DreamFolks, the airport services aggregator in India, has taken a noteworthy step in the travel sector with the launch of its exclusive membership program- The DreamFolks Club. Without the need of a debit or credit card during travelling, this initiative aims to capture the attention of ambitious Indian travellers and looks at redefining the way people perceive and enjoy travel and luxury.
“We have bundled our world-class services into exclusive memberships targeted at luxury comfort for all budget ranges. As India’s leading airport experience disruptors, we are now extending premium travel and lifestyle services to a wider range of customers. I see the DreamFolks Club as integral to manifesting our founding belief – Making premium travel and lifestyle experiences accessible to everyone,” said Liberatha Kallat, CMD of DreamFolks, articulating the ethos behind The DreamFolks Club.
The Membership Tiers and Benefits
The DreamFolks Club offers an array of membership packages designed to cater to diverse travel and lifestyle needs. With a one-year validity and starting price ranging between INR 8000-10000, the Club introduces four card variants. The entry-level Aspire package opens the doors to premium travel, offering complimentary access to airport lounges within India, ideal for frequent travellers seeking comfort and convenience.
The Premium package elevates the benefits by granting access to global airport lounges, discounted lounge purchases, and exclusive deals on various travel and lifestyle services. Moving up the ladder, the Select package includes airport and railway lounge access as well as offers complimentary services such as beauty & grooming, floral gifting, and healthcare.
For those seeking luxury, the Elite package delivers global airport lounge access, access to golf courses, and a comprehensive suite of premium lifestyle services.
Upon joining, members gain instant access to these services. They can opt for a new or extended membership, both valid for a year.
Adding to this, Balaji Srinivasan, Executive Director and CTO at DreamFolks said that while the membership is valid for the individual/ member, it’s possible to include guests from the first package onward. “Additionally, there are good discounts if you wish to bring friends, family, or children along, offering a great way to share the benefits,” he shared.
Surge in lounge utilisation among travellers
During the launch event in New Delhi, Kallat also revealed that DreamFolks conceived the Club membership initiative after recognising the industry’s prevailing challenges, much like a gap identified 11 years prior. These challenges encompassed the rise of new sectors in banking and fintech.
“Moreover, there’s a significant surge in lounge utilisation among travellers, especially families, wherein each member possesses a card. As awareness is rising as well as there is a spike in leisure travel, so does the utilisation of lounge services in Tier II and Tier III cities. Additionally, not all introduced services are uniformly available across cards, limiting benefits,” she added.
This structure, now available in the form of Club membership, aims to streamline the user experience and address market voids, ensuring simplicity and inclusivity in accessing services for all members, said Kallat.
“11 years ago, we pioneered a card-based program, followed by a hybrid model integrating digital access six years ago. Five years back, we introduced web access for a seamless user experience. Subsequently, the self-check-in kiosk innovation alleviated lounge queuing by providing QR codes well in advance. These innovations, unique to Dream Folks globally, led us to the launch of our exclusive membership program – The Dream Folks Club,” she recalled.
As per recent studies, Indians are set to spend over USD 42 billion annually on outbound travel by 2024. This, combined with India’s increasing inclination towards sports-centred travel has been propelled by a number of factors, says Monish Shah, Founder & Chief Business Officer at DreamSetGo. In this article, he deep dived into the factors contributing to India’s emerging sports tourism market.
Every enterprise is our target
Sharing insights into their marketing strategy, Kallat told ETTravelWorld, “Regarding strategies to boost program participation and the target audience, we’re not limiting ourselves to banks or network providers. Our focus extends to enterprises. Every enterprise is our target as they’re keen on offering these benefits not just to employees but also to clients and channel partners. We’re planning to sell these services directly to enterprises through various channels, with a current emphasis on this sector.”
When asked about plans for collaborations with other industries for added value, Kallat emphasised how their suite of services holds value for a wide spectrum of an organisation’s stakeholders, making every enterprise a potential audience for these services.
Speaking further about the business-centric nature of their offerings, Sandeep Sonawane, Chief Business Officer at DreamFolks shared that through the Dream Folks Corporate Membership program, the company offers a powerful tool for businesses to elevate their relationships with key stakeholders. “These curated travel and lifestyle experience bundles provide an effortless solution for companies to incentivise, reward, and attract employees, customers, and channel partners, thus enhancing customer retention and loyalty. It also elevates your brand’s perception as a premium one, enabling companies to drive brand preference,” he said.
