MADRID/AMSTELVEEN, October 17, 2002 - Flying Dutchman, KLMå«s loyalty program, has a new collaborating hotel-partner as from October 1st, 2002: the NH Hoteles Group. As per that date, KLM Flying Dutchman members will receive Flying Dutchman Miles for every night spent in one of the hotels of the NH Hoteles Group. To mark the agreement, participating hotels of the NH Hoteles Group are offering all Flying Dutchman members double Flying Dutchman Miles from October 15, 2002 until December 31, 2002.
Mrs. Simone Wickenhagen, KLM«s Vice President Marketing & Services, said: “with NH Hoteles as a new partner we are able to complement the high-quality service we provide with the Flying Dutchman Program. Also the timing is perfect as the Miles promotion will add a touch of celebration for the launch of our new Flying Dutchman Program per October 23, 2002.”
Mrs. Isabel Aguilera, NH Hoteles’ General Operations Manager, stated that “The clearly overlapping targets of both companies will be mutually advantageous for satisfying our clients” and added that, “this agreement will promote NH’s international launching, most of all in The Netherlands where we have 29 establishments”. The NH Hoteles Group will implement a launching campaign offering two times the number of FD Miles: 250 Miles for each night in all its NH hotels and 300 Miles for each night at the category Collection of NH Hoteles.
The Flying Dutchman (FD) Program is a personal loyalty program created to show KLM’s appreciation to individual loyal passengers. Each time a member uses the services of KLM and participating partners, or uses a product or a service offered by one of the many non-airline FD partners, he or she earns Miles towards free tickets, upgrades and other awards (including leisure packages), extra services and discounts. By teaming up with other airlines, earning Miles is even easier. Members who fly often enough will receive a higher membership level, which means they are entitled to more services and benefits. The launch of the new Flying Dutchman program per October 23 means a lift-off for great new benefits. Membership is free.
Following the acquisition of the Krasnapolsky chain in July 2000 and the acquisition last 25 February of the German Astron, the NH Hoteles Group (www.nh-hoteles.com), is Europe’s third ranking business hotel chain. NH has 240 hotels and 34,483 rooms in 17 countries in Europe, Latin America and Africa. NH currently has 37 new hotel projects underway, representing approximately 6,600 new rooms. In 2001, NH recorded EUR 762 Mn in sales, a 38.35% increase over the previous year. The NH Group is listed in the Madrid stock exchange (included in the select IBEX 35), and in Amsterdam’s Euronext index. Moreover, NH Hoteles is a member of Stoxx Europe 600, which includes the leading European companies, and is part of the well-known Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) equity securities index.
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