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While in the past, customer loyalty was primarily defined by the ability to accumulate points and redeem rewards, the concept is now entering a new phase: deeper personalization, linked to daily lifestyles and directly reflecting the purpose of each trip.
This is the key takeaway from Marriott Bonvoy's 2026 Loyalty Trends Report, revealing significant shifts in travel behavior and how travelers in the Asia-Pacific region (excluding China) interact with hotel industry membership programs.
The event space for the launch of the 2026 Customer Loyalty Trends Report took place at JW Marriott Hotel & Suites Saigon.
The report shows that up to 89% of APEC visitors participate in at least one loyalty program, but how they maintain engagement varies increasingly among customer groups and markets.
This means the "one-size-fits-all" model – a formula that applies to everyone – is gradually losing its effectiveness. Instead, hotel brands must learn to build flexible ecosystems where members not only receive benefits but also find inspiration, personal experiences, and emotional connection.
When a passion for travel determines loyalty
One of the report's most notable findings is that travelers' engagement with a loyalty program is strongly dependent on their travel purpose. In other words, customers are no longer loyal simply because of the benefits, but because the program accurately reflects their travel style.
Marriott Bonvoy identified five prominent tourism drivers at APEC: food, nature and sightseeing, shopping, cultural experiences, and relaxation and rejuvenation. Among these, food emerged as the strongest driving factor, with 63% of travelers prioritizing dining experiences when planning their trips.
The interesting aspect lies in how this group of customers interacts with the membership ecosystem. They not only book hotel rooms but also actively accumulate points through restaurants, bars, and food services, redeeming them for premium dining experiences. This makes F&B the most effective "extension" of modern loyalty programs.
Meanwhile, the "Relaxation & Rejuvenation" segment is considered the most promising for growth. Despite lower initial membership rates, this group of customers has significantly higher spending power during their stays. They typically choose resorts, villas, or vacation hotels with their families and allocate substantial budgets for spa treatments, dining, and wellness experiences.
Notably, for this group of travelers, the hotel is no longer just a place to "stay," but the destination of their journey. This is also why many accommodation brands are investing heavily in wellness, retreats, and experiences that restore body, mind, and spirit as a core part of their membership retention strategy.
The "Relaxation & Rejuvenation" customer segment is the one with the highest growth potential.
Hotels become the center of the consumer ecosystem.
According to the report, hotel industry loyalty programs currently have the highest participation rate at APEC, reaching 66%, surpassing even airlines, retail, and restaurants. More importantly, the majority of members remain loyal for more than two years – a figure that demonstrates the significant resilience of the relationship between hotel brands and users.
However, what keeps travelers coming back today isn't just about free nights or room upgrades. Users increasingly expect membership programs to be a part of their daily lives.
The ability to earn points from everyday spending is considered the most important criterion for evaluating the effectiveness of a loyalty program. Co-branded credit cards, food delivery, online shopping, and retail consumption are becoming new "touchpoints" that help brands maintain interaction with customers beyond the hotel premises.
In terms of membership programs, the hospitality industry leads in participation rate at APEC with 66%.
Data from Marriott Bonvoy shows that members' reward accumulation currently comes primarily from stays (57%) and spending via co-branded credit cards (53%). This is followed by food delivery, dining in restaurants (48%), and retail and e-commerce partners (45%).
This trend reflects an important reality: the most successful loyalty programs not only serve the travel industry, but must become an integral part of the everyday consumer ecosystem.
Conversely, when exchanging points, travelers also prioritize values that can directly enhance their travel experience. The most popular choices include room upgrades, more accessible dining experiences, and practical travel benefits such as late check-out or flexible services.
This shift reflects the modern customer's preference for a balance between inspiration and practicality. They want exceptional experiences, but also want useful, user-friendly benefits that can be felt immediately.
At APEC, staying and spending via co-branded cards is the main points accumulation activity, while hotel service upgrades and dining experiences are the prominent reward redemption activities.
Three new portraits of loyal APEC visitors.
One of the most interesting highlights of the report is the classification of three distinct "loyalty mindsets" at APEC, clearly reflecting the cultural differences and consumer behavior across markets.
In Japan and South Korea, the strategically important loyal customer group stands out with its rational and highly optimized approach. They view membership programs as a tool for managing personal value: accumulating points strategically, maximizing the use of co-branded credit cards, and prioritizing rewards for practical expenses. For this group, the most important factors are stability, transparency, and consistency.
Meanwhile, Singapore, Australia, and Thailand represent the “value-optimizing” group. This is a group of pragmatic customers who are willing to be loyal if a program makes their trip more convenient or offers clear savings. Incentives such as room upgrades, late check-outs, or special direct booking promotions are particularly attractive to them.
The biggest difference comes from fast-growing markets like Vietnam, Indonesia, and India. These are loyal customer groups who value experience and emotion. They are attracted by exclusivity, membership privileges, partner ecosystems, and experiences that are "not for everyone."
The report shows that Vietnam excels in several key indicators. Up to 96% of Vietnamese tourists participate in membership programs – the highest rate in the entire APEC region. Furthermore, 63% are enthusiastic about gamification-based point accumulation, while 47% prioritize redeeming points for unique experiences and exclusive privileges.
This market also leads the region in demand for cultural experience tourism, showing that Vietnamese tourists are not only looking for a relaxing vacation, but also want to explore the identity, emotions, and depth of experience in each trip.
Mr. Mark Van Der Wielen - Regional General Manager of Marriott International Vietnam and Mr. Vu Le (Gao) - General Manager of Renaissance Riverside Saigon Hotel shared member stories from a hotel management perspective at the event.
“Loyalty programs in the hospitality industry need to evolve into flexible ecosystems capable of adapting to changing traveler needs rather than revolving solely around them. In a diverse and constantly evolving region like APEC, brands that deeply understand local traveler habits and cultural nuances will not only have economies of scale but also build sustainable relevance and long-term customer loyalty.”
At Marriott Bonvoy, we are realizing this strategy through the strength of our broad brand portfolio, deep and highly localized partnerships, and exclusive, bespoke experiences like Marriott Bonvoy Moments,” said John Toomey, Chief Commercial Officer for Asia Pacific (excluding China) at Marriott International.
With APEC continuing to be the world's most dynamic region for tourism and consumption, customer loyalty is clearly no longer measured by accumulated points. Instead, it's about the brand's ability to become a natural part of each traveler's journey, experiences, and emotions.
