Branding: Skye Bank powers Intercontinental Hotel Reward Club

Known for its leadership and innovativeness in electronic payment solutions and card-based services, Skye Bank plc has once again blazed the trail in powering a loyalty reward programme for Intercontinental Hotel Lagos. Last week, Skye Bank provided customised MasterCard cards for rewarding bookers of the hotel in the reward scheme tagged ‘Intercontinental Reward Club.’

Explaining the rationale for the loyalty reward programme, Krishna Kunar, director of marketing, Intercontinental Hotel Lagos, said the partnership was to provide incentives to those that patronise the hotel by rewarding them with points on their MasterCard.

Kunar said it was the first time in Nigeria that one of the world’s largest hotel groups would be rewarding its customers. “The programme is called RewardsClub. This is to signify the presence of the Intercontinental Hotels Group as a global brand and to show our commitment to the Nigerian business environment as well.

“Skye Bank plc and Wema Bank have partnered with us along with MasterCard. They have given us the opportunity for the programme to go global,” he explained.

Speaking further on the scheme, Didier Coeln, general manager, Intercontinental Hotel, explained that for every dollar spent at the hotel, customers would get an incentive that could be loaded on their MasterCard that enables them spend that money anywhere in the globe.

“The incentives are in terms of the points that we give on the rewards MasterCard. What the guest chooses to use it for is up to him,” he said.

To the group Hheead, E-Channels, Skye Bank, Chuks Iku, the card could be used through electronic channels such as Point of Sale (PoS) terminals and on the web.

“This is promoting loyalty. You can also use this card to make payment anywhere in the world. This is a universal card,” he said. The Skye Bank E-Channels head said the bank would also be promoting the Federal Government’s ‘cashless policy,’ which seeks to de-emphasise the use of cash in our daily financial transactions. In addition, Iku noted that the card would promote flexibility in payment as well as enhance the bank’s brand equity.

The MasterCard issued by Skye Bank has similar features with the bank’s Skye Priority Pass, which also offers patrons membership of the world’s largest independent airport lounge access programme with the use of its Priority Pass cards, Iku further said. “This offers great value for money and allows you to use any of 600 airport lounges whenever you travel.

Daniel Obi