Luxury Escapes’ recently launched loyalty program, Société, is eyeing even greater member benefits, LATTE can reveal.
Soft-launched in May, the free-to-join program is to some extent, akin to the Qantas Frequent Flyer rewards program, with membership status tiers named Bronze, Silver, Gold and Platinum. Members of Société earn two types of rewards across a range of travel products: Points and Status Credits, also similar to those of Qantas Frequent Flyer.
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“We created Société because we wanted to really reward our loyal members. Our customers are at the heart of everything we do, and this program is designed to recognise and reward their loyalty in a meaningful way,” Adam Schwab, CEO and Co-Founder of Luxury Escapes said back in April.
Société status is based on the frequency of travel and the dollar value that the member spends.
The program sits alongside Luxury Escapes’ paid membership scheme, Luxplus+, which offers those members advantages such as early access to deals (meaning improved availability to offers, and best pricing), discounts on experiences, and more. Members of Luxplus+ are also able to opt into Société.
Speaking exclusively with LATTE about Société last month in Chicago at IPW, Tom McMenemie, General Manager, Luxury Escapes explained that top-tier members, irrespective of the hotel being booked, gain privileges such as airport transfers to their hotel, and airport lounge access, like Aspire’s Lounges in Melbourne, Sydney and Perth, and soon, a huge international network of lounges. Members also receive discounts on a range of products, such as insurance.
“The membership for Société continues to grow in an upward trajectory,” he told LATTE two months after the program’s debut. Currently, membership for Société is over 500,000, with Luxury Escapes expecting that number to break through the 1 million mark by the end of the year.
“Société is only just getting started,” he said. Further details on the young program are to be revealed later this week.
More at luxuryescapes.com/au/societe
Meanwhile, McMenemie revealed that membership to Luxury Escapes’ special offers is close to 9 million subscribers globally. Pre-COVID, the membership base was circa 90% Australian travellers. Now, following a stronger push in the US, Europe and UK, that percentage is around 60-65%.
On the trade front, McMenemie says Agent Hub, launched around 12 months ago, “is our fastest growing unit, globally.”
“Luxury Escapes for a long time, from a trade perspective, was never really trade-friendly. The launch of Agent Hub in March last year has been huge and changed that perception. Agents can now tap into the expansive suite of offers and products available on Luxury Escapes to assist their clients.“
“I think Agent Hub caught us by surprise.”
“When we first launched we were seeing a lot of independent agencies signing up, and now we are seeing that evolve to other travel networks.”
Everything on the website is available through Agent Hub, McMenemie said. Plus, there are certain offers extended to agents only.
In 2024, Luxury Escapes took out the National Travel Industry Awards for ‘Most Outstanding Online Travel Agency’, a recognition McMenemie says remains one of the businesses’ highest honours.
