The company exceeded their hotel development goals in the South Asian region and welcomed 18 new hotel members since the rebranding in 2015, including seven in India last year.

WITH MORE than 650 unique member hotels, resorts, and residences across 85 countries, Preferred Hotels & Resorts, kicked off its Asia Pacific series of 50th Anniversary celebrations at The Leela Palace New Delhi hosted by CEO Lindsey Ueberroth and Executive Vice President Saurabh Rai.

“As we commemorate the Preferred brand’s 50-year legacy of inspiring travel, we are more committed than ever to providing travellers with even more opportunities to embrace the spirit of independence and to making our pineapple logo synonymous with the ultimate hallmark in world-class hospitality,” said Ueberroth. 

“Preferred Hotels & Resorts is entering its 16th year in India, and we are focused on continuing to build on the foundation of our company’s 50-year legacy of championing the independent hotel space. We are committed to forging ahead with more innovative and strategic consumer-focused initiatives to foster greater engagement in this market,” added Rai.

The company exceeded their hotel development goals in the South Asian region and welcomed 18 new hotel members since the rebranding in 2015, including seven in India last year. These include The Chedi Mumbai, Turyaa Chennai, WelcomeHotel Coimbatore, Shahpura House, Shahpura Haveli, Fortune Inn Promenade, Feathers-A Radha Hotel.

Looking Ahead

Preferred Hotels & Resorts is aiming to grow their portfolio in the South Asian region by 10, to make it 50 hotel members by the year 2020.

The brand will also focus on growing its Preferred Residences collection, which now stands at 70 members globally, with a goal of reaching 100 destinations by the year’s end. To support this, the company will re-launch the Preferred brand website (PreferredHotels.com), offering travelers a more intuitive way to book independent hotels and residences. The new website will feature a dedicated section on Preferred Residences to enhance engagement with family, corporate, and leisure travelers, and drive direct more direct bookings to the properties in the collection.

The I Prefer Hotel Rewards program is the other corporate priority for the year, and the company will be introducing new enhancements to member benefits and exclusive offers that will leverage on the Golden Anniversary campaign and its social components to further strengthen engagement with their loyal guests. To date, I Prefer has more than 2.5 million members worldwide.

New Hotel Openings

Preferred Hotels & Resorts will welcome13 new independent hotel openings this year, each offering a variety of unique experiences that will deliver the promise of #ThePreferredLife:

From Asia Pacific:

The Middle House (Shanghai, China)

The Primus Hotel Shanghai Hongiao (Shanghai, China)

Sherwood Suites (Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam)

From the Americas:

Bobby Hotel (Nashville, Tennessee, USA)

The Post Oak Hotel (Houston, Texas, USA)

Hotel Bennett, Charleston(South Carolina, USA)

Hotel Monville (Montreal, Canada)

Hotel Sophy (Chicago, USA)

Montage Los Cabos (Cabo San Lucas, Mexico)

Garza Blanca Los Cabos (Cabo San Lucas, Mexico)

From Europe:

Carrossa Hotel Spa Villas (Mallorca, Spain)

PhilsPlace Vienna (Vienna, Austria)

Pestana Amsterdam Riverside (Amsterdam, Holland)

50-year Anniversary

A year-long golden anniversary package, offering unique 50th anniversary-themed activities, amenities, or services to guests staying at nearly 300 participating hotels worldwide. An exclusive Golden Anniversary microsite and social media hashtag #PreferredCelebrates50 for its online travel community. Travellers sharing their most memorable experiences with the hashtag have a chance to get featured on the brand’s social media accounts @PreferredHotels and microsite. Its first-ever dynamic consumer video series entitled Inspiring Travel for 50 Years. Each month, up to two vignettes will be released via various digital and social media channels, with every video showcasing the rich meaning of #ThePreferredLife.