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www.travelweekly-asia.com | 3 Published by NORTHSTAR TRAVEL MEDIA SINGAPORE PTE LTD SINGAPORE 91 Bencoolen Street, #05-08 Sunshine Plaza, Singapore 189652 • TEL: +65-6801-0450 FAX: +65-6801-0469 BEIJING Room 024, Building 8, Qijiayuan Diplomatic Compound, No.9 Jianguomenwai Street, Chaoyang District 100600, China • TEL: +8610-8532 3611 | FAX: +8610-8532 5293 SHANGHAI Room 2553, The Headquarters Building, No.168 Central XiZhang Road, Shanghai 200001, China • TEL: +8621-5179 8360 | FAX: +8621-5179 8360 Travel Weekly Asia is published on a monthly basis by Northstar Travel Media Singapore Pte Ltd. Located at 91 Bencoolen Street, #05-08 Sunshine Plaza, Singapore 189652. All rights reserved. Volume 8 Issue 5 Please address all subscription mail to the above address, Fax +852 3020 5794, or email travelweeklyasia@asia-ad.net. 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Kemp CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Lisa Cohen PRESIDENT, TRAVEL GROUP Robert G. Sullivan EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT, DIGITAL MEDIA Thomas Cintorino EXECUTIVE VICE PRESIDENT/GROUP PUBLISHER David Blansfield SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT/EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Lori Cioffi SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Arnie Weissmann SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, HUMAN RESOURCES Janine L. Bavoso SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, PRODUCT DEVELOPMENT & PRODUCTION Roberta Muller VICE PRESIDENT, INFORMATION PRODUCTS GROUP Sheila Rice VICE PRESIDENT, IT INFRASTRUCTURE AND OPERATIONS Rich Mastropietro VICE PRESIDENT, DATABASE PRODUCTS Elizabeth Koesser TRAVEL WEEKLY EVENTS PRESIDENT, TRAVEL GROUP Robert G. Sullivan SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, EVENTS, TRAVEL GROUP Alicia Evanko-Lewis Siew Hoon is a traveller who loves to write and a writer who loves to travel. She's combined her two loves into a career in travel journalism that has seen her launch several travel industry titles and conferences, including WIT. She loves the change and discovery that comes with travel and the business. TALKING POINT I have three dogs so I know a little about loyalty. We love our pooches because they love us unconditionally, and it doesn't matter how we treat them, their loyalty is unstinting. We humans are different. Some of us are more loyal than others and our loyalty is conditional on many factors. In the workplace, we are loyal to people, and it is said that people leave people, not companies. As travellers though, what are we loyal to? Brand, price or convenience? Do we abandon brands for a few dollars or because someone makes it so much more convenient for us to do business with them or someone looks after us so much better, we're prepared to pay more for the experience? I was having this discussion over a dim sum and noodle breakfast at Café Too at Island Shangri-La in Hong Kong with Wee Kee Ng, the man who manages the Golden Circle loyalty programme for Shangri-La. Ng's been in the role for more than a decade and has seen the concept of travel loyalty programmes evolve from his days in the airline business to hospitality, and so he has a very clear idea of where he wants the Golden Circle programme to go. In a nutshell, he wants "personalisation of the customer experience using technology to find the right insights for the right customer to create the right experience". "The way we talk and communicate must be so simple and effective," he says. "We used to say, 'you will get this if…' it was all very conditional. "Now we want to keep it simple, improve our processes so that members can communicate with us easily and enjoy the benefits as easily." So for example, if you are a member and you're travelling to Hong Kong on business, you should enjoy a different experience from when you're staying at the Rasa Ria Resort in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. "The recognition should be different," says Ng, "because your needs are different." The group is now making it a core focus of customer experience and has appointed a senior executive just to focus on getting this right for its loyal customers. "Because," as Ng says, "if prices are the same, who do you choose? You choose the service or programme that most suits or benefits you. Loyalty is the differentiator." The morning before, for contrast in experiences, I had breakfast at Petrus, with general manager Franz Donhauser, on the 56th floor of the Island Shangri-La. I ordered soft poached egg with sustainable cod and as I enjoyed the delicately-prepared dish, I gazed out at the Hong Kong harbour view and thought to myself, what an experience. You don't get breakfasts like these every morning. Which goes to show really that when it comes to me and my loyalty, I am like my dogs – feed me well, put me in a nice place and I am as happy as a pooch. Loyalty not just for pooches

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