1. PROGRAMME DESCRIPTION
WelcomLink is a Loyalty Program (hereinafter referred to as "Program") offered by ITC Limited - Hotels Division (hereafter referred to as 'ITC Hotels') for fostering loyalty of members who will be channelizing bookings at participating ITC Hotels. The benefits offered under the Program shall, at all times, be determined by ITC Hotels at its sole discretion. The list of all participating hotels (the "Participating Hotels") appears on the website.
2. DEFINITIONS
(a) Blackout Periods: are the periods during which WelcomLink Points (hereafter defined) cannot be redeemed in respect of ITC Hotels which may be communicated by ITC Hotels from time to time or notified at www.welcomlink.in or posted on the website for the relevant participating ITC Hotel.
(b) Customer Care: is the contact point of WelcomLink at customer.service@itchotels.in or Toll Free: 1800-103-2482
(c) Partner: is the brand of a third party entity with which ITC Hotels has or may have an alliance to enable the WelcomLink member to redeem his/her WelcomLink Points.
(d) "Member" means a person whose application for membership of the Program has been accepted by ITC Hotels and who is subject to the membership terms set out herein.
(e) "Eligible Room Revenue" means the amount invoiced by ITC Hotels to a resident guest towards room charges for overnight stay(s) (exclusive of all taxes, food or other billings and service charges) at a Participating Hotel, provided the invoice has been fully settled by or on behalf of the resident guest.
(f) "WelcomLink Points" means the points which are credited to the account maintained in the name of the Member making a reservation at a Participating Hotel resulting in generation of Eligible Room Revenue for a Participating Hotel.
(g) "Series bookings" means bookings received in advance for 10 persons or more under one reservation with fixed itineraries for a pre-defined period on a pre-determined rate, applicable for all rooms.
(h) "Ad-hoc bookings" means bookings for 10 persons or more under one reservation for which a travel agent forms a group for a destination and is thereafter extended ad-hoc rates.
3. ELIGIBILITY
Enrollment in WelcomLink is open to any adult (above 18 years of age) person who is a resident Indian national or a foreigner/non-resident Indian holding a valid work permit and residing in India. Online Travel Agents and employees of ITC Limited and its subsidiary companies are not eligible to become members of WelcomLink.
Only 1 account is allowed for each Member. ITC Hotels reserves the right to refuse any application for membership without obligation to cite a reason for the refusal. ITC Hotels may at its sole discretion cancel the membership of any Program Member and revoke any and all unredeemed WelcomLink Points collected by such Member in the event of any unacceptable conduct or any dispute with ITC Hotels. ITC Hotels' decision in this regard shall be final and binding.
Cancellation of a Member's participation in the Program shall take effect immediately upon service of the notice of termination by ITC Hotels on the Member concerned. All WelcomLink Points earned by that Member as at the date of the notice of termination of membership will be forfeited.
4.MEMBERSHIP VALIDITY
Commencing October 01, 2015, WelcomLink Points earned or otherwise obtained by a WelcomLink member will be forfeited without notice if the WelcomLink member becomes "Inactive".A WelcomLink member is considered "Inactive" if during a 12 consecutive month period (i) The WelcomLink member has not made an eligible booking at a participating ITC Hotel or (ii) the WelcomLink member's account has been cancelled. The mentioned 12 consecutive month period shall commence from the date of the last eligible booking at a participating ITC Hotel.
5. REGISTRATION PROCESS
Any person who meets the eligibility and enrollment criteria for the WelcomLink Program may register for the Program through the Sales Offices, by submitting all relevant profile details to the concerned sales account manager.
Registrations shall be checked and processed by the WelcomLink Program cell and if deemed fit for enrollment the member shall be sent a confirmation email at the registered email account with membership number.
In the event a person is not considered to be eligible for enrollment, he/she will be notified of the same via email at his/her registered email address.
6. EARNING WELCOMLINK POINTS
(a) A WelcomLink member can earn WelcomLink Points on channelizing a materialized booking at participating ITC Hotels on the following basis: 1% of Eligible Room Revenue. It is hereby clarified that WelcomLink Points shall not be extended for Series Bookings and Ad-hoc Bookings.
