Millennium Hotels Launches Partnercard Reward Program

NEW YORK— Beginning this fall, Millennium Hotels and Resorts properties in the United States will launch the Millennium PartnerCard. Rather than earning points for accommodations and dining on property, customers accrue actual dollars for their purchases, which can then be immediately applied to their bill upon checkout, or amassed for future visits. The program rollout begins with the company’s 18 hotels in Europe and the Middle East this summer, with properties throughout the United States introducing it this fall, and Asia and Australia debuting in the program early 2003. No fee is required for participation. The program operates on a dedicated tracking system that identifies the member from a microchip embedded in the membership card. Hotels will be equipped with special “Ingenico” terminals at reception and any other relevant point of sale. This terminal reads the microchip in the card and, each night, the hotels will transmit the day’s transaction data to a processing center. Additional smart technology allows the card to be programmed as a key card during the member’s stay. The primary benefit for all cardholders will be percentage rebates on their total expenditures for every stay at a Millennium, Copthorne, or Maritim hotel.