MARRIOTT REIMAGINES ITS MOBILE APP TO MEET THE NEEDS OF MODERN WORLD TRAVELERS
App puts power in the hands of
Marriott Rewards members to personalize their travel experience
DUBAI, UAE – February 8,
2017 –
Based on the foundation of actual hands-on guest research and feedback, Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR) will now offer Marriott Rewards members a
dynamic mobile experience personalized for them. Today marks the launch of the
newly redesigned and engaging Marriott Mobile app for iOS users in five
languages, with Android coming soon. Guests will enjoy new and expanded digital
features; customized travel content; simple, one-button navigation; and a new
swipe-able discovery home screen.
The new Marriott Mobile
app breaks the mold of typical hospitality apps, by going beyond transactions
and one-size-fits-all content. For Marriott Rewards members, the new Marriott
Mobile app dynamically adjusts to personalize the user’s experience throughout
their travel journey. Whether members are in trip planning mode, getting ready
to travel, in transit, or enjoying their hotel stay, the app will display
content and features based on what services members are most likely to need in
that moment of their travel journey.
“Smart devices are now
everyone’s indispensable travel companion, as more and more travelers
increasingly expect to have their needs satisfied using their mobile phone,”
said George Corbin, Senior Vice President of Digital, Marriott
International. “Marriott is using mobile to introduce and revolutionize
the next generation of customer service to travelers worldwide, delivering a
far more personalized and anticipatory stay experience.”
More than half of
smartphone owners now use their devices for travel-related activities[i] and,
according to Google, 74 percent of people have at least one travel app on their
device. Therein lies the opportunity for Marriott to engage with travelers on
the platforms where they are most active.
“Many people have an
emotional connection with their mobile devices and apps they’ve
downloaded. Therefore, it makes sense that we can deepen our relationship
with Marriott Rewards members by delivering greater recognition, and easy
access to the loyalty programs’ features through our new mobile experience”,
said Thom Kozik, vice president of Loyalty, Marriott International. “We
know some of our most loyal guests stay with us upwards of 100 nights a
year. For them, along with members who stay less frequently, we can
become a valuable part of their travel experience on a device they engage with
365 days a year.”
Starting today, the
Marriott Mobile app for IOS is available in the Apple App Store in English,
Chinese, Spanish, French and German. Following this year, Android users will be
able download the app in Google Play.
What’s Inside the App:
Extensive customer
research and member feedback is driving the new mobile app experience and will
continue to do so as part of Marriott’s ongoing service innovation strategy.
Since Marriott became
the first hotel company to offer Mobile Check-in/Checkout and Mobile Room Ready
Alerts worldwide in 2014, more than 12 million members have taken advantage of
it. The popular feature will now be easier to use and more powerful. For
example, when members check in using the app, for the first time they will now be
able to request room upgrades and receive notification it has been fulfilled
before they arrive. Also for the first time, they will be able to request a
late check-out in the app rather than at front desk, which is guaranteed for
Gold and Platinum Elite Members.
With the app’s
innovative new navigation, members will find it even easier to customize their
stay with Mobile Requests. Guests can use the app to chat directly with hotel
staff before, during and after their stays for special requests that require
personal attention, or choose from a drop-down menu of the most frequently
requested services or amenities such as more towels or extra pillows. Fully 54
percent of users make their requests before they’ve even checked-in. Having
been the first to offer Mobile Requests globally beginning in 2015, the service
is currently available at more than 4,000 hotels worldwide.
With the app relaunch,
Marriott is also expanding Mobile Key, rolling out to more than 500 hotels
globally this year. Members who check-in using the Marriott Mobile app can
choose to skip the front desk and go straight to their room, using their
smartphone to open the door.
For travelers in
planning mode, they will now be able to precisely narrow down their destination
searches by address or point-of-interest to find the closest, most convenient
hotel, and to save their favorite hotels for quicker future bookings.
Increasingly, travelers
are seeking more authentic destination information from local experts whether
they’re choosing where to go or looking for tips for what to do once they get
there. For the first time, the app will deliver curated, original content from
Marriott’s digital magazine, Traveler based on users’ previous hotel searches
or upcoming travels.
Easier Navigation:
Members will engage with
the app’s new interface that features an innovative “one-button” ergonomic
design. Inspired by observing travelers as they dashed through airports,
balancing their phone in one hand and luggage in the other, the new design
offers simple thumb-tap access to everything the app has to offer. In a
departure from other hospitality apps, the typical “never-changing” home screen
has been replaced with four dynamic, swipe-able screens triggered by what
travelers may need at a specific point in their journey. For example, members
leaving on their trip will see Mobile Check-in and Mobile Requests when they
open the app. Whereas the app will greet members with future travels with their
Marriott Rewards account information and personalized destination content from
Traveler based on preferences and data.
About Marriott International
Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR) is the world’s
largest hotel company based in Bethesda, Maryland, USA, with over 6,000
properties in more than 120 countries and territories. Marriott operates and
franchises hotels and licenses vacation ownership resorts. The company’s 30
leading brands include: Bulgari®, The Ritz-Carlton® and The Ritz-Carlton
Reserve®, St. Regis®, W®, EDITION®, JW Marriott®, The Luxury Collection®,
Marriott Hotels®, Westin®, Le Méridien®, Renaissance® Hotels, Sheraton®, Delta
Hotels by MarriottSM, Marriott Executive Apartments®, Marriott
Vacation Club®, Autograph Collection® Hotels, Tribute Portfolio™, Design
Hotels™, Gaylord Hotels®, Courtyard®, Four Points® by Sheraton, SpringHill
Suites®, Fairfield Inn & Suites®, Residence Inn®, TownePlace Suites®, AC
Hotels by Marriott®, Aloft®, Element®, Moxy® Hotels, and Protea Hotels by
Marriott®. The company also operates award-winning loyalty programs:
Marriott Rewards®, which includes The Ritz-Carlton Rewards®, and Starwood
Preferred Guest®. For more information, please visit our website at www.marriott.com,
and for the latest company news, visit www.marriottnewscenter.com
and @MarriottIntl.
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