學者將其描述為「優先性質的福利」，包括「個人化的認同與額外的關注」、「會員獨享的交誼休憩區」、「健身俱樂部」、「禮賓服務」與「特殊活動的邀請」。這個版本的會員制並未包含財務性質或經濟利益型的獎勵。相對地，在「經濟利益型獎勵」版本中，則提供了財務性質的獎勵，比方會員點數可兌換一晚免費住宿、免費的水療與按摩服務或者是房型升等，但並未有社群型式的獎勵。

After reading the scenario, the participants indicated their hypothetical loyalty to the programme, their perceptions of its social and economic rewards, the hotel’s “relationship marketing investment” (how much effort they thought the hotel put into building a relationship with them) and the five dimensions of relational worth.
在詳讀不同版本的會員制之後，受訪者接著表達對該版本會員制的假設性忠誠度，對於社群型或經濟利益型獎勵的看法，對於酒店方在「關係行銷的投資」(意指受訪者認為酒店方會投注多少成本與努力在建立客戶關係上)的想法以及關係性價值的五面向討論。

Survey said(民調如是說…)

Those participants who read the social rewards scenario perceived the hotel’s marketing investment to be more associated with the provision of social rather than economic rewards, whereas the opposite was true for those who read the economic rewards scenario. The researchers found that offering economic incentives promoted greater “continuance commitment”, whereby customers want to maintain their relationship with the programme so that they can continue receiving rewards. Social rewards, in contrast, promoted “affective commitment”, whereby customers want to maintain their relationship with the company because they are anxious about losing the “relational investment”.
讀取社群型獎勵版本的受訪者覺得酒店方的行銷投資是與社群性質的服務品項有關聯性而非經濟利益型獎勵；而讀取另一版本的受訪者則咸認酒店的行銷投資是在於經濟利益型獎勵。研究學者發現提供經濟利益型獎勵能促進更多的「持續性的承諾」，而顧客由此想要維持其會員身分以不斷獲得獎勵。相對地，社群性獎勵則促進「情感上的承諾」，顧客由此想要維持與公司企業的關係，因為他們對於損失「關係性投資」感到焦慮。

An important difference between the two types of commitment is that continuance commitment is directed towards the programme rather than the company, whereas affective commitment is directed towards the company itself. Hence, when the researchers looked at whether the two groups differed in terms of their relational worth – that is, how likely they were to behave in ways that would benefit the hotel – they found that those in the social rewards group were more likely to indicate, for instance, that they would “actively defend and recommend” the hotel (the advocacy dimension of relational worth), that they would be strongly resistant to “switching to hotels that offer better deals” (immunity) and willing to “make suggestions for improvement” (openness).
這兩種承諾之間有個重要的差異，持續性承諾直接導向於會員制本身而非公司企業本身，而在情感性承諾的情況下，則是直接導向公司企業本身。因此，當研究學者著眼於這兩種承諾是否在關係性價值上有差異時(也就是說，顧客在利益酒店方的行為上會做到怎樣程度)，他們發現在社群型獎勵的受訪者團體會更容易表示他們會主動捍衛及推薦該酒店(關係性價值的「擁護」面向)，並表示他們會強力抵制「轉移會藉至其他優惠福利更好的酒店」(「免疫」面向)而且樂於「表達可供改善的建議」(「開誠佈公」面向)。

The researchers suggest that these findings demonstrate that providing social rewards increases customers’ emotional attachment and affective commitment to a company, and hence they are more likely to behave in ways that are beneficial to it.
研究學者建議，這些研究發現顯示出社群型獎勵能增加顧客對於公司企業的情感依附及情感性承諾，因而顧客更能表現出有利於公司企業的行為。

