The Red Lion Hotel network is comprised of 45 hotels located in eight states and one Canadian province, with 8,671 rooms. The R&R Club loyalty program consists of over 300,000 active members with an average annual growth of 25 percent. We recently had a converstation with Brandon Standerfer, Director of Marketing Programs, Red Lion Hotels.
InsideFlyer
It looks like you’ve been busy and have introduced a new airline partnership and new ways for members to spend their points. Can you tell us more?
Brandon Standerfer
The Red Lion R&R Club serves to recognize and reward our guests when they stay with Red Lion Hotels, thus the importance of developing new partnerships. Partnering with United Mileage Plus, Preferred Hotel Group and 1-800-flowers.com has generated additional value to our members and program–the number of new members and returning guests has certainly increased.
IF
Can you tell us a little more about your Member of the Month program? How many Members of the Month have you had so far?
Standerfer
Each month a member of the Red Lion R&R Club is randomly selected to be our featured Member of the Month. Only Red Lion R&R Club members who have had an active stay in the month prior are eligible to become Member of the Month. The winners of Member of the Month receive an upgrade in their membership level, 20,000 bonus points and are showcased in our monthly statement and featured on the Red Lion R&R Club Web site.The Member of the Month program started in October 2008, and since the inception of the program there have been 20 Members of the Month.
IF
Where did Red Lion get the idea for the Member of the Month?
Standerfer
In addition to meeting our promise to ‘Stay Comfortable’ we wanted to take the extra step to ‘recognize and reward’ our loyal members. This program is our way to show what the R&R really stands for in Red Lion R&R Club.
IF
How popular with your members is the pet program where guests can not only bring their furry friends for free but also earn 500 points per stay? (Would be interested to know if you have some frequent pets–those that have earned lots of points?)
Standerfer
The core objective to our brand wide ‘Pets Stay Free’ program is to encourage animal lovers to stay with Red Lion Hotels and join the Red Lion R&R Club. The pet friendly campaign generated over 10,000 new members to the guest loyalty program. Guests who travel with their pets are an important segment for us and we are committed to being their brand choice.
IF
Why should business travelers consider staying at Red Lion?
Standerfer
We know what it’s like to travel today. Fewer flights packed with more passengers. At Red Lion Hotels, the business traveler experience can defy the norm with ergonomically designed in-room work areas with appropriate lighting, state of the art fitness facilities, beautifully designed granite bathrooms and complimentary high-speed wireless Internet access.
IF
Has Red Lion R&R Club embraced Social Media? Any news to share there?
Standerfer
The Red Lion R&R Club has a featured tab on the Red Lion Hotels Facebook page. Throughout each month members who ‘Like’ our brand page have the opportunity to participate in contests for bonus points or miles.
IF
Members can spend from 5,000 points to an impressive 150,000 points for awards. What are some of the most popular award options for members?
Standerfer
With the Red Lion R&R Club, members earn points for every eligible dollar charged to their room. To earn a free hotel room night at Red Lion Hotels, members only need 10,000 points making this redemption offer the most compelling. However, merchandise rewards from leading retailers including Costco, Nordstrom and Giftcertificates.com are certainly quite popular.
IF
Are there any new partnerships in the works that you can tell us about?
Standerfer
Red Lion Hotels is pleased to announce Silverwood Theme Park as our newest redemption partner for the Red Lion R&R Club Program. Want big rides, slides and big fun? You’ve found it!
Located in beautiful North Idaho, Silverwood Theme park has over 65 rides, shows and attractions, including four roller coasters, the Boulder Beach Water park, a steam engine train, live entertainment, restaurants and more. All available to you for 10,000 points. Members can sign in online at http://www.redlion.com/redlionrandrclub to redeem their points for this new reward option.
