Several travel and hospitality brands each ran their own CRM and loyalty arrangements, so a guest could be known to one brand and a stranger to the next, with first-party data trapped in separate systems and markets. The group could not recognise its highest-value travellers across brands, CRM depended on outside agencies in every market, and scaling any improvement meant rebuilding it from scratch.
VA unified the group onto one guest data foundation with a shared CRM and data partner set, reduced market-by-market agency dependency and built CRM capability in-house where it travels best across brands — so the model scales rather than being rebuilt.
VP Global Marketing, Head of CRM, Head of Loyalty, Head of Marketing Procurement
The strategic problem
Several travel and hospitality brands each ran their own CRM and loyalty arrangements, so a guest could be known to one brand and a stranger to the next, with first-party data trapped in separate systems and markets. The group could not recognise its highest-value travellers across brands, CRM capability depended on outside agencies in every market, and scaling any improvement meant rebuilding it from scratch each time.
Diagnose & Design
VA opened with a marketing & production ecosystem audit and spend mapping & cost baseline analysis across every brand and market, mapping CRM tool overlap, data fragmentation and agency dependency; a gap & maturity assessment and market benchmarking then defined a unified first-party data and CRM operating model designed to scale, alongside the in-house capability the group should build rather than keep buying. Operating model design set the target configuration and governance design (RACI, KPI framework, scorecards) assigned cross-brand ownership of guest data and CRM performance, with the AURA/Scoping Tool structuring the audit and AURA/FRC (Fulltime Ratecard Calculator) sizing the in-house build against agency cost.
Ecosystem & Remuneration
VA delivered partner ecosystem design and roster rationalisation & consolidation, selecting a shared CRM and data partner set via the VA 5,000+ supplier database while deliberately reducing market-by-market agency dependency; remuneration model design tied remaining partner fees to measurable outcomes; and scoping & SOW design established a single guest data foundation with consent and compliance built in, alongside a clear plan to build CRM and loyalty capability in-house where it travels best across brands. AURA/BMT (Budget Management Template) disciplined the licence and contract renegotiations.
Rollout & relationship management
Contracting & onboarding formalised the revised partner and data-platform terms; handover, rollout & commitment tracking then sequenced the data unification and CRM transition brand by brand and market by market, with AURA/Planner back-planning to staged go-live dates and relationship management sustaining the in-house capability build through the full transition. The point of the rollout was to make each market repeatable, so the next one was faster than the last rather than another rebuild.
Execution Oversight
VA ran production cost validation & budget control to verify CRM platform and agency commercials against the agreed model in each market; briefing & estimate review governed cross-brand campaign and loyalty activations on the unified foundation; wrap & final reconciliation closed each market rollout with cost and data coverage reconciled, confirming that the in-house capability was holding as agency dependency stepped down.
Performance Measurement
Unified data coverage reached 88% of active guests across brands; the model scaled to 17 markets on the shared foundation with CRM and agency cost down 21% and 11% cost avoidance from consolidated tools and retired contracts [illustrative, to be confirmed] as in-house capability replaced market-by-market agencies. KPIs and scorecards from governance design tracked via partner performance evaluation on a 90/180/360 appraisal cadence (today closure reports; full performance measurement on the roadmap).
Why VA
In travel the same guest moves between brands and markets, and a fragmented CRM means meeting them as a stranger every time. VA unifies the first-party data foundation and the operating model and builds the capability in-house, so the model scales market by market instead of being rebuilt, and the group finally knows its most valuable travellers as one.
Common questions
What is a unified cross-brand first-party data and CRM model?
One guest data foundation with consent and compliance built in and a shared CRM and data partner set, so the same traveller is recognised across brands and markets — replacing separate CRM arrangements where a guest is a stranger to the next brand.
How does unifying CRM cut cost and scale faster?
Consolidating tools and reducing market-by-market agency dependency lowers CRM and agency cost, while one shared foundation means improvements scale to new markets rather than being rebuilt from scratch each time.
Why build CRM capability in-house in travel?
Because the guest relationship spans brands and markets: keeping CRM and loyalty know-how in-house where it travels best protects it and reduces agency dependency, with performance tracked on a 90/180/360 cadence.