What the researchers call the “distinct natures” of social and economic rewards offer some insights into how hotels can attract customers and maintain their long-term loyalty. They explain that although economic reward programmes are attractive to customers and promote loyalty, they tend to offer “similar economic benefits in competing with one another” and these benefits are easily replicated by other companies. Hence, loyalty to a reward programme “does not always translate into company loyalty” and economic benefits alone are not sufficient to prevent customers from switching to other programmes.
研究學者所謂社群型與經濟利益型獎勵的「獨特性質」對於旅館酒店要如何吸引顧客及維繫其長期忠誠提供了一些獨道見解。研究學者解釋，雖然經濟利益型獎勵對於顧客而言是具有吸引力，可以有立即性的忠誠，但酒店方傾向於提供「與其他競爭對手差不多的經濟利益型獎勵」，且容易被其他公司企業所複製。因此，對會員獎勵計劃表示忠誠「並非總是能轉換成對該公司企業的忠誠」，再者，單就經濟利益型的福利本身來講是不足以避免顧客轉換成其他會藉。

Social benefits, in contrast, generate more loyalty from customers, who tend to be “intrinsically motivated to stay with a hotel” because the personal service they receive helps them to become emotionally attached and committed to it, and thus provide greater relational worth.
相對地，社群型獎勵能讓顧客產生更多的忠誠度，亦即傾向於「從本質上被激勵去住在某家旅館酒店」，因為顧客所接收到的個人化服務能幫助他們在情感上有所依附且對酒店方獻出其承諾，如此一來就能提供更大的關係性價值。

The best mix(最佳混合模組)

The best compromise, then, is to offer a loyalty programme that balances economic and social benefits. As offering economic benefits is costly, the researchers suggest that hotels should consider only offering sufficient financial incentives to “merely meet and not greatly exceed” members’ expectations. However, they should also offer social rewards with more customised offerings that instil a sense of “belonging and emotional attachment” in customers.
於是，最佳的折衷方案是提供一個經濟利益型與社群型獎勵平衡的忠誠客戶計劃。由於經濟利益型的獎勵相當耗費成本，因此研究學者建議旅館酒店方應該只提供足夠的獎勵「以剛好符合而非大幅超過」會員的期望。不過，酒店方也應該要提供更客製化的社群型獎勵，在顧客間灌輸「歸屬與情感依附」的感受。

The researchers provide an example of how the JW Marriot Phuket, in collaboration with the Phuket Marine Biology Centre, offers Marriot Reward members the opportunity to participate in releasing baby turtles into the sea. This is such a “rewarding and memorable experience”, especially for children, that members are reluctant to switch to another hotel offering “equal or better financial incentives”.
研究學者以泰國普吉島JW萬豪酒店為例，該酒店與普吉島海洋生物中心合作，提供萬豪禮賞會員參與野放海龜寶寶至大海的機會。這是個絶佳獎勵且難以忘懷的體驗，特別對於孩童更是如此，並使得會員不願移轉會藉至其他提供「相當或更佳經濟利益型獎勵」的酒店。

Overall, the researchers show that money is not necessarily everything when it comes to keeping customers. However, they also acknowledge that there is still much work to be done in understanding how customers respond to the loyalty programmes offered by hotels. For instance, it is still not clear how “different tiered memberships” affect customer loyalty and relational worth, and whether loyalty programmes also prompt customers “to forgive service providers” when they experience service failures. These, they suggest, would be fruitful topics for future research.
總體來說，研究學者表示當公司企業想要維持住顧客時，錢並非總是代表一切。然而，學者也承認在了解顧客如何回應酒店的客戶忠誠計劃仍有許多部份尚待持續研究分析。比方說，不同的會員等級是如何影響顧客忠誠度及關係性價值，又或者當顧客經歷到服務缺失時，客戶忠誠計劃是否也促使會員顧客「原諒酒店方」。研究學者表示這些部份對於未來的研究會是豐富的題材。

About the source
The article is published from the research conducted by Dr Jin-Soo Lee, Dr Nelson Tsang and Dr Steve Pan of the School of Hotel and Tourism Management (SHTM) at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University. (2015). Examining the Differential Effects of Social and Economic Rewards in a Hotel Loyalty Program. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 49, 17-27.