A proposal for a new system of classification for hotels based on information taken from a multi-sponsor loyalty program

This work aims to provide an innovative classification of hotels based on guests´ assessments of the attributes that influence the choice of a particular hotel. To this end, information provided by a multi-sponsor loyalty program will be used due to the large number of hotel chains associated with these kinds of programs and their ability to collect and process information from their users more effectively than conventional research procedures. In this paper, we have conducted an exploratory qualitative study using six focus groups each with a sample of 60 people and a self-administered questionnaire applied to a sample of 73,698 users of a loyalty program who have redeemed points at a hotel. This proposal for a new system of classification highlights the disparity between supply and demand in the way hospitality services are promoted in the Spanish market, as well as hotel classification to be optimised according to those features that really make an offer stand out from the perspective of the customer. This contribution will allow types of establishment in each of the new categories proposed in this paper to be precisely matched to customer profiles. In addition to providing an instrument through which the client can identify establishments more in line with their preferences.