This is the start-to-finish path for launching a Yada loyalty program. Each step links to a detailed article. Setting up the program does not email guests. Nothing goes out until you send a campaign or activate a journey.
How it works
Yada pulls in your past guests from your PMS and tracks their stays.
Guests earn points on stays and reviews according to your earn rules.
Guests redeem points for rewards you define. Earning and redeeming are configured separately.
Guests check balances and redeem at the loyalty portal (loyalty.yada.ai) or through the Yada chat widget on your site.
Before you start
Your PMS is connected to Yada.
Decide who internally signs off on point rules and rewards before you backfill.
Loyalty is separate from marketing automation; you can use it without the marketing tools.
Step 1: Create the program
Open Marketing > Loyalty and click Get Started.
Name the program (for example, "Acme Rewards Program"). You can change it later.
Choose what points are called: Points (default), Stars, Bucks, and so on.
Step 2: Set how guests earn
Default rules award points per dollar spent, with richer rates for direct bookings than OTA bookings, plus 200 points for a 5-star review. Points reflect dollars spent. A large balance is not a dollar value.
Full detail: Set Earn and Redeem Rules for Loyalty.
Step 3: Define rewards
Add each reward with a description, a point cost, and a fulfillment method: an automatic PMS coupon code the guest is emailed, or manual fulfillment you complete from the Redemptions tab. A guest can redeem one reward at a time, so they can't cash out a whole balance at once.
Full detail: Set Earn and Redeem Rules for Loyalty.
Step 4: Activate and backfill
Set the program Status to Active. Backfill won't run while it's inactive.
Preview the historical award and review the balances. A few top spenders will be very high.
Run the backfill only when rules and rewards are signed off internally. No email is sent.
Full detail: Manage Loyalty Members, Balances, and Backfill.
Step 5: Tell guests
Journeys (automatic): activate the default loyalty journeys, such as the points reminder five days after checkout.
Campaign (for past guests): send the loyalty points reminder template to guests who stayed years ago.
Your website: use the Yada widget, or add a loyalty landing page that links to loyalty.yada.ai.
Full detail: Invite Guests to Loyalty and Use the Guest Portal.
Rollout checklist
Create and name the program.
Confirm point rules with your team.
Create rewards at each tier, with PMS coupon codes where possible.
Set Status to Active, preview, then run backfill.
Send the points-reminder campaign and turn on the loyalty journeys.
Add the portal link or Yada widget to your site.
Check in after a couple of weeks.