Swallow Hotels have launched a new loyalty scheme - designed by a Midlands company - targeted at infrequent users.

The idea is to encourage them to switch from other mid-range hotels.

Called Stay and Smile, the stamp card-based scheme aims to deliver value to visitors who qualify for a free night after buying five.

The campaign was designed by the Sutton Coldfield-based WAA group and handled by it's customer relationship management company Send Marketing.

To make a claim, customers have the choice of posting a card or going online.

Swallow Hotel group marketing director Mark Taylor was previously director of consumer marketing at Hilton.

He said: "I learned a lot about loyalty cards through the development and evolution of the Hilton Honours loyalty programme.

"The offer has to suit the customer and the profile of an individual or SME customer is completely different to the large corporate customer.

"Smaller users just can't attain the level of bed nights required to gain rewards from a complex loyalty scheme designed for large corporates."

One of our key objectives for Stay and Smile was to build the brand, building and switching customer from rival mid-market hotel brands.

WAA recently celebrated one of its largest wins - a global contract to rebrand the Small Luxury Hotels of the World group.

The £5 million deal will see the Sutton Coldfield-based operation work on brand development and planning, advertising and corporate design.

Last year WAA bought Birmingham internet consultancy WebXpress, realising its ambitions to add digital media to its existing marketing services.

The two agencies had successfully collaborated on a number of web projects over recent years, with WebXpress producing web sites for WAA clients, including Swallow Hotels and British Pepper & Spice.

WAA as a group employs 60 people.