IndiGo, Accor bring flights and hotel stays closer with reciprocal loyalty tie-up
Representative Image_from the loyalty programme launch event in Gurugram
-ALL Accor, the booking platform and loyalty program of the hotel brand and IndiGo BluChip, the airline’s expanding loyalty program have come together as one of the significant loyalty collaborations between the hospitality and aviation sectors in India.
-“The future of the travel industry lies in delivering holistic, personalised and immersive experiences, and this partnership is a meaningful step in that direction.”- Rahul Bhatia, Founder and Managing Director of IndiGo and Group Managing Director of InterGlobe Enterprises.
-“ India is entering a new phase in customer loyalty, driven by digital adoption and changing consumer behaviour.”- Ranju Alex, Chief Executive Officer for Accor, South Asia.
-“Our endeavour is to simplify travel by creating seamless experiences, not just within India but globally through Accor's extensive network.”- Neetan Chopra, Chief Digital and Information Officer at IndiGo.
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IndiGo and Accor have announced India's first two-way airline-hotel loyalty partnership, linking IndiGo BluChip with ALL Accor. More than a loyalty programme launch, the partnership signals how travel brands are beginning to respond to a new generation of travellers seeking connected, end-to-end experiences rather than standalone products.
The collaboration will allow members of both programmes to earn and redeem rewards across flights and hotel stays, creating a unified ecosystem that spans the travel journey. By bringing together IndiGo's extensive domestic and expanding international network, the accelerated earn-and-redeem benefits of IndiGo BluChip, and ALL Accor's global hospitality portfolio, the collaboration creates a more integrated rewards ecosystem for travellers.
Both companies believe customer loyalty will increasingly be shaped by convenience, flexibility and seamless experiences rather than transactional rewards alone.
Speaking at the launch, Rahul Bhatia, Founder and Managing Director of IndiGo and Group Managing Director of InterGlobe Enterprises, described the partnership as a milestone that aligns with the changing expectations of modern travellers. “Today's travellers increasingly seek connected and enriching journeys that bring together travel, accommodation and destination experiences in a single, cohesive ecosystem. The future of the travel industry lies in delivering holistic, personalised and immersive experiences, and this partnership is a meaningful step in that direction.”
India is 'just waking up' to loyalty
For Accor, the partnership also complements its aggressive expansion plans in India. In an exclusive interaction with Travel Trends Today, Ranju Alex, Chief Executive Officer Accor, South Asia, said the partnership brings together the country's largest airline network with Accor's rapidly growing hospitality footprint.
“Today we have 75 hotels operational in India and another 67 in the pipeline. We aim to reach 300 hotels by 2030. When you combine IndiGo's extensive domestic network with Accor's growing presence and global footprint, it becomes a truly symbiotic relationship that benefits travellers across their entire journey,” she said.
Alex believes India is entering a new phase in customer loyalty, driven by digital adoption and changing consumer behaviour.
“India is just waking up to loyalty. As smartphone usage and app-based services become mainstream, customers are beginning to recognise the value of integrated loyalty programmes. This is only the beginning of a much bigger journey,” she said.
Neetan Chopra, Chief Digital and Information Officer at IndiGo, echoed the sentiment, saying the partnership has been built around one core objective: “creating hassle-free travel experiences.”
“Customers today are looking for experiences rather than just products and services. Our endeavour is to simplify travel by creating seamless experiences, not just within India but globally through Accor's extensive network. Together with ALL Accor, we look forward to redefining how millions of customers across the network earn, redeem, and experience travel rewards ,” Chopra told T3.
The executives also suggested that the collaboration could evolve well beyond points accumulation. Alex said the ultimate goal is to reduce friction across the traveller's journey.
“If I can book both my flight and hotel within seconds, that's the experience I want. Today's travellers value the gift of time and seamlessness. With many trips now being booked at the last minute, delivering an end-to-end experience becomes even more important,”" she said.
While both companies have set internal customer growth targets for the programme, they said long-term engagement would be a more meaningful measure of success than enrolment numbers.
“More than customer numbers, what matters is the value and engagement we create. If customers genuinely see value in the proposition, adoption will naturally follow,” Alex noted, while Chopra added that a strong product proposition would be an important component mapping growth.
