Luxury travel app HoteLux launches in Hong Kong with access to exclusive ryokans

With larger-scale international outbound travel back on the table, Singapore-headquartered HoteLux is now available in Hong Kong by making its app available for in-the-know travellers

HoteLux is a membership-based app which offers instant access to the best available offers, upgrades, flash sales, hotel spend credits up to US$100, loyalty points and other perks to its members. With a well-curated selection of more than 4,000 of the world’s most desirable hotels and resorts.

To showcase how the service differs from others, HoteLux has recently signed an exclusive partnership agreement with All Japan Ryokan Hotel Association Junior (AJRA). This means that instant bookings are on offer at a wide range of luxury Japanese ryokans with dedicated member benefits.

Traditional ryokans are not always readily available through third-party booking services and coupled with little to no English-language assistance to these properties, they are often complicated to arrange. The app help circumvent these hurdles.

HoteLux co-founder Yihao Shi temporarily relocated to Japan to uncover the country’s most unique and compelling luxury travel experiences. As a result, unique properties such as Nishimuraya Honkan, a Japanese ryokan in Kinosaki Onsen with 160 years of history, will become one of the first ryokans available for bookings on the HoteLux app in Q2 this year.

“HoteLux is like a seasoned booking agent and personal premium concierge in your mobile phone connecting you to exclusive privileges at acclaimed luxury hotels and hotel groups worldwide,” said Yihao Shi.

Furthermore, under a three-year partnership arrangement with Mastercard, World and World Elite Mastercard cardholders throughout the Asia-Pacific region will also be eligible to receive an exclusive complimentary Elite or Elite Plus HoteLux membership.

Other exciting new features for a true one-stop concierge platform are in the pipeline – extending to bookings for limousine services, popular restaurants and exclusive tailor-made travel experiences.

Its year-on-year revenue growth was 400 per cent from 2021 to 2022, with 40 to 50 per cent monthly growth in 2022, according to HoteLux. The app was previously only available in Singapore, Japan and Thailand. Hong Kong joins as its fourth market.

“We are creating a new trend in luxury travel via app, now that lifestyle habits have changed and everyone is doing a lot more mobile and on-the-go. We are catering to the digital savvy and young travellers, with most of our members between 25 and 45 years old,” says Yihao Shi.

HoteLux lists a who’s who of the finest brands with over 4,000 luxury properties worldwide including The Ritz-Carlton, The St Regis, Edition Hotels, Park Hyatt, Andaz, Rosewood, Four Seasons, Capella, Waldorf Astoria, Mandarin Oriental, Raffles, Peninsula Hotels, Aman, Six Senses, The House Collective, Niccolo, Banyan Tree, the Dorchester Collection and many more.

Best of all, members of existing hotel loyalty programmes – such as Marriott Bonvoy, Hiltons Honors, World of Hyatt – can double-dip on points, earning both hotel loyalty points and HoteLux points.

To date ahead of the Hong Kong launch, HoteLux has over 100,000 members in Singapore, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia and is available in English, Japanese, Thai and Traditional Chinese language options.

“Given that a single perk of US$100 credit for a guest’s first three stays would cover the membership fee, joining the club is a compelling proposition,” Shi adds.

Market-centric versions of the app are also planned for Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, and South Korea.

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