MOMENTS.COM from Forte Hotel Group ‘The first Internet-based hotel rewards programme’

(Dubai, May 1, 2000) Senior management of Forte Hotel Group announced the launch of MOMENTS.COM, an internet-based rewards programme scheduled for worldwide roll-out at the end of the month, at a Pre-ATM press gathering in Dubai today.

According to Michel Noblet, managing director Middle East and West Asia, Le Meridien Hotels & Resorts, MOMENTS.COM is set to become one of the world’s leading hospitality reward schemes based on its four key features - simplicity, instant guest recognition, generous rewards and the revolutionary use of the Internet to communicate with members.

The new inter-active platform is will ‘go live’ on May 31. It will enable MOMENTS.COM members to make reservations on-line, as well as instant access to their MOMENTS.COM account status. They can also redeem their points on-line.

On marketing, Forte Hotel Group will be able to communicate special offers and promotions to members of MOMENTS.COM at the touch of a button.

“As well as offering special hotel rates, we will be partnering with leading airline, car rental and other organisations such as credit card companies to enable our members to take advantage of a wide range of promotional offers,” explained Noblet,

“For example, in the United Kingdom, we are already working with MasterCard in the launching of a joint credit card and we will have similar arrangements with other financial organisations in the Middle East.

“We are incorporating the very latest technology in our new rewards scheme to ensure that it is one that is both generous and easy to use,” he said.

“Our research has found that there is traditionally a low take-up on these programmes because guests find them too complicated to be of any benefit, but we believe that MOMENTS.COM is very different.” Noblet referred to recently published figures on Internet usage in the Middle East which pegs user numbers at 1.9 million. This is expected to rise to 12 million in two years. The Gulf currently represents 28% or more than 530,000 users.

As well as instant recognition as a regular guest, a MOMENTS.COM member benefits from rewards which are simple to access and generous: they are credited with one point for every GBP2 (or equivalent) spend on accommodation, food or drink plus even laundry, telephone calls and taxes and service charges on their hotel bill.

Redemption can begin when members earn as few as 200 ‘Moments’ or points - this qualifies them for a weekend night at a UK Posthouse, for instance, while 400 points is equivalent to a night at a Le Meridien hotel in Cairo, Amman, Singapore or Hamburg. AND, there are no black-out dates when using points.

In addition, members can redeem points for room upgrades, discount dining offers, and health and beauty treatments at Forte Hotel Group spas in the UK.

Free to join, temporary membership of MOMENTS.COM is converted after two stays in participating hotels. Entry is at Blue level, and those members who stay 10 times or 25 nights at any Le Meridien, Posthouse or Heritage hotels during one year are automatically upgraded to Gold level.

Meanwhile, active members of the group’s Carte Noire, L’Invitation and PointsCard loyalty schemes are currently being migrated to MOMENTS.COM.

While MOMENTS.COM will be one of the most lucrative hotel reward schemes in operation, it is the innovative use of new technology that will be key to the

success of the scheme, said Russel Sharpe, senior vice president, sales and marketing, Middle East and West Asia, Le Meridien Hotels & Resorts.

“There are many offerings in this field but we consider this far better than any other international hotel reward programme – and currently, the Internet platform is unique,” he said. “It will fuel our expansion worldwide and help us drive custom in to all our hotel brands including Le Meridien, Heritage and Posthouse in the UK.

As well as one-to-one personalised marketing using the Internet, Sharpe said another feature of the MOMENTS.COM scheme is that it was open and easy to use: “There are no hidden restrictions in MOMENTS.COM which is focused on providing rewards for regular customers whether they are staying with us or not - they will be able to use their Moments card to earn points in restaurants too.”

Customer recognition is another vital element of the new programme where every member will have his or her preferences on file for reference by Forte Hotel Group properties worldwide.

“This programme builds on our Commitment to Excellence culture that places the customer at the heart of everything we do, and it also supports our strategy to exploit opportunities offered through the main distribution channels - e-commerce is set to become the preferred choice of many customers in the future,” said Sharpe.

A full roll-out of MOMENTS.COM is planned for May 31 2000 when further details will be available. Updates can be accessed online at www.moments.com.

Forte Hotel Group, owned by media and hospitality giant Granada Group plc, and headquartered in London, United Kingdom, operates 130 Le Meridien Hotels worldwide as well as 80 Posthouse and 45 Heritage Hotels in the United Kingdom, among other brands.


MOMENTS.COM BY FORTE HOTEL GROUP

Factsheet

Ø Officially launch : May 31 2000, MOMENTS.COM is the new reward scheme from Forte Hotel Group. It will replace existing schemes including Carte Noire, L’Invitation and PointsCard and operate across three Forte brands - Le Meridien Hotels & Resorts, Travelodge and Heritage Hotels.

