Cloudbeds and Journey launch strategic partnership to challenge dominant loyalty programs of chains and OTAs
The first-of-its-kind loyalty ecosystem gives Cloudbeds Collection properties new ways to grow direct bookings, deepen guest relationships, and compete at scale
NEW YORK and SAN DIEGO, June 11, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In a direct challenge to the dominant loyalty programs of OTAs, credit card companies, and hotel brands, Cloudbeds, the hospitality management system built for ambitious hoteliers, and Journey, a loyalty platform for independent hotels and private residences, today announced a first-of-its-kind strategic partnership designed to give independent hoteliers within the Cloudbeds Collection access to the commercial power of a major hotel group, without surrendering their independence, brand identity, or guest relationships.
This partnership represents an industry-first shared ecosystem that gives the Cloudbeds Collection the power of a global loyalty network. By integrating Journey’s AI-driven loyalty engine directly into the Cloudbeds platform, independent properties can now offer a unified rewards currency designed to rival the world’s largest hotel programs while preserving the identity, freedom, and guest relationships that make them independent.
A New Era of Sovereign Loyalty
- Direct-First Competition: The partnership is built to help independent hoteliers reclaim the guest relationship and grow direct bookings. By offering Instant Rewards and Experience Multipliers exclusively through direct channels, hotels can avoid high-commission booking platforms and give travelers a stronger reason to book direct.
- The AI Guest Engine: Unlike static loyalty programs, Journey uses AI-powered intelligence to help hoteliers better understand guest behavior, preferences, and intent. Cloudbeds Collection properties can use these insights to deliver more personal, relevant stays that build lasting loyalty. This includes “Known by Journey” - a conversational interface between guests and hotels to gain deeper insights into how guests like to travel, what details matter most, and the small touches that drive real loyalty.
- Accessible Sophistication: Guest engagement technology has traditionally been reserved for the brands with the biggest budgets and most complex tech stacks. This partnership enables boutique and independent hotels to benefit from advanced loyalty and guest experience infrastructure.
“Guest experience has never mattered more,” said Rafael Blanes, Chief Growth Officer at Cloudbeds. “The Cloudbeds Collection has always represented properties with real ambition, the kind that want to deliver something distinctive, on their own terms. Through our partnership with Journey, we're giving those hoteliers the intelligence and infrastructure to turn every stay into a reason to come back, and to compete with anyone on the experience they deliver.”
“For fifty years, an independent hotel could only get chain-scale loyalty by giving up what made it independent. That tradeoff is over,” said John Sutton, CEO and Founder of Journey. “With Cloudbeds, we are giving the world's best independent hotels the commercial power of a global brand while they keep their identity, their guests, and their soul. This is how the Independent Super-Brand gets built. The chains taught the world to stay in the same room over and over. We reward people for choosing the places worth remembering, and for the first time, independents set the terms.”
About Cloudbeds
Cloudbeds is the hospitality management system built for ambitious hoteliers who demand more. The Cloudbeds platform unifies operations, distribution, guest experience, and revenue marketing, giving operators a breadth of tools to capture demand, grow direct bookings, optimize pricing, maximize upsell revenue, and act on real-time intelligence within a single system. Designed to scale with independent hotels, large hotel groups, and multi-property portfolios, Cloudbeds is trusted by tens of thousands of properties in more than 150 countries. Founded in 2012, Cloudbeds is recognized as a top Hotel Management System, PMS, and Channel Manager, and Best Place to Work, by Hotel Tech Report for eight consecutive years.
About Journey
Journey is the experiential loyalty platform that connects discerning travelers with a curated network of independent luxury hotels and private residences worldwide. Members are recognized based on their profile, gain access to experiences shaped by their preferences, and earn and redeem rewards across a global network of independent properties, all while enjoying the individuality and character that define each destination.
For independent operators, Journey provides the infrastructure to deliver chain-scale loyalty, recognition, and experiences, without surrendering the guest relationship or the brand. Launched in 2025, Journey is building the system where independent hospitality is discovered, recognized, and rewarded.
APPENDIX
Comparison: A New Path for Independent Hotels
| Feature | Cloudbeds Collection + Journey | Traditional Corporate Soft Brands |
| Brand Identity |
Independence, intact. Hotels keep their name, character, and unique guest experience while gaining access to a larger commercial ecosystem |
Independence, with conditions. Properties often operate under brand standards, design requirements, and property improvement plans that can limit individuality. |
| Loyalty Power |
AI-Driven & Emotional. Modern, flexible rewards (5x points for direct booking) that adapt to the guest's DNA via Journey AI. |
Points-Based & Static. High-volume, “one-size-fits-all” programs that prioritize corporate consistency over individual character. |
| Cost Structure |
Accessible & Success-Based. No heavy franchise fees or “revenue- skimming.” Hotels pay for results, not for the “privilege” of a flag. |
The “Corporate Tax.” Typically takes 10–15% of total revenue via franchise, marketing, and loyalty fees—even when demand is not generated directly by the brand. |
| Data Ownership |
Absolute Control. Hotels own 100% of their guest data, allowing them to build lifelong, direct relationships. |
Gatekept Data. The parent corporation often owns the guest relationship, making it harder for hotels to market to their own guests. |
| Agility |
Instant & Adaptive. Hotels can adapt pricing, distribution, loyalty, and marketing strategies through the Cloudbeds ecosystem with more freedom to move quickly. |
Bureaucratic & Slow. Changes may be shaped by brand-wide rules, approval processes, or centralized updates. |
| Technology |
Unified & Innovative. A seamless, “direct-first” tech stack designed specifically to outmaneuver OTAs. |
Legacy & Fragmented. Often built on established infrastructure that can be harder to customize or integrate with newer guest-facing technology. |
Contact:
Denise Nelson
+19258585198
denise@buzzpr.us
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/e59d00f5-d495-4944-a909-bf65ff665ec8
Cloudbeds & Journey
Cloudbeds and Journey partnership marks a new era of sovereign loyalty for independent hotels and private residences.
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