The Mandarin Oriental brand is renowned for offering luxury hotel accommodation across the world. For the longest time, they did not have their own loyalty program which made repeated stays at Mandarin Oriental, well, non-rewarding. However, Mandarin Oriental has just launched their new loyalty program scheme : Fans of M.O. (I think it’s kind of punny as their logo is a fan, cause get it, fans of M.O. (date me please) )
Fans of M.O. Overview
Fans of M.O. is free to sign up over at their website. Unlike traditional hotel loyalty programs (e.g SPG), Fans of M.O. does not have different tier levels but just the single tier which everyone will be no matter how many nights you have with M.O. There will also not be points accruing available for stays with Mandarin Oriental hotels, so honestly this program is just a pure “sign up for the perks” kind of thing (but hey I’m not complaining).
When you join, you’ll be able to access the members only page where you’ll be greeted with 3 offers :
For Suite Temptations and One More Night promotions, a minimum stay of 4 nights is required. For the Luxury Breaks promotion, a minimum stay of 2 nights would apply.
Fans of M.O. benefits
As a Fan of M.O, you’ll be receiving two types of benefits :
- General benefits
- Special amenities
You’ll be receiving all of the following benefits when you book direct online with Mandarin Oriental, these are the general benefits :
Here’s where it gets interesting. As a Fan of M.O., you’ll be entitled to select up to 2 additional amenities for your stay. The amenities are listed in the picture below :
This is a very interesting concept that is being offered as just by being a base member, you’ll be entitled to complimentary breakfast for one and a room upgrade or confirmed late check out at 4pm with early check in. That’s a vast difference from lets say, Hilton or SPG where only at the Gold and Platinum tier respectively, then you’ll get breakfast as a benefit. As per their FAQ, these additional 2 benefits can be selected for up to two rooms per stay.
Performing a dummy booking at the Mandarin Oriental Singapore, after you have chosen your preferred room and rate, you’ll be presented with this screen where you’ll select your amenity of choice :
For those of you who choose the dining or spa credits, do note that it’s a one time credit of SGD70. As for the room upgrade option, the only thing that was mentioned was that they will “do our very best to give you the best”, so no harm pushing for a suite upgrade if you select this amenity. Also, if you were to choose breakfast as your amenity, you would have to select both options for 2 guests to get breakfast. Can’t beat gorging yourself at breakfast in MELT.
(Edit : In the T&C, it states that the upgrade will be one category at max, subject to availability and will vary from property to property. Thanks Jimmy!)
I really commend Mandarin Oriental for having the option to select breakfast as a benefit even as a basic member. Fans of M.O. is basically saving you money just by signing up.
A right step by a luxury chain
Personally I feel that in creating the Fans of M.O. loyalty program, Mandarin Oriental is trying to lure the mainstream market who normally tend to stay at the standard chain hotels and the casual travelers who want to be given benefits regardless of how many nights they have accumulated with a hotel. Granted it is kind of sad that there is no reward points structure in place, but I’m definitely a happy customer at being able to choose breakfast as a benefit just by signing up with them. Kudos to Mandarin Oriental!
[H/T : LoyaltyLobby]
[Ben from the comments section has raised concerns about the Terms and Conditions of the program and the scope it gives to send marketing communications. I’m not an expert so have a read and decide if you’re comfortable]
Friends of MO????
thanks for the spot!
no prob!
The article should be updated to highlight that in order for you to join Friends of MO, you have to agree with MO that it can provide your personal data to its third party marketing/service providers. In other words, you agree to receive spam mail. Clearly also states that if you choose to unsubscribe from the spam mail, your Friends of MO membership will cease. This is something important, at least for those of us who take personal data protection seriously.
“As for the room upgrade option, the only thing that was mentioned was that they will “do our very best to give you the best”, so no harm pushing for a suite upgrade if you select this amenity” As per its T&C, “Complimentary Room Upgrade. Upgrade is subject to availability and will vary by MO Hotel. The upgrade benefit is available for the personal use of the Member only, regardless of the number of additional rooms reserved by the Member. When available, the complimentary upgrade is granted for one room level category higher than the room reserved by the Member… Read more »
thanks Jimmy! Will update accordingly. Must have missed it while reading thru the T&C
Don’t forget to update the point about the third party marketing requirement. Put bluntly, it’s a sneaky play on MO’s part. Since it is not limited to just entities within the MO group, you effectively have no protection from how the third parties will use your personal data after it reaches their hands. Effectively, they are giving you free breakfast in exchange for you agreeing to receive spam mail, potentially (if their third party providers don’t adhere to their agreements with MO) without any end.