Ø There are two categories of membership - Blue and Gold. Free to join, customers can join at the Blue entry level and upgrade to the Gold level after 10 stays or 25 nights at any of the three hotel brands during a 12-month rolling period.

Ø Following the launch of the Internet site on May 31, prospective members can enrol online.

Ø All members receive one ‘Moment’ or point for every GBP (pound sterling) Two spent on accommodation, food and beverages, including services and tax, at participating Le Meridien, Heritage and Posthouse hotels.

Ø Other benefits include access to an international freephone reservations number and global Moments Member Services Centre freephone telephone number; pre-registered check-in; room automatically booked according to registered preferences (smoking, twin/double, etc); free newspaper and welcome letter.

Ø Gold members additionally qualify for 48-hour guaranteed reservations (subject to some conditions); upgrade voucher after every five stays; best room in category booked; Hermes in-room amenities; late check-out until 1400 hours and personalised letter of welcome reflecting their interests.

Ø Moments Rewards currently include free hotel stays, room upgrade vouchers, health and beauty vouchers and dining vouchers. Examples of redemption rates are from just 200 Moments for an overnight stay at a Posthouse Hotel in the UK; 400 Moments for Heritage Hotels or Le Meridien properties in Amman, Cairo or Singapore, for instance, or 1,000 Moments for a night at Le Meridien Tahiti. (NB. The range of rewards is to be extended constantly.)

Ø There are NO black-out dates for members redeeming Moments for hotel stays.

Ø All Moments or points are automatically credited to a member’s account at the time of payment by use of a Moments terminal through which their card is swiped.

Ø With the introduction of the MOMENTS.COM website this summer, special offers and promotions will be available online. Members will also be able to access and update their own personal details, verify their account total and take part in exclusive offers, as well as book rooms online.

Ø Additional plans for the website include using it for online auctions in conjunction with the annual fine art auction held at Le Meridien Grosvenor House


MOMENTS.COM

Q&A

How does MOMENTS.COM compare with other hotel rewards programmes?

Our aim is to ‘surprise and delight’ our customers who enrol in the programme. Currently there is little distinction between the major hotel schemes in this arena and research has shown that take-up is low because customers feel these schemes are not simple enough, don’t offer tangible benefits or any real recognition as a ‘loyal’ guest.

We feel that MOMENTS.COM is not just another card which entitles a customer to earn points. It is an extension of our ongoing ‘Commitment to Excellence’ programme which involves all our staff - this is a customer-focused training programme which encourages a real inter-action between staff and guests aimed at increasing satisfaction levels in every area of our hotels. By finding out more about our regular guests who enrol in the programme, we are better placed to recognise them and anticipate their requirements - and this is what builds loyalty.

More practically, what MOMENTS.COM offers is a simple formula to earn ‘Moments’ or points (one for every two pounds spent), and, uniquely, this is not restricted to accommodation only but is also valid for expenditure on food and beverage, laundry and even telephone calls - plus any applicable local taxes.

Then we have a dedicated members service centre which makes communication easier for our members, plus a full back-up of the latest technology which ensures that once a member tells us his or her ID number, we can call up their guest history to ensure they are offered their room preference, etc, every time they stay at a Le Meridien, Heritage or Posthouse hotel.

Together with our Internet site, which will be officially launched at the end of May, we will have the latest technology to back-up our programme, ensuring we can communicate on a personalised basis with all members.

AND, an important distinction for MOMENTS.COM is that there are no black-out dates when a member wants to redeem their points for a free stay. And we also offer upgrade vouchers, and dining and health club discounts too as part of the programme, which we will be extending to our international hotels as well as Heritage and Posthouse hotels in the UK.

How long are points valid for on the scheme?


These are valid for three years, and will automatically expire after that period.


What happens to your current loyalty programmes such as Le Meridien’s Carte Noire?

The three programmes currently being run by Forte hotels will cease operations on May 31, but members will have their points balance automatically transferred to their new MOMENTS.COM account. For example, each Carte Noire night will be worth 40 Moments.


Will you be bringing in more partners to the programme, such as airlines and car rental companies?


We currently have more than 20 partnerships worldwide with airlines, including Gulf Air, Saudia and Kuwait Airways here as well as working alliances with organisations such as MasterCard and this is an area we are expanding. Once we have our Internet site up and fully functional, we will be able to introduce special offers and promotions very quickly, targeting them personally at members around the world.

One exciting area of development is with MasterCard where we currently offer a special Forte MasterCard in the UK which offers all the benefits of MOMENTS.COM and additionally acts as a credit card enabling members to use this in the normal way but also earn points doing so. This is something we are looking to extend to other areas of the world. In addition, we will be bringing our new partners Nikko in to the scheme in due course.

By using the Internet to encourage members to book, are you bypassing the trade and moving towards direct sales?

We look on the travel trade as our partners and they too are able to book their customers using our website – all prices are commissionable.