Centara Hotels & Resorts has entered into a strategic partnership with Plaza Premium Group (PPG) to broaden the travel benefits available to members of its CentaraThe1 loyalty programme, linking hotel rewards with airport lounge access across Plaza Premium Group’s global network.
The partnership will give nearly nine million CentaraThe1 members worldwide additional ways to use points earned through hotel stays, including the opportunity to redeem points for access to participating Plaza Premium First and Plaza Premium Lounge locations at airports across Asia, Mainland China, Canada, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and Oceania.
The agreement expands CentaraThe1 beyond traditional hotel-related rewards by introducing airport hospitality benefits at multiple points of the customer journey.
Airport lounge access through loyalty points
Under the new partnership, CentaraThe1 members can redeem loyalty points for access to participating Plaza Premium First and Plaza Premium Lounge facilities.
The arrangement provides members with the option to use rewards accumulated through Centara stays towards airport lounge experiences, giving the hotel loyalty programme a wider travel focus.
In addition to point redemption, CentaraThe1 members can purchase access at special member rates at the newly opened Plaza Premium Lounge at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport (BKK).
The lounge provides travellers with an airport environment designed around comfort and convenience before departure, extending the CentaraThe1 proposition from the hotel stay to the airport stage of the journey.
Reciprocal benefits for members
The partnership also establishes reciprocal privileges between CentaraThe1 and Plaza Premium Group’s loyalty ecosystem.
Members of the participating programmes will be able to access special discounts and benefits across participating Centara hotels and resorts and Plaza Premium Lounge services.
The arrangement is intended to create additional opportunities for both companies to engage their respective customer bases while providing loyalty members with benefits across accommodation and airport hospitality services.
Expanding CentaraThe1 beyond hotels
Centara said the partnership represents another step in the development of CentaraThe1, which has nearly nine million members worldwide.
The hotel group has been expanding the scope of the loyalty programme through partnerships with companies across the travel and lifestyle sectors. Its stated objective is to provide members with benefits that extend beyond accommodation and into other parts of the travel experience.
Claudio Roscigno, Executive Vice President of Commercial at Centara Hotels & Resorts, said loyalty remains an important part of the company’s commercial strategy and its efforts to build longer-term relationships with guests. He said the partnership with Plaza Premium Group would help develop CentaraThe1 as a broader travel and lifestyle ecosystem while extending the brand experience beyond Centara’s hotels and resorts.
Roscigno added that the collaboration would expand Centara’s presence across additional travel touchpoints and provide benefits for members of both programmes.
Pannarat Tantrativud, Assistant Vice President of CRM & Customer Service at Centara Hotels & Resorts, said the company continues to seek partnerships that make CentaraThe1 more relevant to its members. CentaraThe1’s existing partner portfolio includes banks, credit card providers, airlines, travel companies and lifestyle brands. The Plaza Premium Group agreement adds airport lounge services to that network, allowing members to use points earned from hotel stays for lounge access in Thailand and international markets.
Plaza Premium Group expands airport hospitality reach
For Plaza Premium Group, the agreement provides access to a large hotel loyalty membership base while extending its relationship with travellers beyond individual airport visits.
The group operates airport hospitality facilities in markets spanning Asia and other international regions. Through the CentaraThe1 partnership, eligible members will be able to access participating Plaza Premium Lounge and Plaza Premium First locations across a network covering Asia, Mainland China, Canada, Europe, the Middle East and Africa, and Oceania.
Wu WeiQiang, Area General Manager at Plaza Premium Group, said the two companies share a focus on creating travel experiences across different stages of the journey. He said the partnership would allow Plaza Premium Group to welcome CentaraThe1 members to its airport hospitality facilities in Thailand and other international markets, while providing reciprocal benefits to members of both programmes.
Suvarnabhumi lounge adds local benefit
A key element of the partnership for travellers departing from Thailand is the special CentaraThe1 rate available at Plaza Premium Lounge at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport.
The facility gives CentaraThe1 members another opportunity to use their programme benefits before departure, complementing rewards and services available during their hotel stays.
The airport lounge arrangement also strengthens the connection between Centara’s hotel network and Plaza Premium Group’s airport hospitality operations at one of Thailand’s principal international gateways.
Broader travel and lifestyle proposition
The partnership reflects a wider trend among hotel loyalty programmes to expand their value proposition beyond room stays by connecting members with services across the travel journey.
For CentaraThe1, the agreement adds airport lounge access to a growing range of travel and lifestyle benefits. For Plaza Premium Group, it creates another channel through which travellers can discover and access its airport hospitality services.
Centara said the collaboration forms part of its continuing effort to develop CentaraThe1 as a broader travel and lifestyle ecosystem, with partnerships designed to provide members with additional choice, convenience and opportunities to use the value accumulated through their hotel stays.
The partnership between Centara Hotels & Resorts and Plaza Premium Group therefore brings together two elements of the travel experience — accommodation and airport hospitality — while providing members of both programmes with reciprocal benefits across the participating networks.
