Cloudbeds, Journey Partner to Help Independent Hotels Compete with Brand Loyalty Programs

Cloudbeds has partnered with Journey to integrate its AI-powered loyalty engine into the Cloudbeds hospitality management system, giving independent hotels access to a 'unified rewards currency' to compete against branded hotel, OTA, and credit card loyalty programs. The partnership aims to grow direct bookings by offering exclusive rewards, such as 5x loyalty points per dollar for direct bookings. Phocuswright research shows 40% of travelers visited a destination for the first time recently, with younger travelers preferring independent hotels. Journey's AI engine provides guest behavior insights and a conversational interface called 'Known by Journey'. Journey recently disclosed a $15 mil…