More than ever before, travellers are seeking out memorable personalized experiences. Today, Marriott International – a long-time leader in providing guests with customised experiential travel opportunities – announced it has invested in PlacePass, a pioneering provider of travel technology solutions offering travellers an online meta-search platform for in-destination experiences. Global travellers will soon be able to choose from an additional 100,000 plus authentic local experiences in 800 destinations worldwide when they book direct on Marriott.com or SPG.com or their respective apps.
Travellers can go to members.marriott.com to learn more about what’s in store and the types of experiences Marriott will offer with PlacePass, as well as the personalised experiences already available to travellers through its loyalty programmes.
The news comes as Marriott announced membership in its loyalty programmes – Marriott Rewards, which includes The Ritz-Carlton Rewards, and Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) – has surpassed 100 million members. In part, this increase is being driven by Marriott’s established experiential travel platforms. In 2006, SPG launched Moments, which is now complemented by Marriott Rewards’ Experiences Marketplace, where members last year redeemed points for about 6,000 travel experiences, around passion points like music, sports, culinary and culture.
Stephanie Linnartz, Global Chief Commercial Officer, Marriott International said, “The addition of PlacePass activities and tours beginning later this year reflects Marriott’s commitment to giving our guests a complete travel experience, whether they are in planning mode, staying in our hotels and even in-between stays when they’re thinking about travel,” “We want our guests to count on Marriott to give them access to more of the destinations and things they love to do when they travel.”
With an ever-increasing array of travel experiences, 30 diverse global brands, and more than 6,000 hotels and resorts in 122 countries and territories, as well as the world’s largest collection of luxury properties, Marriott is uniquely positioned to offer all its guests unrivaled and memorable experiences when they travel.
Emily Bernard, Chief Brand Officer and co-founder, PlacePass said, “This is an incredibly exciting opportunity to partner with Marriott, an innovative hospitality leader. Together with Marriott, we will connect guests to great experiences so they make the most of their travels, connect with locals, and discover the world in new ways.”
Marriott has a long history of delivering travel experiences powered by the strongest lineup of prestigious partners in hospitality like the NFL, MLB, US Open and Formula One for sports fans; Universal Music Group and AEG for music buffs; and many more for cultural and culinary enthusiasts.
