NEW YORK—Paris-based Warwick Hotels and Resorts is in growth mode following its acquisition of London’s The Capital Group last month and the launch of its new loyalty program.
Clare Chiu, Warwick’s director of business development, said the company’s goal is unification, and the new loyalty program is part of an ongoing plan to “develop common brand threads.” Those goals are especially important as the company grows, she said. With its London acquisition last month, Warwick now owns, manages or is affiliated with almost 60 hotels on five continents.
London hotel deal
Warwick’s acquisition of The Capital Group and its hotels gives the company its debut in the London market. The deal included two independent hotels and serviced apartment totaling 72 rooms, all located on the same block in the city’s Knightsbridge neighborhood. The three properties—The Capital Hotel, Capital Apartments and The Levin Hotel—will retain their names.
Chiu said Warwick acquired the portfolio from a father-daughter family-owned company. Kate Levin, a previous owner, will retain her position as general manager of the Capital Hotel and David Levin, her father, will maintain a consultative role.
Warwick will continue to grow geographically, Chiu said, and within its three business models: owner-managed, managed and affiliated. Affiliated hotels are a part of a sales-and-marketing network but must meet quality standards. Currently there are 21 affiliated hotels and 11 managed hotels in the group. The company also recently assumed management of the Mist Hotel & Spa by Warwick, a 71-room property in Ehden, Lebanon, bringing its total number of hotels in Lebanon to four.
While the Americas and Europe will remain the brand’s “bread and butter,” Chiu said there will be continued expansion in the Middle East through management contracts and elsewhere in the world based on “opportunities and strategic criteria.”
“We are a private company,” Chiu said, “and we don’t have to guarantee thousands of rooms of growth to investors. We can grow where it makes financial sense.”
Chiu said Warwick has never purchased and then sold a hotel, nor has the company ever shared equity in hotels it owns. She said the commonality for the hotels are that they reflect local culture, are centrally located and “tell the story of the buildings they are in.”
New loyalty program
Warwick Journeys, the company’s new loyalty program, is based on stays with a cross-stay “accelerator” component that speeds up membership to higher benefit levels. Members can progress through the benefit tiers significantly faster by staying at multiple Warwick locations rather than one. As with many loyalty programs, eligible stays must be booked directly through Warwick.
Chiu said that Warwick Journeys differs from other programs by offering “instant gratification during a current stay.” Introductory members at the enrollment level enjoy complimentary Wi-Fi access during their first stay and instant access to member-exclusive offers.
The launch of the loyalty program is one of two major developments for Warwick in the past year, as it recently underwent a companywide rebranding effort, changing its name to “Warwick Hotels and Resorts” from “Warwick International Hotels.”