Makeready, a hospitality, restaurant and retail management company, announced the merging of their collection of independent hotels under one chain code – MY – within all four global distribution system channels; Sabre, Amadeus, Galileo/Apollo and Worldspan, in addition to DHISCO.

This decision furthers Makeready’s commitment to the travel advisor community at the direction of Makeready COO and President Christine Magrann. “The chain code launch and unification is an exciting next step for the Makeready collection and our brand's commitment to developing and managing independent lifestyle hotels,” says Magrann.

Makeready hotels that are now under the MY chain code include:

• Emeline, Charleston
• Halcyon, a hotel in Cherry Creek
• The Junto, Columbus
• Noelle, Nashville
• The Ryder Hotel, Charleston

Tapped to lead this initiative, Makeready Corporate Director of Commercial Strategy Marcia Murphy has been working towards this launch for years. “As a management company, Makeready has purposely remained in the background, allowing its individual hotel brands to be at the forefront in our guest’s minds,” says Murphy. “By implementing this GDS chain code – MY – we are solidifying our commitment to building consumer confidence in Makeready hotels and empowering travel advisors to cross-reference all of our independent hotels in our collection and book with ease. We look forward to welcoming this wonderful community that serves as an extension of our sales family to experience Makeready.”

In celebration of this advancement, Makeready is offering compelling industry rates and upgrades exclusively to travel advisors worldwide. To indulge in the Makeready experience, Makeready invites travel advisors to simply contact them at [email protected] to learn more about the collection and secure their stay.

The implementation of Makeready’s chain code comes shortly after the brand’s Nashville hotel, Noelle, announced its independence from Marriott’s Tribute Portfolio where it has operated since its opening in 2017. This also follows the news of their newest lifestyle hotel, The Junto, opening this spring in downtown Columbus, Ohio. All of Makeready’s independent hotels have their own distinct identity and point of view, each sharing a common purpose: to inspire deeper connections with the world around them – place by place, person by person.

H World Group, announced that it upgraded its H Rewards program to extend its successful direct marketing membership business model in China to its overseas hotel operations. This will further enhance the Group's operational efficiency and add new momentum to its global strategy.

To support the H Rewards upgrade, H World Group moved to a unified global distribution platform, integrating inventory management, connection of direct marketing channels, price control and membership matters across the Group's domestic and overseas operations. H World Group has successfully connected its hotel booking and distribution platforms in China and overseas with unified standards. Over 200 million members will be able to cross-book the Group's domestic and overseas hotels through the platform and link their membership benefits worldwide. This will provide a continuous flow of guests to the Group's hotels around the globe. At present, 80% of H World Group's hotel bookings are made through the unified global distribution platform, with 76% coming from H Rewards members.

With this loyalty program upgrade, H World Group added personalized services to attract more new members. For example, Chinese travelers staying at H World Group hotels in Europe, the Middle East and Africa will have access to Chinese-language menus, Chinese-speaking staff and other services. The Group aims to digitize the traditional hospitality industry. Its overseas guests will experience the added efficiency of digital self-check-in machines, delivery robots, a free wireless portal and smart TV.

H Rewards is an autonomous customer-driven direct-marketing platform. "To stand out in the global hotel industry, digitalization and technological capabilities are key," said Liu Xinxin, President of H World Group. "The Group leverages technology to deliver an innovative experience, creating a closed loop of differentiated services while remaining customer-centric. These are some of the key drivers of our success in China, and have attracted a large number of customers to become members. We are now extending our successful business model in China to our global hotel business."

With strong branding, industry-leading end-to-end digitalization, and its own guest-driven traffic platform, H World Group has developed a unique business strategy of "Brand + Technology + Traffic".

H World Group is also committed to sustainable development. It launched the Green Living project to actively encourage members to reduce waste by converting cancellation of certain services into membership points, which can be used to offset accommodation fees.

Animoca Brands, the company advancing digital property rights for gaming and the open metaverse, and Planet Hollywood Group (“Planet Hollywood”), through their joint venture Meta Hollywood, announced they will launch CLUB 3, a private, members-only club that will act as the physical meeting place for the greater global community involved in Web3, NFTs, and open metaverse industries.

The first CLUB 3 location will open in the heart of the famed Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles, California, in the second half of 2023. It will be a 10,000-square-foot facility consisting of diverse dining options, including a main dining room and a rooftop restaurant, eclectic bars and a cocktail lounge, meeting rooms, karaoke rooms, and other facilities. Additionally, CLUB 3 will offer fully programmable areas for experiential events that will be available both in person and virtually, such as industry events, community meetups, talks, experiences, seminars, AMA sessions, and more.

Following the opening of its first location, CLUB 3 plans to expand in multiple iterations in the world’s most popular cities, including New York, Miami, Tokyo, London, Paris, and Hong Kong.

