Shangri-La updates loyalty program: Shangri-La International Hotel Management Ltd. announced the transformation of its Golden Circle loyalty program and the launch of its new Circle the Sixth Members Day initiative. The new initiative curates experiences and offers flexibility across the brand’s portfolio of hotels, bars and restaurants, wellness facilities and family experiences. Members will be offered exclusive rates and deals, enhanced benefits and an easy process to earn and redeem Shangri-La Circle Points while staying, dining or shopping with Shangri-La. Shangri-La’s membership tiers includes a new invitation-only tier — Polaris — that offers personalized privileges and benefits like unlimited access to Shangri-La facilities, a dedicated global Polaris concierge, Polaris Discovery experiences and Diamond status gifting. Members can also access the new Shangri-La Circle App to book a holiday, reserve a table, shop for merchandise on the Shangri-La boutique and manage their account. From June 6, the Members Day will include new offers that will be available for 48 hours each month. Shangri-La will launch 20 staycation packages bundled with curated wellness and dining experiences, allowing members to personalize their journeys.
Travelodge’s expansion plans: Travelodge has planned expansion for this year and 2023 which represents an investment of around £330 million (US$416.6 million) by third-party investors. The company expects to open six properties in the U.K. through the year, along with a 397-key flagship hotel in Dublin under its franchisee TIFCO. Three properties in the U.K. — in London’s Docklands, Wimbledon and Hexham — will feature Travelodge’s newly-launched “budget-luxe” design, with more openings planned in Lewisham, Braintree and Peckham. In 2023, the group plans to open hotels in Beckenham, Bermondsey, Ipswich and Colchester and six more under development in Norwich, Harwich, Rotherham, Salisbury, Walter Cross and in Loughton/Debden in London. Six of the seven properties will feature the company’s upgraded Bar Café concept.
Lemon Tree signs in India: Lemon Tree Hotels, New Delhi, has signed a property — Keys Select by Lemon Tree Hotels — in Chirang in Northeastern India’s Assam. Owned by Bharati Brahma, the property will be managed by Carnation Hotels Pvt. Ltd., the management unit of Lemon Tree Hotels Ltd. The greenfield project is slated to open in June 2026. The hotel will comprise 40 rooms, a multi-cuisine restaurant and bar, a conference room and fitness center. Lemon Tree currently operates 82 rooms, totaling around 8,250 rooms, across 52 destinations in India and abroad. After the current pipeline becomes operational, it will operate 109 hotels across 66 destinations.
Dusit invests to expand food business: Dusit Foods Co. Ltd., the wholly-owned subsidiary of Bangkok-based Dusit Thani Public Co. Ltd., has expanded its food business offering in Thailand by finalizing an agreement to acquire a 55% stake in Port Royal Co. Ltd., a baking factory producing French-style pastry products and its associated Bonjour Bakery Asia franchise business, consisting of over 50 branches in Thailand and one branch in China. As part of the acquisition, Dusit Foods, Port Royal and Bonjour Bakery Asia will form a new joint venture called Bonjour Bakery Asia Co. Ltd. The upstream investment is part of Dusit’s plan to optimize food quality and production costs within the group and create new streams of recurring revenue in food business. The investment will also serve as a springboard to develop Port Royal’s OEM model to provide new B2B services and grow Bonjour Bakery’s franchise business both domestically and globally.