Industry Innovators 2024: Marriott

This feature is sponsored by BeEvents, creative evolutionaries who challenge the status quo to redefine the experience of live events. Its Smart Experience Design solution delivers highly impactful experiences that both stakeholders and guests love.

The Basics: Like fellow innovator Disney, it’s tough to cover all the (marketing) ground that Marriott encompasses. With a portfolio of brands—from luxury to extended-stay hotels, along with a growing loyalty program, Marriott Bonvoy—the global company caters to everyone and anyone. Which means each individual brand within it has the chance to express its personality and engage its consumers with tailored experiential activations.  

The NFL Draft Inner Circle presented by Courtyard by Marriott was located inside the Draft Theater at this year's NFL Draft in Detroit.Photo: Courtesy of 160/90For example, at this year’s Super Bowl, as the “Official Hotel of the NFL,” Courtyard by Marriott activated its annual Super Bowl Sleepover program and introduced “The Ultimate Upgrade”—when fans stayed in a Courtyard hotel during the regular season, they were eligible to enter to win the overnight stay at Allegiant Stadium the morning of Super Bowl LVIII. 

The brand also activated at this year’s NFL Draft with its Inner Circle seating area located inside the Draft Theater. Courtyard’s presence also included the Marriott Bonvoy House presented by Visa, where co-branded card members could redeem points to access a watch party. 

Marriott Bonvoy Land is a virtual park with four hotel-themed mini-games.Photo: Courtesy of Marriott BonvoyMost Innovative Experience: In October 2023, Marriott Bonvoy launched Marriott Bonvoy Land, a virtual park with four hotel-themed mini-games. Using a designated game code, players can portal into a park square via Fortnite Creative and socialize with each other before “checking in” to virtual representations of four Marriott-branded hotels: Moxy Hotels, Westin Hotels & Resorts, W Hotels & Resorts, and Autograph Collection Hotels. 

At each space, a virtual concierge greets guests, asking if they want to check in to a guest room or unlock the hotel’s mini-game. Each of the four mini-games is tied to the different brands’ overall personalities. At the playful Moxy hotel, for example, players challenge each other with a prop hunt, having one player transform into items such as flamingos or bananas while the other player tries to expose their disguise.Photo: Courtesy of Marriott Bonvoy“'Where is the best place to tell the story of these different offerings, and have people understand the distinct brands and how they might be relevant for them?'" Brian Povinelli, Marriott International's senior vice president and global head of marketing and brand, told BizBash last year. "We were looking for engagement platforms where people could spend a little more time with us, to give us a chance to introduce people to brands in our portfolio that they maybe don’t know—and also introduce them to brands that are geared toward that younger consumer.” 

SpringHill Suites’ “Space for the Whole Team” experience includes photo ops, airbrush tattoos, customized tote bags, and snacks.Photo: Courtesy of SpringHill SuitesThe Latest: SpringHill Suites by Marriott, the official hotel partner of the U.S. Soccer Federation, recently announced a series of new brand partnerships and activation moments geared toward soccer families. SpringHill Suites’ “Space for the Whole Team” experience, which includes photo ops, airbrush tattoos, customized tote bags, and snacks, appeared at the Allstate Continental Clásico in June and will be at the Impact 99 Presented by New York Life matches on July 13.