• by Tanya Gazdik , September 24, 2012

Loews Hotels and Resorts is the first hospitality brand to offer complimentary enrollment to Global Entry and TSA PreCheck.

Loews Hotels & Resorts Chairman Jonathan Tisch and U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano announced a joint effort to promote the Trusted Traveler Network which incorporates the U.S. Customs and Border Protection's Global Entry and the Transportation Security Administration's PreCheck programs. 

Loews Hotels is offering YouFirst Platinum loyalty rewards members complimentary enrollment in the Global Entry program via an online process by incurring the cost of the $100 application fee for its most loyal guests. With a Global Entry membership, U.S. citizens are automatically qualified to participate in expedited screening with TSA PreCheck.

Current Platinum YouFirst members will receive an email with this exclusive one-time offer, which will expire in 60 days.

"Partnerships are integral to the way we do business as a brand," said Tisch in a statement. "Our collaboration highlights the importance of the public and private sectors working together to improve hospitality for all our guests, whether that be at our hotels or traveling through an airport."

Global Entry is a CBP program that allows expedited clearance for pre-approved, low-risk international travelers upon arrival in the United States. Using an automated kiosk, travelers scan their passports and fingerprints, answer the customs declaration questions using the kiosk's touchscreen and proceed with a receipt to the exit, with the whole process taking approximately a minute to complete. 

TSA PreCheck is an expedited domestic screening initiative that is expanding to airports across the country. Implementing a key component of the agency's intelligence-driven, risk-based approach to security, TSA PreCheck enhances aviation security by placing more focus on pre-screening individuals who volunteer to participate to expedite the travel experience.

Loews is dedicated to improving guests' complete travel experience from airport security checkpoints to hotel check-ins, said Paul Whetsell, CEO and president of Loews Hotels & Resorts.  

"To be the first hotel brand to offer this service demonstrates that we understand the needs of travelers, especially those who travel frequently for business," he said in a release.