BEIJING — September 18, 2014 — Preferred Hotel Group™ today announced a new partnership with Air China that allows members of Air China’s PhoenixMiles program to earn up to 1,600 miles* when staying at select properties within Preferred Hotel Group’s portfolio of more than 650 independent hotels and resorts worldwide. The strategic alliance is the latest development in Preferred Hotel Group’s aggressive campaign to gain top-of-mind awareness among China’s outbound travel market and facilitate greater development of its brands across the country.
“Asia is an important market for Preferred Hotel Group, and we are committed to continuously finding new ways to enhance our footprint in the region,” said Anthony Ross, Executive Vice President of Asia Pacific, Middle East, and Africa for Preferred Hotel Group. “Our partnership with Air China’s award-winning PhoenixMiles program will bring great visibility to our global network of independent hotels and allow us to extend additional benefits to both consumers and China’s greater travel community.”
Effective immediately, Air China PhoenixMiles members can earn 800 miles for qualified stays at participating hotels within the Preferred Hotel Group collection, which contains 163 properties across 42 cities to which Air China flies. Sixteen hotels in key destinations across Asia and Europe – ranging from East, Hong Kong and Royal Plaza on Scotts in Singapore to The K Club in Ireland and Grand Hotel Zermatterhof in Switzerland – are offering double miles (1,600) as extra incentive for PhoenixMiles members to stay with them during their next vacation. To earn PhoenixMiles, members must present their PhoenixMiles card at time of hotel check-in.
Air China is the 17th airline loyalty program to join Preferred Hotel Group’s Frequent Flyer program list. To view the complete list of participating hotels that are offering miles to Air China PhoenixMiles members, and for more information on the special offers available through Preferred Hotel Group’s airline alliances, visit: PreferredHotelGroup.com/Miles.
The partnership with Air China follows several other initiatives that Preferred Hotel Group has recently introduced to showcase its commitment to growth in China. In December 2013, the company launched its bespoke China Ready program, which included a new brand website in simplified Chinese (www.preferredhotelgroup.cn), dynamic marketing campaigns, social media presence on Sina Weibo (www.weibo.com/preferredhotelgroup), booking connectivity with key OTAs and China’s Global Distribution Service (GDS), and a China Ready certification program for select hotels. Since September 2013, the company has also established a new office in Beijing, hired four associates in new positions to handle sales, revenue account management, regional director, and marketing/public relations responsibilities, and signed nine new member hotels in key markets across China.
* Terms and conditions apply.
About Preferred Hotel Group™
Preferred Hotel Group represents more than 650 of the finest hotels, resorts, and serviced residences in the world. Preferred Hotel Group’s brands include Preferred Hotels® & Resorts, Summit Hotels & Resorts™, Sterling Hotels™, Summit Serviced Residences™, Sterling Design, and Preferred Boutique™. Travelers gain valuable benefits through branded programs iPrefer™, Preferred Family, Preferred Pride, Preferred Golf™, and Preferred Residences™. For more information, visit www.PreferredHotelGroup.com and follow the brand on Facebook and Twitter.
About Air China
Air China is China’s only national flag carrier and a member carrier of the world’s largest airline network—Star Alliance. By June 2014, Air China had a fleet of 512 passenger aircraft and freighters of mainly Boeing and Airbus families (including those of the carriers which Air China has a majority stake in). It operates 323 routes, including 79 international routes, 15 regional routes and 229 domestic routes. It serves 162 cities in 32 countries and regions, including 53 international cities, 3 regional cities and 106 domestic cities. Every week, Air China offers over 1.3 million seats on over 7000 flights per week. Utilizing its extensive route network and its hub in Beijing, especially after its admission to the Star Alliance, Air China can fly passengers to 1,328 airports in 195 countries. PhoenixMiles, Air China’s customer loyalty program created in 1994, is Asia’s only frequent flyer program shared by a number of carriers. Air China’s customer service philosophy revolves around four elements: credibility, convenience, comfort, and choice. Hard work over the years has resulted in a tremendous increase in Air China’s brand value. In 2013, Air China ranked again as one of the world’s top 500 brands with a brand value of RMB 76.568 billion, and was the only Chinese carrier on the World Brands 500 list. For more, visit Air China’s official website www.airchina.com or call Air China’s hotline 95583.
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Caroline Michaud
Director, Public Relations
Tel: +1 312 542 9218
cmichaud@preferredhotelgroup.com
Terri McCollin
Senior Manager, Public Relations — EMEA
Tel: +44 207 440 0316
tmccollin@preferredhotelgroup.com
Arlene Benger-Tan
Senior Manager, Public Relations — Asia Pacific
Tel: +65 6577 2487
abenger@preferredhotelgroup.com
Silvia Meng
Senior Manager, Marketing & Public Relations — China
Tel: +86 10 6410 5378
smeng@preferredhotelgroup.com