(b) The earning of WelcomLink Points shall be subject to further conditions as follows: (i) WelcomLink Points cannot be clubbed with any other loyalty membership points of the WelcomLink member or another person or transferred to another membership account or by any other person. The Program cannot be used in conjunction with any other promotion or rewards Program. (ii) WelcomLink Points are not redeemable for cash or any other form of credit and can be used only for redemption in accordance with the Program Terms and Conditions. Members have no ownership interest in accrued WelcomLink Points and accrued WelcomLink Points are not the property of the Members. (iii) WelcomLink Points shall be credited to the WelcomLink member's account for all bookings based on Eligible Room Revenue, valid at all Participating Hotels. WelcomLink Points will not be awarded for no-shows, cancelled or duplicate bookings made by any other WelcomLink member(s). (iv) Subject to other terms, for any discounted prices for any Eligible Room Revenue, members will earn WelcomLink Points only on the billed amount net of discounts and exclusive of taxes. (v) In the case of conference billing, WelcomLink members can earn WelcomLink Points on 'eligible room revenues' only (vi) WelcomLink Points shall not be extended for Series Bookings and Ad-hoc Bookings (vii) Members cannot combine the WelcomLink program with any other program including any other loyalty program membership with Partner(s). (viii) Existing unredeemed points which are available to members of the previous WelcomLink loyalty Program shall be carried forward to the member's new account, as enrolled and registered under this Programme. (ix) WelcomLink points can be earned for a consecutive stay of maximum 30 room nights. No points will be given for any room night over & above 30 consecutive room nights.
(c) WelcomLink points are credited to the membership account automatically; provided the WelcomLink membership number is recorded at the time of booking. In case of non-crediting of points due to the WelcomLink membership number not being quoted and tagged at the time of reservation, it is possible for a missing transaction to occur. Members may claim WelcomLink points for their missing transactions through the missing transaction link in their online accounts or by emailing customer.service@itchotels.in with all details of the missing transaction. Missing transaction requests that are older than 180 days from the stay/transaction being materialised shall not be accommodated.
7. BONUS REWARDS
In addition to the earning of WelcomLink Points for every materialised room night, a WelcomLink member will be awarded with a special bonus reward on achieving the milestone of 25th, 50th & 100th materialised room nights respectively once a year.
(a) On completing 25 materialised room nights, a WelcomLink member is awarded a Rs. 500/- Privilege Certificate. This Certificate can be utilised towards all eligible charges (i.e. excluding taxes, paid-outs, gratuities, catering and service charge(s). Eligible charges include room/stay charges, food & beverage, business centre services/ telecommunications charges, spa & salon services). All extra charges incurred shall be settled directly at the end of use of services(s). The utilisation of this Certificate is valid only at ITC Hotels (except ITC Grand Bharat, Gurgaon & ITC Grand Grand Goa Resort & Spa, Goa) and at the following Welcomhotels- Welcomhotel Amritsar, Welcomhotel Bay Island, Port Blair, Welcomhotel Bengaluru, Welcomhotel Chennai, Welcomhotel Coimbatore, Welcomhotel Vadodara, Welcomhotel Bhubaneswar & Welcomhotel Guntur. This Certificate shall not be valid at Fortune Hotels & WelcomHeritage Hotels.
(b) On completing 50 materialised room nights, a WelcomLink member is awarded a Gourmet Experience Certificate. This Certificate entitles the WelcomLink member to a lunch/dinner buffet meal for up to 4 guests at any Coffee shop/24 hour dining restaurant (excluding taxes, paid-outs, gratuities & catering charges). All extra charges shall be settled directly at the end of the dining experience. The utilisation of this Certificate is valid only at ITC Hotels (except ITC Grand Bharat, Gurgaon & ITC Grand Grand Goa Resort & Spa, Goa) and at the following Welcomhotels- Welcomhotel Amritsar, Welcomhotel Bay Island, Port Blair, Welcomhotel Bengaluru, Welcomhotel Chennai, Welcomhotel Coimbatore, Welcomhotel Vadodara, Welcomhotel Bhubaneswar & Welcomhotel Guntur. This Certificate shall not be valid at Fortune Hotels & WelcomHeritage Hotels.
