IHG expands LINE MINI App to Thailand and Taiwan

International

Hotel group integrates bookings and IHG One Rewards into the messaging platform after attracting more than four million followers with its Japanese launch

IHG Hotels & Resorts is expanding its LINE MINI App to Thailand and Taiwan, becoming the first hotel company to launch its own application within the LINE ecosystem in both markets. The move follows the introduction of the service in Japan last year, where the IHG LINE MINI App has since attracted more than four million followers.

The expansion forms part of IHG’s regional digital strategy, which increasingly brings hotel search, bookings and loyalty services onto platforms already widely used by travelers. Through LINE, users in Thailand and Taiwan can now access IHG’s portfolio of more than 7,000 hotels worldwide without leaving the messaging platform.

Hotel booking and loyalty programme in one app

The LINE MINI App allows users to search for and book stays across IHG’s global hotel portfolio. It also provides direct access to the IHG One Rewards loyalty programme.

New members can register for IHG One Rewards using their existing LINE credentials, while existing members can sign in and manage their accounts. Functions include checking membership status and points balances, redeeming rewards and accessing member benefits. In Thailand, these also include dining privileges.

“IHG has always championed a culture of firsts, and our digital acceleration is no exception,” says Dean Jones, Vice President Commercial, East Asia & Pacific at IHG Hotels & Resorts.

“Becoming the first hotel company to launch a LINE MINI App in the Thailand and Taiwan markets reflects our commitment to meeting guests where they already spend their time and making it easier to discover, book and experience our brands.”

LINE reaches 56 million users in Thailand

The choice of platform reflects LINE’s particularly strong position in Asian markets. According to IHG, the messaging service has 195 million monthly active users, including 56 million in Thailand and 22 million in Taiwan.

In Taiwan, this corresponds to around 94 percent of the population, making LINE one of the market’s most widely used digital platforms.

“Our guests in the Thailand and Taiwan markets are deeply embedded in the LINE ecosystem, with the platform playing an integral role in their daily digital lives,” says Rita Jiang, Chief Commercial & Marketing Officer, Greater China at IHG Hotels & Resorts.

She describes the launch as part of IHG’s effort to provide a mobile-first experience and make its international hotel portfolio easier to access from platforms guests already use.

Launch campaigns target loyalty members

IHG is accompanying the August launch with promotional activities for IHG One Rewards members. Alongside hotel search, booking and points management, the MINI App will offer gamified features, promotions through which users can earn LINE Points and activities reserved for members.

In Thailand, the launch also includes a series of limited-edition travel-themed LINE stickers created by illustrator duo Sundae Kids.

Digital channels become part of the booking journey

The LINE expansion illustrates how hotel groups are increasingly integrating booking and loyalty functions into established digital ecosystems rather than relying exclusively on their own websites and apps.

IHG is pursuing this strategy alongside other digital developments, including AI-powered conversational search. For the hotel group, the objective is to simplify the path from hotel discovery and loyalty membership to booking and the stay itself across its portfolio of more than 7,000 properties worldwide.