CLUB 3 will offer four types of memberships: Founding, Social, Global, and Corporate Memberships. Membership perks will include access to amenities with respect to the membership type and all members will be able to communicate with each other through CLUB 3’s exclusive community chat. All four types of memberships will be available on launch starting from the internal sale.

The Social Membership will provide its owner with access to one specific CLUB 3 location. The Founding Membership is an ultra-exclusive pass available in limited numbers per club, granting special benefits such as access to a private founders-only lounge and other benefits. The Global Membership, an upgrade to all membership levels, will give owners access to all CLUB 3 locations around the world.

Memberships are available as mintable NFTs and interested parties can go to www.club3members.com to reserve a place on the waitlist. The one-time membership fees for a Social Membership and a Founding Membership are US$2,500 and US$7,500, respectively. All memberships can be upgraded to a Global Membership for a fee of US$1,500. To find out more about memberships and to sign-up for the waitlist, please visit www.club3members.com.

CLUB 3 will be integrating Web3 mechanics into the club’s operations such as community voting on seasonal menus, specialized perks, and collaborative promotions for certain NFT projects and membership holders.

Robert Earl, founder and chairman of the Planet Hollywood Group, commented: “I am proud to be a partner in CLUB 3. Imagine a club composed of groups of like-minded individuals - the setting is designed to be comfortable with great food, wonderful cocktails and exciting programming. CLUB 3 is truly international, both in its footprint around the world and its membership base - come join our journey as we get ready to launch our first CLUB 3 in Los Angeles.”

Yat Siu, co-founder and executive chairman of Animoca Brands, commented: “CLUB 3 will foster and galvanize the broader Web3 community and serve as a launchpad for those wanting to learn more about this new world. Members will interact within the club’s numerous facility perks and experience what Meta Hollywood can offer. With this project communities across the Animoca Brands ecosystem will have access to new possibilities.”

Bakkt Holdings, Inc. (“Bakkt”), a technology platform that enables partners to unlock crypto and drive loyalty, announced a deal with Caesars Entertainment (“Caesars”), the largest casino-entertainment company in the U.S. To launch this pairing, the state-of-the-art live entertainment venue at Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino, formerly known as Zappos Theater, will be renamed Bakkt Theater. Also, the companies’ collaboration includes plans to allow Caesars Rewards^® members the ability to redeem their Rewards Credits through Bakkt^® Crypto Rewards, pending regulatory approval. Bakkt and Caesars will continue to explore and innovate around Bakkt’s existing suite of cryptocurrency solutions. Additional details on this offering and the timeline for rollout will be shared soon.

“As today’s customers grow to be increasingly savvier online, we look forward to offering new crypto options to millions of Caesars’ customers,” said Bakkt’s Chief Marketing and Sales Officer, Mark Elliot. “We’re thrilled to solidify our relationship with Caesars with the naming of Bakkt Theater and the integration of Bakkt Crypto Rewards into the Caesars Rewards program.”

As the digital economy continues to evolve quickly, Bakkt and Caesars are committed to ensuring their customers have a seamless experience, both online and through more traditional customer retention methods. This commitment continues to guide Bakkt in its development of leading crypto solutions and has helped shape the award-winning Caesars Rewards loyalty program, the most extensive loyalty program in the gaming industry.

“We are constantly looking for new and unique ways we can expand the wealth of benefits associated with Caesars Rewards, and it is that consistent push to improve that makes Caesars Rewards best-in-class,” said Megan Rodriguez, Senior Vice President of Loyalty and CRM with Caesars Entertainment. “We look forward to exploring how Bakkt’s crypto offerings will differentiate Caesars Rewards and help us continue to be the leader in this space.”

With more than 60 million members worldwide, Caesars Rewards is one of the largest and most acclaimed loyalty programs in the world. A fully connected ecosystem of gaming, hospitality, entertainment, nightlife, dining, and shopping, more than 50 destinations, and a full suite of mobile products, including Caesars Sportsbook and iGaming, are tied to the Caesars Rewards network. Members can earn and redeem credits across the network for the experiences they value most. Caesars Entertainment is focused on building loyalty and value with its guests through a unique combination of great service, excellent products, unsurpassed distribution, operational excellence and technology leadership.

Through this relationship, the Bakkt brand will come alive in Las Vegas as the namesake for one of The Strip’s most influential theaters. Since 2013, the newly renamed Bakkt Theater has been recognized as the epicenter of A-list entertainment in Las Vegas.

“Bakkt Theater showcases the best in live entertainment and experiences to match the extraordinary talent roster the venue features,” said Jason Gastwirth, President of Entertainment for Caesars Entertainment. “We’re pleased that Bakkt recognizes the unique destination we’ve created at Planet Hollywood, and we are excited to have them join us in the venue’s next chapter.”