(c) On completing 100 materialised room nights, a WelcomLink member is awarded a Night Experience Certificate. This Night Experience Certificate includes a stay for one night and two days in a standard room for two adults and up to two children below 12 years. All applicable taxes and extra charges shall need to be settled directly at check-out.The utilisation of this Certificate is valid only at ITC Hotels (except ITC Grand Bharat, Gurgaon & ITC Grand Grand Goa Resort & Spa, Goa) and at the following Welcomhotels- Welcomhotel Amritsar, Welcomhotel Bay Island, Port Blair, Welcomhotel Bengaluru, Welcomhotel Chennai, Welcomhotel Coimbatore, Welcomhotel Vadodara, Welcomhotel Bhubaneswar & Welcomhotel Guntur. This Certificate shall not be valid at Fortune Hotels & WelcomHeritage Hotels.
8. REDEMPTION OF WELCOMLINK POINTS
(a) WelcomLink Points can be redeemed by a member for: (i) Instant settlement of bills at Participating Hotels for stays, food and beverage, spas, business centre facilities, etc. (ii) Issuance of ITC Hotels Experience Certificates/vouchers usable for settlement of bills against stay / accommodation at participating ITC Hotels, Welcomhotels, Fortune Hotels and WelcomHeritage Hotels. (iii) Issuance of ITC Hotels Gourmet Experience Certificates/Vouchers usable for settlement of bills against food and beverage at participating ITC Hotels and Welcomhotels (iv) Issuance of ITC Hotels Gift Certificates/Vouchers usable for settlement of bills against stay/accommodation, food and beverage. Redemption of WelcomLink Points for stay or consumption of food and beverage at ITC Hotels, Welcomhotels and Fortune Hotels shall not be available during Blackout Periods (v) Issuance of Gift Certificates/ vouchers to the applicable extent for Travel House services. For details, contact Customer Care or log onto www.welcomlink.in
(b) WelcomLink Points do not carry uniform values for the purpose of redemption across different brands of ITC Limited or Partners.
(c) On redemption, the WelcomLink member's account shall stand debited by the number of WelcomLink Points redeemed.
(d) All ITC Limited policies for availability, cancellation, usage, stay etc. that ITC Limited may have in respect of ITC Hotels shall additionally apply to any availment by a WelcomLink member of the products/ services of the relevant brand pursuant to a redemption.
(e) In case of instant settlement of bills, upon redemption of WelcomLink Points for adjustment against a part of the billed amount, the balance amount billed shall be settled by WelcomLink member in cash and /or recognized credit/debit card at the point of sale.
(f) Redemption request of the WelcomLink Points for issuance of Gift Certificates/vouchers can be done by a WelcomLink member by accessing www.welcomlink.in or contacting Customer Care and requesting for redemption or writing to customer.service@itchotels.in
(g) Apart from the terms and conditions stated herein, the terms and conditions specified on a Gift Certificate/voucher shall also govern the receipt and utilization of the Gift Certificate/voucher.
(h) Any instrument of redemption including all Certificates/ vouchers is not redeemable, replaceable or refundable in cash. Neither can they be exchanged for any other vouchers/ certificates of alternative denominations or part thereof. The Certificates/vouchers will not be re-issued if stolen, lost or destroyed in any manner. The Certificates/vouchers shall not be revalidated under any circumstance(s) whatsoever.
(i) Partner entities may impose additional terms and conditions on redemption of WelcomLink Points or usage of Gift Certificates/vouchers which shall be binding on WelcomLink members.
(j) The type of redemption being sought will determine the minimum number of days required to process the redemption which could range from approximately 7 to 30 working days.
(k) Taxes may additionally be levied on purchases via Gift Certificates/vouchers, which shall be paid for by the member in cash and/ or recognized credit/debit card.
(l) All Gift Certificates/vouchers will be sent to the preferred mailing address (in India only) of the member reflected in the WelcomLink account. If a package is received in a damaged condition, a WelcomLink member must not accept the same from the courier in order to receive a replacement from ITC Hotels. No replacement of Gift Certificate/voucher will be provided or any such request entertained if the WelcomLink member has accepted the delivery of the damaged package.
