Meliá seals flagship store agreement with Ctrip

Leading Spanish hotel group Meliá Hotels International is set to strengthen its strategic partnership with Ctrip by launching a flagship store on the leading online travel agency’s Chinese website and mobile app.

Bernardo Cabot, regional vice president of Meliá Hotels International (Meliá) in Asia Pacific, said: “We are honoured to maintain our partnership with Ctrip, the market leader in China – to collaborate with top local companies is one of the key pillars of our growth strategy.

“This new agreement with Ctrip marks yet another milestone for Meliá and further consolidates our partnership. Together with Ctrip’s support and the group’s Chinese-friendly program ‘Pengyou by Meilá’, we aim to constantly enhance our guest experience from the booking process to our hospitality service for Chinese travellers.”

China is one of the most important foreign markets for Meliá. With expertise in the ‘bleisure’ (business and leisure) segment, collaborating with leading local companies with over 10 years of development in the region, the company currently has four hotels operating in China, including Shanghai, Xi’an, Zhengzhou and Jinan with an additional five properties in the pipeline under three of its most prestigious brands – Gran Meliá Hotels & Resorts, Meliá Hotels & Resorts and INNSiDE by Meliá.

Ctrip dominates the online travel market in China and its partnership with Meliá dates back to 2016. The latest collaboration indicates the Meliá flagship store on Ctrip’s website and mobile app will enable 300 million plus Ctrip users to gain access to exclusive membership offers and benefits from nearly 400 hotels managed by the hotel group across the globe.

Meanwhile, Ctrip users could score stay points along with additional benefits from MeliáRewards, the hotel group’s loyalty programme. In addition to such benefits, Meliá will also offer flight and hotel packages for Ctrip users. Further down the line the two companies will launch a membership tier-matching programme, where all tiers of Ctrip members can join MeliáRewards through the Meliá Flagship store, and be corresponding tiers of MeliáRewards.

In recognition of the importance of delivering a one-stop shopping experience for Chinese travellers from both companies, the Meliá flagship store on the Ctrip platform will further elevate the hotel group’s presence in China by offering additional products and services. This collaboration leverages Meliá to more opportunities and exposure in the China market while being featured on the Ctrip platform.

David Zhou, chief business officer of Ctrip Accommodation Business, said: “We are excited to jointly establish the exclusive flagship store of Meliá Hotels International on our Ctrip platform. Such agreement will ensure that Ctrip will continue to drive better customer experience and enhance value to all of our partners.”

With strong support from Ctrip and other key local partners, Meliá is confident that this move will further bolster the group’s presence both inside and outside of China, creating more values and opportunities for both partners.