While world-class content and the venue’s capabilities set it apart, amenities and guest experience, including VIP table seating concept, bottle service and multiple seating configurations that allow artists to create the vibe that best suits their show, further distinguish Bakkt Theater from other venues in Las Vegas. With its unique combination of nightlife-inspired amenities coupled with world-class live entertainment content, Bakkt Theater continues to be a premier performance destination in Las Vegas.

Bakkt and Caesars will share additional details on forthcoming crypto offerings soon. Legends Global Partnerships represented Caesars Entertainment in sourcing and negotiating the strategic agreement with Bakkt.

Solutions Travel, a new Travel Management Company, announces a partnership with Spotnana to use Spotnana’s Travel-as-a-Service Platform as the core infrastructure powering its travel business.

“After decades championing change, I’m excited to bring new innovation to the corporate travel marketplace through the launch of a new TMC built from the ground up on Spotnana’s new modern infrastructure,” said Mark Walton, CEO of Solutions. We will deliver the most advanced travel technology, coupled with a strong service orientation, real time data, direct content sources, and other integrated components.”

“We showed Spotnana to Travel Managers who were wowed by what they saw. Once we realized that Spotnana’s modern cloud-native platform could be white labeled, rapidly deployed, and easily integrated with other systems via open APIs, we decided to build a company around it,” said Walton.

Solutions will use Spotnana’s entire Travel-as-a-Service Platform, including Spotnana’s Online Booking Tool, Agent Desktop, Booking Engine, System of Record, and Content Engine.

“We’ve selected Spotnana as our exclusive travel platform to differentiate ourselves and accelerate our time to market. Corporate clients want a new travel model with integrated applications, flexibility, ease of use, and access to more content. To deliver on this, we needed a travel platform that goes far beyond a traditional Online Booking Tool and has been designed from day one to serve as the foundation for a modern Travel Management Company,” said Walton.

“We’re delighted to partner with Solutions Travel and provide the core infrastructure that enables them to power a new generation of traveler experiences,” said Sarosh Waghmar, Founder and CEO of Spotnana. “Mark and his team are industry innovators who share our vision. We look forward to partnering on future enhancements to Spotnana’s Travel-as-a-Service platform that will add value to all Spotnana and Solutions customers.”

Solutions offers a broad range of personal services from experienced agents including VIP Service all available 24/7/365 in a multilingual environment. Clients can reach Solutions via all communications channels; phone, email, chat, and text. All are integrated to track service levels.

SevenRooms, a global guest experience and retention platform for the hospitality industry, has announced a new solution and expansion of its marketing suite for hospitality operators worldwide: Email Marketing. The product will work in conjunction with SevenRooms' Automated Emails, a set of personalized, trigger-based emails sent to customers on behalf of the operator, to continue to engage guests once they've visited a venue.

Email Marketing enables SevenRooms customers to send one-time, customized marketing emails directly within the SevenRooms platform to give operators more control over the way they use their guest data. Having ownership of this guest data allows operators to build their brand through direct touchpoints with guests to drive loyalty and repeat visits. It also provides detailed insights into email performance with metrics that matter to their business, including showing the reservations, covers and revenue attributed to each email.

Email Marketing supports operators with a solution that is connected throughout a restaurant's tech stack and removes the need to use third-party email service providers that create additional work for staff trying to manage email preferences across multiple systems. It is directly linked to the SevenRooms CRM and operating system giving operators full control over their messaging and who receives it by using Auto-tags or Client tags to segment marketing audiences. Additionally, operators using Email Marketing have the ability to create either fully customized emails with an easy-to-use visual editor or utilize curated templates.

The new product also enhances the experience for guests of SevenRooms customers by allowing them to stay in touch or up-to-date with their favorite venues, receive targeted messages and promotions, or simply control the venues from which they receive marketing. Leveraging Email Marketing, restaurants can use their guest data to tee up relevant, customized emails. For example, sending guests who have purchased wine at least five times an invite to a dinner with their sommelier, or excluding guests with shellfish allergies from an email about their annual clambake.

"SevenRooms Email Marketing product provides restaurants with functionality that simply does not exist in the email marketing platforms that restaurants traditionally use," said Allison Page, Co-Founder and Chief Product Officer at SevenRooms. "We enable restaurant marketers to leverage their robust SevenRooms guest database to quickly and easily build targeted campaign segments, eliminating the need to manually export and import mailing lists between systems. While other email service providers promise revenue, SevenRooms can prove it with accurate data on the revenue generated by each campaign to truly measure email marketing performance."

"The combination of SevenRooms' Email Marketing and Automated Emails makes guests feel very connected with us," said Alyssa Fenu, Sales & Marketing Manager at Mango's Tropical Café. "Being able to choose who our emails are going to — a specific customer segment or broadcasting to our whole database — makes the process a lot simpler. And it's super easy to understand how many people opened our emails, how many people actually made a reservation, and how much money we're making because it's all in one place."