IHG Hotels & Resorts and Japan's All Nippon Airways have entered into a new, enhanced loyalty partnership that will launch after October, the companies announced Wednesday.
The partnership will allow IHG One Rewards and ANA Mileage Club loyalty program members who link their accounts to earn and redeem rewards across ANA's international network of 40 cities and 55 routes and IHG's portfolio of more than 7,000 hotels across 100 countries.
The two companies have an existing joint venture relationship—established in 2006 and extended by 20 years in 2016—to operate more than 30 hotels in Japan. According to IHG chief commercial and marketing officer Heather Balsley, IHG currently has 80 hotels in Japan open or in the development pipeline, and half of its open properties are part of its co-branded venture with ANA.
The benefits to members under the new loyalty partnership include recognized member status between the programs, "double dip" earning to gain hotel points and air miles on select international ANA flights, and two-way points exchange between IHG and ANA programs. IHG Rewards One members already had the option to convert points to ANA Mileage Club miles at a ratio of 10,000 IHG Rewards One points to 2,000 ANA Mileage Club miles.
"Under our medium-term corporate strategy, which positions international passenger services as a pillar of our growth, strengthening our collaboration with the globally renowned IHG is an essential element for establishing our presence in international markets," ANA EVP of customer experience Keiji Omae said in a statement.
IHG in recent years has partnered with other airlines on loyalty benefits, including Delta Air Lines and Singapore Airlines.