New: Oneworld status match, perks at Taj Hotels

Oneworld frequent flyers can look forward to hotel discounts, tier perks, points earning and a status match at more than 630 Taj and IHCL properties worldwide under a new loyalty partnership between the global airline alliance and Indian Hotels Company.

The tie-up connects Oneworld's member airlines with IHCL's portfolio of brands spanning Taj, Claridges Collection, Vivanta, SeleQtions, Brij, Gateway, Ginger, Tree of Life and Stays & Trails.

Some of the iconic properties include Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai, Taj Lake Palace in Udaipur, The Pierre in New York and St. James Court Hotel in London.

11 Oneworld airlines connect to 17 Indian cities from across Asia, Europe, North America and the Middle East.

Discounts and vouchers

Status holders across all three Oneworld tiers of Ruby, Sapphire and Emerald receive immediate discounts on room rates, dining and spa treatments at participating properties when booking through dedicated partnership channels.

Emerald members receive 15% off best available rates, while Sapphire and Ruby members receive 10%.

First-time bookers at any participating IHCL property also unlock vouchers for savings on future stays and dining.

The Oneworld-Taj status match

As a next step, Oneworld and IHCL plan to introduce reciprocal tier recognition between Oneworld and the Taj InnerCircle NeuPass program:

• Oneworld Emerald members will be matched to Taj InnerCircle Gold
• Oneworld Sapphire and Ruby members will be matched to Taj InnerCircle Silver

In the other direction, Taj InnerCircle Gold and Platinum holders will be matched to Oneworld Sapphire, while Copper and Silver members will receive Oneworld Ruby recognition.

Earn partner airline points on stays

The two companies have also flagged plans to introduce points earning on hotel stays across select Oneworld member programmes as the partnership develops further.

“With 10 million international customers travelling to and from India each year on Oneworld member airlines, this partnership recognises and rewards our customers across a key global market,” said Oneworld CEO Ole Orvér.

However, Oneworld has no member airline in India – the closest in geography is SirLankan Airlines.

Flag-carrier Air India is a key member of Star Alliance, leaving rival IndiGo as the only likely candidate.

While positioned as a ‘hybrid’ or mid-market carrier, IndiGo is the nation’s largest airline, holding over 60% of India's domestic aviation market, with a fleet of over 440 aircraft connecting more than 95 domestic and 40 international destinations.