Sonawane further highlighted how these memberships could serve as powerful Rewards and Recognition incentives, enhancing employee engagement and fostering meaningful connections.
Commanding 90 per cent market share
Currently, DreamFolks functioning as a travel services aggregator, having an exclusive in-house technology platform, empowers various entities like Banks, Card Networks, Airlines, OTAs, and Enterprises to curate tailor-made offerings for their respective customers.
Notably, DreamFolks manages lounge facilities and other associated benefits for the majority of India’s top Banks including HDFC, Axis, ICICI and more. With an impressive dominance, it commands a 90 per cent share in the domestic lounge access market pertaining to India-issued debit and credit programs.
“Our journey commenced with lounges, which traditionally relied solely on business class passengers for their operation. Dreamfolks transformed this landscape entirely. Presently, over 80 per cent of the traffic directed to these lounges, and subsequently, the revenue of all airports, is facilitated by Dreamfolks. What was once exclusively dependent on business class travellers has now metamorphosed due to our efforts. Dreamfolks pioneered this change within the Indian industry. However, we didn’t confine ourselves to lounges alone; we diversified our services, venturing into meet-and-assist programs, airport transfers, airport spas, F&B, transit hotels, visa doorstep services, and recently, golf. The list of services continues to expand as Dreamfolks remains committed to continual innovation,” Kallat told ETTravelWorld.
The company made a significant move by going public in Sep ’22, securing listings on both the BSE and NSE. This decision marked a pivotal moment in their trajectory, which shows their global footprint now spanning across 1,500+ touchpoints spread over 100+ countries worldwide.
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The United States Department of Homeland Security has introduced a series of proposed changes to the H-1B visa program, a move with potential implications for Indian tech professionals, a significant segment of H-1B visa recipients. The proposals, which focus on modernising the program and improving its efficiency, come as the Biden Administration seeks to attract global talent and prevent misuse and fraud within the immigration system.
The changes, now open for public comment for a 60-day period, aim to make the H-1B program more accessible to both US employers and foreign workers while adhering to the protections established under US law.
One of the key changes proposed involves altering the H-1B registration selection process. Under the existing system, individuals had a higher chance of selection in the lottery if multiple registrations were submitted on their behalf. The new proposal seeks to eliminate this advantage by entering each unique individual into the selection process once, regardless of the number of registrations submitted for them. This is expected to improve the chances of legitimate registrations being selected and offer beneficiaries more choice among job offers.
The proposed rule also includes provisions for streamlining eligibility requirements, thus reducing confusion for both the public and adjudicators and clarifying that a position may allow a range of degrees, as long as there’s a direct relationship between the required degree field(s) and the job duties.
Furthermore, the rule seeks to provide greater benefits and flexibilities for both employers and workers. Specific exemptions to the H-1B cap will be expanded for certain nonprofit entities or governmental research organizations, as well as beneficiaries not directly employed by a qualifying organization. It will also extend certain flexibilities for students on an F-1 visa when they seek to change their status to H-1B. Additionally, it aims to establish new H-1B eligibility requirements for rising entrepreneurs.
The US announced on September 27 that it was admitting Israel into the visa waiver program, adding the country to a select group of 40 mostly European and Asian countries whose citizens can travel to the US for three months without visas. At the time, the US said Israelis could start traveling to America without visas as of November 30. In a news release, the Department of Homeland Security said the program was operational as of October 19.
Integrity measures will also be strengthened. The new selection process and additional regulations will reduce misuse and fraud in the H-1B registration process by prohibiting related entities from submitting multiple registrations for the same beneficiary. The rule also codifies USCIS’ authority to conduct site visits and clarifies that refusal to comply with site visits may result in petition denial or revocation.For many Indian tech professionals, the proposed changes offer potential advantages in terms of improved selection processes and a more streamlined path to working in the United States. However, it’s crucial to recognize that these changes are currently in the proposal stage and open to public comments, meaning there may still be adjustments before they are finalised and implemented.
The issue of H-1B visas has been a topic of discussion between India and the United States, with some of these changes arising after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the United States earlier this year. During that visit, the US authorities pledged to introduce ‘in-country’ renewable H-1B visas to simplify the renewal process for numerous Indian visa holders. These latest proposals indicate ongoing efforts to improve the H-1B program for the benefit of both Indian professionals and the US economy.
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