Ascott Rewards Customers With 100% Free Bonus In New Loyalty Points Purchase Feature As Direct Online Bookings Grow
Salutes healthcare workers in the fight against COVID-19 with up to 40% off at Ascott’s participating properties worldwide
Singapore, 22 June 2020 – CapitaLand’s wholly owned lodging business unit, The Ascott Limited (Ascott) has launched a new points purchase feature for its Ascott Star Rewards (ASR) loyalty programme.
The feature provides ASR members with greater flexibility to buy points in advance or gift the points to family and friends as travel gradually resumes across the world. ASR points can be fully redeemed for room nights with no blackout period restriction.
ASR has remained a resilient channel to drive direct online booking revenue during the COVID-19 outbreak. In appreciation of its ASR members, Ascott is launching a 1-for-1 bonus promotion for its new points purchase feature.
ASR members will receive 100% free bonus points if they purchase at least S$500 worth of points before 31 August 2020. Members will be able to redeem for more room nights with these free bonus points at no extra cost.
Since the launch of ASR in 2019, the number of direct online bookings from ASR members have quadrupled. ASR membership has also tripled. Currently, 90% of bookings through Ascott’s websites are made by ASR members and majority of ASR members are from China, Australia, Singapore, France, Philippines and Malaysia.
Ms Tan Bee Leng, Managing Director, Brand & Marketing, The Ascott Limited, said: “Ascott is very grateful for the loyalty of our ASR members, especially during this challenging COVID-19 period. The increase in ASR members and strong direct sales through our website show the trust our guests have in Ascott. From ensuring our properties are future-ready, safe and clean, to enhancing our digital and web-booking capabilities, we continue to offer our guests greater convenience and value with Ascott. We have stood by our guests during these difficult months, including giving bonus ASR points for cancellation refunds and extending ASR membership tiers for an additional year. We want to thank and reward our ASR members for their support and give them a leg-up in their future travels. When our ASR members are ready to rediscover the world with Ascott, their upsized points will provide greater flexibility and value to go further and travel better than before.”
“As many parts of the world cautiously step out of COVID-19’s shadow, we recognise it would not be possible without the bravery and efforts of our frontline healthcare workers all over the world who have done their part in keeping COVID-19 at bay. Their contributions in making our shared communities a safer place is invaluable. We are therefore offering a special ASR benefit to healthcare workers as they can continue to count on Ascott to provide them with a safe home away from home,” added Ms Tan.
"Ascott is very grateful for the loyalty of our ASR members, especially during this challenging COVID-19 period. The increase in ASR members and strong direct sales through our website show the trust our guests have in Ascott ... when our ASR members are ready to rediscover the world with Ascott, their upsized points will provide greater flexibility and value to go further and travel better than before."
Up to 100% Free Bonus Points for Advance Purchases by ASR Members
To enable ASR members to charge up their points as they prepare to rediscover travel, members can start receiving free bonus points ranging from 25% when they purchase S$100 worth of points; to 100% when they purchase at least S$500 worth of points.[1] The promotion starts now until 31 August 2020. Members can enjoy greater freedom to redeem the points anytime within the next two years at any ASR participating serviced residences and hotels in over 80 cities and more than 30 countries. The purchase of points will further contribute to the upgrade of their membership tier. For more information on Ascott Points Purchase, please visit: https://www.the-ascott.com/en/member/buy-points.html.
ASR is the first loyalty programme in the serviced residence industry to offer full flexibility to earn and redeem points. There is no cap to points earned, no minimum points redemption and no blackout dates.
To further reward members, Ascott is also giving away a total of S$1,500 worth of ASR points to three lucky winners through the #ReadyToRediscover giveaway on Ascott’s Facebook page. The giveaway takes place from now till 12 July 2020.
In April 2020, ASR’s global benefits were also extended to corporate travellers, providing them with the flexibility of booking online directly with Ascott and earning ASR points.
