What is it about?
Hotel loyalty programs face persistent problems: points locked to single brands, complex rules that discourage redemption, fraud risks, and costly partner reconciliation. We reviewed 55 studies to understand when blockchain technology genuinely improves these programs. Blockchain enables three key changes: automated rules via smart contracts, transparent record-keeping across partners, and portable tokens that work across brands. However, benefits depend heavily on design choices around privacy, user experience, and regulatory compliance.
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Why is it important?
This is the first systematic review focused specifically on blockchain loyalty in hotels, synthesizing evidence from information systems, marketing, and operations research. We distinguish between two types of trust: verification-based trust (proving your balance is correct) and emotional attachment (feeling connected to a brand). This matters because highly liquid, cross-brand tokens can actually weaken brand loyalty unless programs deliberately preserve exclusivity. The review provides a practical roadmap for hybrid deployment rather than wholesale replacement of existing systems.
Perspectives
This research emerged from observing a gap between blockchain's theoretical promise and its messy reality in hospitality. Working at the intersection of tourism technology and Central Asian development contexts, I was struck by how much discussion focused on technical possibilities while ignoring practical barriers—regulatory ambiguity, user experience friction, and the fundamental tension between token portability and brand attachment. Writing this review with colleagues from both academic and industry backgrounds (including a co-author from Rahat Palace Hotel) helped ground our synthesis in operational reality. I hope this work helps practitioners separate genuine opportunities from hype and guides researchers toward questions that matter for real-world adoption.
Yeldar Nuruly
Al-Farabi Kazakh National University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Blockchain-based loyalty programs in the hotel industry: a systematic review, Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology, October 2025, Emerald,
DOI: 10.1108/jhtt-09-2024-0609.
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