Members of the GHA’s DISCOVERY loyalty programme now able to book immersive local experiences.
CityUnscripted announced today a ground-breaking partnership with DISCOVERY, Global Hotel Alliance’s award-winning loyalty programme. The global scheme provides nearly 10 million members recognition and perks across 550 hotels, resorts and palaces in 76 countries.
Launched in April 2016, the CityUnscripted service connects travellers with locals in the know for bespoke experiences that uncover the best aspects of a city and help them to connect more deeply with the city through its people. CityUnscripted now provides DISCOVERY Platinum and Black Members with immersive local experiences that can be redeemed directly through the DISCOVERY loyalty portal and DISCOVERY member hotels.
From 15 March 2017, the experiences became available to all DISCOVERY members visiting London and will be rolled out to other DISCOVERY destinations in the coming months. Global Hotel Alliance (GHA)’s client base of nearly ten million subscribers now have access to fully bespoke, tailor-made city discoveries with CityUnscripted. GHA’s move to provide high quality, memorable and exclusive local experiences was made to meet increasing demand from guests for authentic experiences during their stay.
When booking a trip, DISCOVERY members select or are matched with a like-minded and vetted CityUnscripted Local Host who knows the city intimately and shares the guest’s interests. This allows them to agree a suitable meeting place and time and create a personalised itinerary to meet the guest’s requirements and wishes. Experiences can range from sharing advice and local tips over a coffee to showing the traveller around main tourist attractions or helping them discover authentic hidden gems in smaller neighbourhoods.
CityUnscripted and GHA will work together to transform experiences for their guests; initially in London, with more cities to follow. CityUnscripted will merge its services seamlessly into GHA’s digital platform, allowing GHA members to electronically view and book available local hosts at the touch of a button, in conjunction with their hotel stay or as a standalone service.
The partnership was announced by CityUnscripted’s CEO Nick Whitfield: “This is a defining moment for CityUnscripted. GHA has long recognised the value of authentic local experiences to their members and together we are listening to the changing needs of travellers. We will connect GHA’s guests to the people, places and things that make each city unique; replicating the experience of spending time in a city with a friend who lives there. We both share the belief that the best travel moments come from going beneath the surface of a destination and discovering it through a local lens”.
GHA’s partnership to join CityUnscripted – who actively promotes the ethos of helping travellers ‘say goodbye to tick-box tourism’ and ‘unlock the city with a like-minded Local’ – reflects the company’s belief that authentic local experiences are at the forefront of developments transforming the sharing economy space and travel sector.
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About CityUnscripted
Launched in April 2016, CityUnscripted is an authentic and personalised travel service offering immersive city experiences as well as planning and booking tools to help travellers get to know a city through the eyes of a like-minded local. The service connects travellers who want to be discoverers and not tourists with locals in the know for bespoke experiences that uncover the best aspects of a city and help them to connect more deeply with the city through its people.
The company is primarily focused on its community of inspiring locals, promoting the ethos that they help travellers ‘say goodbye to tick-box tourism’ and ‘unlock the city with a like-minded Local’.
CityUnscripted offers three distinct services: the flagship product ‘Book a Local’ as well as, for London, ready-made tours and the TripPlanner – and are working with several leading accommodation companies and hotel brands including Underthedoormat.com, Marlin Apartments and Oasis Collections.
About Book a Local
The Book a Local service allows visitors to explore a city with a like-minded Local who will plan a personalised outing based on their interests. Book a Local helps visitors get away from scripted tours; instead, their Local can guide or give advice like a friend would.
The quickly expanding Book a Local service is available in: London, Paris, Barcelona, Madrid, Rome, Bologna, Amsterdam, Berlin, Edinburgh, Manchester, Tokyo, New York and San Francisco with more cities to follow in the coming months.
CityUnscripted works with a network of 100+ Locals in London with 500+ Locals in other cities globally. Locals are aged from 18-60+ years old and are collectively fluent in 25+ languages. CityUnscripted’s community of Locals have a wide range of interests and backgrounds and they work as Locals in their spare time because they love to meet new people and share the city they know so well.
The Book a Local system allows visitors to review detailed profiles of each Local, before selecting the person that matches their preferences and a date and start time. Locals can then create a personalised itinerary based on what you want to see and do or give advice or insight into their city, making the city more real and human rather than a checklist of attractions. The service is completely trustworthy, safe & secure, as each Local is individually vetted, verified, insured and trained by the CityUnscripted team. Bookings start from £30 an hour for 1-2 adults, children are free.
For more information, visit www.cityunscripted.com or follow CityUnscripted on Facebook (www.facebook.com/CityUnscripted), Twitter (@CityUnscripted), Instagram (www.instagram.com/cityunscripted) or Pinterest (www.Pinterest.com/cityunscripted).
About Global Hotel Alliance
Global Hotel Alliance is the world’s largest alliance of independent hotel brands, bringing together 35 brands with 550 hotels in 76 countries. GHA uses a shared technology platform to drive incremental revenues and create cost savings for its member brands. GHA’s award-winning loyalty programme, DISCOVERY, provides nearly 10 million members exclusive opportunities to immerse themselves in local culture wherever they travel. For more information, visit gha.com