Up to 40% off at Ascott for healthcare workers
Ascott is supporting workers from the healthcare industry involved in the global fight against COVID-19. They can receive up to 40% off at participating Ascott properties worldwide from 1 July to 31 December 2020 when they sign up as an ASR member for free and book online. Upon check-in, they will be required to present a valid staff identity card or any official documents to verify that they belong in the healthcare industry. To book, please visit: https://www.the-ascott.com/en/offers/exclusively-for-healthcare-heroes.html.
The gesture extends Ascott’s support for healthcare workers and Ascott’s contribution in the fight against COVID-19. Throughout the COVID-19 outbreak across the world, many of Ascott’s serviced residences remained operational to provide a haven for its guests, including healthcare workers, returning nationals, and those affected by border closures.
Please refer to the Annex for more information on Ascott’s previous support for healthcare workers and aid organisations across the world.
To continue providing a safe home away from home for its guests, and a safe working environment for its staff, Ascott launched ‘Ascott Cares’ to deliver stringent hygiene and cleanliness standards as well as safe distancing. ‘Ascott Cares’ is in compliance with the World Health Organization standards and local regulations. It is being rolled out progressively to its properties globally from June 2020. For more information on ‘Ascott Cares’, please visit: www.the-ascott.com/ascottcares.
[1] Terms and conditions apply, https://www.the-ascott.com/en/member/benefits/terms.html/buypoints
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Annex - Examples of Ascott’s support for healthcare workers and aid organisations in various countries across the world
In Singapore, Ascott, with the support from CapitaLand’s philanthropic arm, CapitaLand Hope Foundation (CHF), responded swiftly to provide complimentary accommodation for the care staff of Lee Ah Mooi Old Age Home, who were displaced from their homes by their landlords amidst the COVID-19 situation in April 2020.
In China, in appreciation of the hard work by Chinese healthcare workers, Ascott offered 630 complimentary nights in 31 properties across 19 cities.
In Indonesia, TAUZIA Hotel Management, a member of Ascott, distributed 660 meals to healthcare workers across 10 cities such as Bali, Batam and Surabaya, between March and April 2020.
In France, Ascott supported healthcare workers, easing their demands of commuting to and from work, across the country. Ascott provided over 1,500 complimentary room nights in key cities like Paris and Marseille. In a separate initiative, Citadines Austerlitz Paris also set aside 50 rooms exclusively for healthcare workers from Assistance Publique Hopitaux de Paris, a public hospital within walking distance from the property.
In the Philippines, to support healthcare workers, Ascott donated over S$7,000 worth of medical supplies comprising 3,950 surgical masks, 4,000 pairs of gloves, 211 sets of personal protective suits and 1,500 shower caps to six medical facilities - San Juan Medical Center, Premier Medical Center, Ospital ng Paranaque, Las Pinas Doctors Hospital, Carmona Hospital & Medical Center, and Lipa Medix Medical Center on 13 April 2020.
In May 2020, Ascott, with the support of CHF, donated a total of US$200,000 to international NGO, Save the Children upon the successful completion of its #StayHomeWithAscott campaign. The campaign rallied the global community to curb the spread of COVID-19 by staying home and sharing photos or videos of their culinary adventures or creations in their home kitchens through Instagram. The campaign received over 20,000 pledges, 100% more than its original target. The donation supported Save the Children’s global food security and assistance programmes, helping about 12,000 underprivileged children affected by COVID-19.
In Philippines, to support healthcare workers, Ascott donated over S$7000 worth of medical supplies comprising 3,950 surgical masks, 4,000 pairs of gloves, 211 sets of personal protective suits and 1,500 shower caps to six medical facilities 
TAUZIA Hotel Management, a member of Ascott, has distributed 660 complimentary lunch boxes to healthcare workers across nine cities in Indonesia such as Bali, Batam, and Surabaya, between March and April 2020