Sea Containers and 100 Shoreditch join Global Hotel Alliance

Global Hotel Alliance, the largest marketing group for independent luxury hotels, has signed up Lore Group.

You may not know the Lore Group name, but you have probably heard of their hotels. These include:

• Pulitzer Amsterdam (which was a Marriott / Starwood hotel years ago)
• Sea Containers London, which we reviewed here, top image below
• One Hundred Shoreditch, which we reviewed here, second image below
• Riggs Washington DC
• Lyle Washington DC

Lore Group also owns Kimpton De Witt in Amsterdam but this is remaining with IHG.

How does the GHA Discovery loyalty programme work?

GHA Discovery is a decent loyalty programme which we covered here. Instead of points, you earn DISCOVERY Dollars. 1 DISCOVERY Dollar is worth $1 off a future stay.

Here is the full list of benefits online but in summary:

• Silver is the entry level, given to you immediately when you sign-up.  This is well worth doing because it gets you access to member-only rates, free internet and 4% back in DISCOVERY Dollars.

• Gold requires just two stays or $1,000 of spending but has no real additional benefits, except that your cashback increases to 5%

• Platinum is their mid-tier status given after 10 nights in a year or $5,000 of spending or, more easily, staying at two different brands.  Platinum gives you extra benefits on top – an upgrade to the next room category, a local amenity, 3pm late check-out and 6% back in DISCOVERY Dollars.

• Titanium status requires 30 nights, $15,000 of spending or, more easily, staying at three different brands. You receive an 11am check-in, 4pm late check-out, a double upgrade, a welcome amenity and 7% back in DISCOVERY Dollars.

The ability to reach Titanium and Platinum status by staying at just two or three brands is very interesting. If you were travelling in Asia, where GHA is strongest, you could achieve it relatively cheaply.

Once you’ve hit Titanium you are picking up 7% cashback per stay, and this is often doubled to 14% during short-term promotions. Throw in a double upgrade, early check-in and late check-out (not 100% guaranteed, admittedly, but rarely an issue) and you’re in a good place.

I was given Titanium status at a GHA media event last year and have used it twice so far with good success (these were both cash stays):

• at the Kempinski Palace Portoroz in Slovenia last summer, we got a lovely suite upgrade. This is a fascinating hotel – a 19th century spa hotel, converted and extended into a luxury hotel with a beach club, in a small coastal town. The reason to stay here is that it is a very short bus or taxi ride, or even walk, to the Dubrovnik-style historical city of Piran which doesn’t have any large hotels of its own. The hotel website is here.

• for World Aviation Festival in Lisbon last November, I stayed at the Corinthia. Whilst nothing like the astonishing Corinthia in London, it was convenient for the trains to the convention centre and I got a high floor junior suite with great views over Lisbon. A 4pm check-out was granted without issue. The hotel is also walkable to the Gulbenkian museum, which is a trip through global art history – from Roman remains to impressionist painting – from a single owner collection. The hotel website is here.

The Lore Group hotels will be integrated into Global Hotel Alliance one by one, with all available by May.

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Hotel offers update – April 2025:

Want to earn more hotel points?  Click here to see our complete list of promotions from the major hotel chains or use the ‘Hotel Offers’ link in the menu bar at the top of the page.

Want to buy hotel points?

• Hilton Honors is offering a 100% bonus when you buy points by 29th May 2025. The annual purchase limit is also increased to 240,000 points pre-bonus. Click here to buy.

• World of Hyatt is offering a 25% discount (equivalent to a 33% bonus) when you buy points by 14th April 2025. Click here to buy.