Dino Varkey, Group CEO, GEMS Education, and Faisal Memon, Founder & CEO, iOL
iOL, a global travel technology company, and GEMS Education have announced a strategic partnership to introduce a new hotel booking experience for GEMS Rewards members.
Powered by iOL Escapes, the collaboration will provide GEMS Rewards members with access to a global portfolio of leading international hotel brands, luxury properties and resorts across popular business and leisure destinations. From family holidays and weekend getaways to business travel, the partnership aims to deliver greater choice, convenience and value to the GEMS community.
Through the new offering, members will be able to enjoy exclusive hotel rates alongside additional benefits at participating properties, including complimentary breakfast, room upgrades, early check-in, late check-out and other special offers, subject to hotel availability and applicable terms and conditions.
The booking experience will be accessible through the GEMS Rewards App, allowing members to explore, search and book hotels through a dedicated platform powered by iOL Escapes. iOL will manage the underlying technology, hotel sourcing, booking fulfilment, payment processing and customer support, providing an end-to-end booking solution.
Faisal Memon, Founder & CEO of iOL, said: “We’re delighted to partner with GEMS Education to bring exclusive hotel offers and travel benefits to GEMS Rewards members. Through iOL Escapes, we’re combining compelling benefits with an intuitive search and seamless booking experience, making it easier than ever for members to discover exceptional properties, book with confidence, and enjoy savings on their hotel stays. For our global hotel partners, this partnership also creates an opportunity to showcase their properties to a discerning international community of GEMS parents, teachers and students.”
Dino Varkey, Group CEO, GEMS Education, said: “At GEMS Education, we are continually looking for new ways to bring meaningful value to our families and staff. Our partnership with iOL represents another important step in expanding the GEMS Rewards ecosystem, providing our community with greater choice and access to exclusive travel benefits worldwide. By extending our offering into global hospitality, we are creating more opportunities for our members to enjoy value beyond the classroom and throughout their everyday lives.”
The partnership reflects GEMS Education’s continued commitment to enhancing its loyalty and rewards offering, extending benefits beyond education into travel, hospitality and everyday lifestyle experiences. By combining the reach of the GEMS community with iOL’s global hotel distribution and technology capabilities, the collaboration introduces a convenient way for members to access hotel benefits through a familiar digital platform. The partnership also demonstrates how iOL Escapes enables organisations to expand their loyalty offerings through a fully managed hotel booking solution, connecting members with exclusive rates and additional benefits without the complexity of managing hotel inventory, payments or booking support.
GEMS Rewards members will be able to explore participating hotels and access the new booking experience through the GEMS Rewards App.
About iOL
With nearly three decades of experience, iOL is a global travel technology company providing distribution, payment, booking and intelligence solutions to the travel and hospitality industry, with a growing focus on AI-driven innovation.
Its ecosystem brings together five complementary platforms:
- iOL X – Connecting hotels directly with travel buyers to simplify distribution, increase efficiency and reduce costs.
- iOL Pay – Helping travel businesses collect and make payments globally, across multiple currencies and payment methods.
- iOL Pulse – Providing market intelligence on hotel rates, competitors and traveller demographics to support smarter business decisions.
- iOL Edge – Powering branded booking engines and portals that help businesses increase direct bookings.
- iOL Escapes – Enabling organisations to offer tailored hotel deals and booking experiences to their members and customers through loyalty programmes.
Together, these solutions help travel and hospitality businesses reach more customers, streamline their operations, and unlock new opportunities for growth.
About GEMS Education
GEMS Education is one of the world’s leading, oldest and largest private K–12 education providers, with a legacy spanning more than 65 years. Founded in the UAE with roots dating back to 1959, and beginning with a single school in a private home in Dubai in 1968, GEMS remains a family-founded and family-led organisation, guided by its Founder and Chairman, Sunny Varkey, and his sons Dino Varkey, Group Chief Executive Officer, and Jay Varkey, Deputy Group Chief Executive Officer.
Today, GEMS educates more than 200,000 students from over 176 nationalities through its global network of owned and managed schools, supported by more than 17,700 employees, including over 10,000 educators and school leaders representing 112 nationalities.
Guided by its mission to put a quality education within the reach of every learner, everywhere, GEMS combines academic excellence, character development, wellbeing, innovation and strong partnerships with families and communities.
Through its expanding network and philanthropic initiatives, GEMS continues to create opportunities for young people to become leaders, innovators and positive changemakers in their communities and beyond.