(m) Redemption requests once processed cannot be reversed and the relevant number of WelcomLink Points shall stand debited from the WelcomLink member's account once processing is complete.
9. ADDITIONAL TERMS
(a) ITC Hotels holds out no representation or warranty in respect of the quality of the products and services of the Partner. All sale of products and services by ITC Limited are also on an 'as is where is' basis.
(b) Commencing October 01, 2015, WelcomLink Points earned or otherwise obtained by a WelcomLink member will be forfeited without notice if the WelcomLink member becomes "Inactive". A WelcomLink member is considered "Inactive" if during a 12 consecutive month period (i) The WelcomLink member has not made an eligible booking at a participating ITC Hotel or (ii) the WelcomLink member's account has been cancelled. The mentioned 12 consecutive month period shall commence from the date of the last eligible booking at a participating ITC Hotel
(c) Without prejudice to other rights of ITC Hotels, the membership of a WelcomLink member may be terminated by ITC Hotels at its sole discretion without assigning any reason whatsoever.
(d) ITC Hotels disclaims all responsibility and liability with respect to any act or omission by any of the Partners, their directors, employees, agents or contractors.
(e) ITC Hotels shall be entitled to use personal information provided by the WelcomLink member for marketing of the WelcomLink Program, without further reference to the WelcomLink member.
(f) The Bonus Rewards awarded upon completion of 25, 50 and 100 room nights respectively, must be completed within a period of 12 months. Additionally a maximum of 3 Bonus Rewards may be earned within any 12 month period.
10. PROGRAMME AVAILABILITY AND TERMINATION
ITC Hotels reserves the right to restrict, suspend, discontinue or cancel any part of or this entire Program upon thirty (30) days' written notice posted on www.welcomlink.in. No claims for earning of WelcomLink Points will be accepted after the date of the termination. Any claims made but not approved by the date of the Termination Notice will be deemed invalid and of no effect. Members may redeem WelcomLink Points up to 90 days after the date of the termination. WelcomLink Points not redeemed within the said period will be forfeited.
11. CHANGES IN TERMS AND CONDITIONS
ITC Hotels reserves the right to change, limit, modify or cancel the Program, these Terms and Conditions, the benefits, conditions of participation, in whole or part at any time. No Member shall have the right to object to any change implemented by ITC Hotels to the Program or these Terms and Conditions which affects or may affect the value of WelcomLink Points already accumulated by that Member.
12. NOTICE OF CHANGE
Any changes made to the Program or these Terms and Conditions will be shown on www.welcomlink.in and will take effect immediately unless otherwise stated. ITC Hotels will attempt to notify Active Members of Program changes but will not be liable for any failure to do so. All announced changes will be binding on all Members. All communication posted on www.welcomlink.in will be deemed to have been received by the Member and ITC Hotels bears no responsibility for communication not received.
13. PROGRAM VIOLATION
ITC Hotels reserves all rights to take appropriate action including, without limitation, the forfeiture of all WelcomLink Points issued pursuant to Point redemptions and any accrued WelcomLink Points in a Member's account, as well as cancellation of the Member's account and the Member's future participation in the Program upon discovery of any violation of the Program Terms and Conditions or fraud or abuse on the part of a Member.
14. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY
ITC Limited or its directors, employees, agents, affiliates or contractors shall not be held liable for any direct, indirect, special, consequential, remote or punitive losses, damages, costs and expenses, howsoever suffered or threatening to arise against a WelcomLink member or prospective member, with or without any act, breach or omission by ITC Limited or its directors, employees, agents, affiliates or contractors, or its Partners and their directors, employees, agents, affiliates or contractors.
15. BINDING DECISIONS OF ITC HOTELS
All decisions by ITC Hotels in respect of this Program or any element thereof including, without limitation, in respect of the number of WelcomLink Points credited, redemption of WelcomLink Points, eligibility for or exclusion from the memberships election of WelcomLink Status, termination of membership at discretion of ITC Hotels, closure or earlier withdrawal of Program, etc. shall be final and binding on a WelcomLink member or prospective member.
16. JURISDICTION
All disputes arising out of or related to WelcomLink Program or these Terms shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts in New Delhi.