The Shangri-La Group has announced that it will extend the tier status and benefits of all Golden Circle hotel loyalty program members worldwide.
Current Diamond and Jade members of Shangri-La’s Golden Circle program will all have their status extended until 31 December 2021, due to the current coronavirus situation and associated travel restrictions. The updated status validity has already been reflected in members’ accounts.
“The health and wellbeing of our guests and members are of utmost priority to us. We understand that because of the COVID-19 situation, our members’ travel plans may have been impacted and/or their hotel stay affected,” Shangri-La Group Vice President of Marketing (Loyalty), Wee Kee Ng said.
“To alleviate our Diamond and Jade members’ concerns on the validity of their membership status and as an expression of our gratitude for their continued support, we have opted to extend their membership status and benefits globally.”
This is a particularly generous offer. Many other hotel chains have offered similar status extensions in recent days, however most of these are only for residents of Greater China, including Hong Kong, Macau and Taiwan. Hyatt has announced status extensions for members residing in the Asia Pacific region, including Australia and New Zealand. But no other hotel chain so far has offered this benefit to all members globally.
Amex Platinum and Centurion cardholders in Australia are entitled to complimentary Shangri-La Golden Circle Diamond status, which can be used to access a fast-track to Singapore Airlines KrisFlyer Silver & Gold status.
Shangri-La hotels have also extended their cancellation waiver policy. Until 31 March 2020, travellers booked at hotels in Greater China, as well as residents of Greater China or Korea booked at any Shangri-La hotel worldwide, can cancel free of change. This applies to bookings made until 1 March 2020.
