Chris Hartley

Chris Hartley’s propensity for innovation led him to create two successful hospitality joint ventures, and he is a recognized expert on the business of loyalty marketing. In 2004, he was one of the pioneers behind the launch of Global Hotel Alliance (GHA), and since 2006, has led its growth in forging a unique collaborative alliance, which enables independent, privately-owned hotel brands to compete with the world’s largest hotel companies and reduce dependence on the online booking giants. Today, GHA represents a collection of 35 brands with over 570 hotels in 85 countries and offers a shared loyalty platform to 17 million customers. The award-winning DISCOVERY loyalty programme generated over US$3 billion in revenue and eight million room nights to its member brands in 2019.