Hospitality Daily Podcast How citizenM Reinvented Hotel Loyalty (And Signed Up 50,000+ Subscribers) - Lennert de Jong
Jul 9, 2025
Lennert de Jong, CEO of citizenM, dives into the hotel chain's innovative subscription program, inspired by models from Netflix and Amazon Prime. He reveals how this idea emerged during the pandemic to tackle occupancy challenges, leading to over 50,000 subscribers. Lennert highlights a shift from traditional rewards to genuine customer relationships, discussing the importance of addressing customer pain points. Through the MyCitizenM+ initiative, he showcases how reimagined loyalty can foster deeper engagement and loyalty in the hospitality landscape.
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Subscription Deepens Guest Loyalty
- CitizenM shifted from transactional rewards to prepaid recognition to deepen customer loyalty.
- Subscription allows guaranteed room availability, addressing major guest frustrations and enhancing loyalty.
Limits of Points Programs for Independents
- Full points-based loyalty programs are tough for independent brands lacking ubiquity.
- CitizenM recognized points aren't the best fit for their independent model’s loyalty.
Amusement Park Subscription Story
- Lennert de Jong shared an amusement park subscription story to illustrate subscription value.
- He used the example to explain how a low annual fee encourages repeated visits and spending.