Sharing makes life better — greetings, everyone. I’m Suanhaoer, the one who loves stir-fried pork! Time for another chat. Today I want to talk about a well-known international chain beyond the big five (Marriott / IHG / Hilton / Hyatt / Accor): Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts and its loyalty program.

The hotel group

Shangri-La, headquartered in Hong Kong, is currently Asia’s largest luxury hotel group.

A milestone: the group’s 100th Shangri-La hotel opened in 2017 in Xiamen — Shangri-La Xiamen.

Shangri-La currently has five brands: Shangri-La, Shangri-La Resorts, Kerry Hotels, Traders, and JEN.

1️⃣ Shangri-La Hotels

2️⃣ Shangri-La Resorts

3️⃣ Kerry Hotels

4️⃣ Traders Hotels

5️⃣ Hotel JEN

The group now has more than 100 hotels across 22 countries and 76 destinations. That includes 55 in mainland China, 4 in Hong Kong, 2 in Taiwan, and two Canadian Shangri-La hotels, in Toronto and Vancouver.

Full hotel list: Luxury hotels and resorts | Shangri-La Hotels and Resorts (shangri-la.com)

The loyalty program

Shangri-La’s loyalty program was recently renamed Shangri-La Circle. Tiers, from lowest to highest, are Gold, Jade, Diamond, and Inspiration. Inspiration is by invitation only and is out of scope here. Qualification for the other tiers:

The main benefits:

An extra perk: Shangri-La has a long-running partnership with Singapore Airlines, so elite status can be matched both ways. Current Shangri-La Jade / Diamond members can match to KrisFlyer Silver; fly Singapore Airlines three times / once within four months after the match and you can move up to KrisFlyer Gold. I covered this in an earlier guide, the 2023 playbook for low-cost Star Alliance Gold. If that sounds like your kind of project, it is a way to earn the Star Alliance Gold status many frequent travellers want — by staying in hotels.

How to play it, and the highlights

1️⃣ How to earn points: Besides the usual hotel-group mix of paid stays, official promotions, cobranded cards, and buying points, Shangri-La often runs magazine-subscription offers that are a roundabout way to get points.

Years ago I subscribed to the India edition of The Economist for a year, spent less than RMB 1,000, and received 3,000 Shangri-La points.

2️⃣ How to use points: Shangri-La’s occasional 50%-off award-night promotions are an excellent way into luxury hotels, but those sales have been few and far between in recent years.

Another use that is very much worth trying is dining at Shangri-La properties. Shangri-La’s restaurants have long been among the best in the industry, with plenty of Black Pearl and Michelin names in the mix. Higher-tier members used to get an extra bonus of spending points like cash, which made dining redemptions outstanding value. Even at today’s devalued rate of 15 points = US$1, using points on a meal still feels like more than you paid for.

I once took those 3,000 Economist points and ate my way through several restaurants in the four Shangri-La hotels around Beijing’s Guomao district. The whole family still drools thinking about it.

I’ll close with the world’s first Shangri-La hotel, which opened in 1971 — Shangri-La Singapore — and look forward to another stay for the rooms, the service, and the food. I’m Suanhaoer. Talk again next time!