Half a century after 12 North American hoteliers established the Preferred Hotels Association as a referral organization, the Preferred brand is celebrating its 50-year anniversary of curating independent hotels. Over the past five decades, the company has evolved to become Preferred Hotels & Resorts, the world’s largest independent hotel brand with more than 650 member hotels, resorts and residences across 85 countries.
To commemorate this milestone, Preferred Hotels & Resorts launched a year-long Golden Anniversary campaign that invites travelers to explore its portfolio of independent hotels through a series of consumer-driven initiatives. Among the celebratory activities are a video series; a new social media campaign, #PreferredCelebrates50; a Golden Anniversary package; a bonus points booking incentive; and a dedicated Golden Anniversary microsite that will serve as the hub of all related activity throughout the year.
“The story of the Preferred brand has been one of incredible success, growth, innovation and perseverance, and stands as a true testament to the strong value the global travel community places on the truly independent hotel experience,” Lindsey Ueberroth, CEO of Preferred Hotels & Resorts, said in a statement. “United by a deep passion for hospitality, our global network of associates and hoteliers continues to embrace authentic travel as an important and essential part of life. We are so excited to celebrate this momentous occasion with travel enthusiasts worldwide through our Golden Anniversary Campaign, which honors our strong heritage while highlighting the opportunities for discovery and evolution that lie ahead.”
Inspiring Travel for 50 Years – Video Series
For the first time in the brand’s history, Preferred Hotels & Resorts is launching a consumer video series, entitled "Inspiring Travel for 50 Years," honoring the official theme of its Golden Anniversary. Each month, up to two vignettes will be released via various digital and social media channels. The videos will highlight the perspective of different guests while staying at independent hotels within the Preferred Hotels & Resorts portfolio. The first video in the series highlights one guest's experience at Cavallo Point in San Francisco.
Golden Anniversary Package
Throughout 2018, guests can take advantage of the brand’s Golden Anniversary package, which rewards travelers with the best available rate plus a $50/£50/€50 hotel credit or a 50-minute activity at more than 200 participating hotels around the world. Participating hotels offering the $50 on-property credit range from The Alpina Gstaad in Switzerland and Cape Royale Luxury Hotel & Residence in Cape Town, to Katamama in Bali and The Broadmoor in Colorado. Hotels extending a 50-minute themed experience for this package include The Franklin London, offering a Champagne Sabering and Testing class; Hotel Chinzanso Tokyo, inviting guests to partake in two cultural activities, such as a Japanese language lesson and a tour of the hotel’s incredible gardens; Nassima Royal Hotel in Dubai, including a couples massage; and Galeria Plaza Reforma in Mexico City, allowing guests to test their hand at authentic Mexican cuisine during a cooking lesson at its signature restaurant, Almara.
50,000 Bonus Points Promotion
To complement the Golden Anniversary Package, Preferred Hotels & Resorts launched a month-long Golden Points Promotion to further reward members of its I Prefer Hotel Rewards program. This value-add incentive gifts I Prefer members with 50,000 I Prefer bonus points when they book a minimum two-night stay via PreferredHotels.com by Feb. 28, 2018. The bonus points can be redeemed for Reward Certificates, which can be used like cash towards free room nights and other on-property expenditures at more than 600 participating hotels around the globe.
#PreferredCelebrates50
Past and present guests are invited to join #ThePreferredLife social community by sharing photos and memories gathered during any stay at a Preferred Hotels & Resorts property and tagging them with #PreferredCelebrates50. Select user photos will be shared on the brand’s @PreferredHotels social media channels, as well as on the newly launched Golden Anniversary microsite. The microsite will serve as the main source for all anniversary activity, including each vignette in the video series, news of the quarterly campaign promotions and other messages. Travel enthusiasts who are not active on social media but who want to engage in the celebration can directly upload photos or video messages to the microsite sharing a favorite travel memory or anniversary wishes with Preferred Hotels & Resorts.
50 Years of Heritage
In the 14 years since the Ueberroth family took ownership of Preferred Hotels & Resorts, the brand has accelerated its expansion by marking first-time presence in more than 30 new countries; introducing new technology, sales, and marketing support services to its growing portfolio of member hotels; launching I Prefer Hotel Rewards, a global points-based guest loyalty program for independent hotels; and introducing a variety of other niche programs to cater to the needs of family, LGBT and golf travelers. Most recently, in 2015, CEO Lindsey Ueberroth spearheaded the company’s rebranding from Preferred Hotel Group, a multibranded hotel platform, to Preferred Hotels & Resorts, one master brand with five global collections.