Future of travel lies in connected experiences, says Rahul Bhatia as IndiGo, Accor roll out loyalty partnership

India's largest airline IndiGo and global hospitality group Accor have officially rolled out India's first two way airline hotel loyalty programme, with InterGlobe Enterprises group managing director Rahul Bhatia saying the partnership reflects the future of travel, where customers increasingly expect connected and personalised experiences across every stage of their journey.

Speaking at the launch of the collaboration between IndiGo's BluChip Rewards and Accor's ALL Accor Live Limitless loyalty programme, Bhatia said the alliance would strengthen the travel ecosystem by bringing together air travel and hospitality under a single customer proposition.

"Today's travellers increasingly seek connected and enriching journeys that bring together travel, accommodation and destination experiences in a single cohesive ecosystem. The future of the travel industry lies in delivering holistic, personalised and immersive experiences and this partnership is a meaningful step in that direction," he said.

Looking ahead, the opportunities within the Indian travel sector are immense and in some ways Indigo's evolution over the years bears testimony to that, he added. 

The rollout comes more than a year after IndiGo and Accor first announced the strategic collaboration in April 2025. Bhatia acknowledged that the launch took longer than anticipated but said he was pleased to see the partnership finally go live.

"It's taken us more than I thought it should but I'm glad we are finally here," he said. "I'm delighted to witness that the two programmes, IndiGo BluChip and ALL Accor Live Limitless, are officially rolling out this collaboration today."

The collaboration enables members of IndiGo BluChip Rewards and Accor ALL to earn and redeem reward points across flights, hotel stays and experiences through a two way conversion programme. It also lays the foundation for future initiatives including co branded loyalty offerings.

Bhatia said the partnership combines IndiGo's extensive domestic network and growing international presence with Accor's global hospitality portfolio, ranging from luxury brands such as Raffles to midscale brands including Novotel and ibis, allowing both companies to serve a diverse set of travellers.

"I'm confident that through the strategic collaboration IndiGo and Accor will create greater value for travellers, contribute meaningfully to the growth of the travel and hospitality ecosystem and help set new benchmarks for our industry," he said.

He added that the partnership comes at a time when India's travel industry is witnessing significant opportunities.

"As India advances towards its ambition of becoming a global aviation and economic powerhouse, together with Accor we look forward to unlocking new possibilities for travellers and contributing to the continued growth of one of the world's most dynamic travel markets," Bhatia said.

A customer first loyalty strategy

Accor South Asia, CEO, Ranju Alex told Fortune India that the collaboration was driven by the shared values of both companies and a common focus on improving the customer journey. "We're both very, very guest centric. We want to be ahead of the game in terms of what the guest wants," she said, adding that both companies identified a gap for a strong airline and hospitality partnership in India.

Alex said the decision was also influenced by the rapid expansion of both companies in India and overseas. "We just felt that the value that we give to a customer with both growing footprints in their own ways would be absolutely priceless."

She added that India is becoming an increasingly loyalty driven market, aided by the rise of smartphones, apps and digital partnerships. Rather than focusing solely on membership numbers, she said the emphasis would be on delivering meaningful engagement.

"Quantity matters, but what also matters a lot for us is the experience and the value that we bring to the end customer. It's not just a number game. It is numbers as well as activation and engagement that a customer has with us," Alex added.

While she did not disclose internal targets, Alex said the objective is to grow the programme together by strengthening customer loyalty. "This is just the beginning. There'll be far more eclectic offerings that will come our way."

Neetan Chopra, chief digital and information officer at IndiGo, described the alliance as "a match made in heaven" for India's travel sector. "The key now is we've got this partnership. Our job in the next few years is to really grow this partnership with just two focus areas, great customer experience and interspersed rewards through those achievements," he said, adding that this this will be huge for India.