December 21, 2015 Owner & Franchise Communications

Mobile “Win the Stay” Update

The landscape of the hospitality industry has changed: technology is accelerating, intermediary costs are growing, competitors and OTAs are aggressively moving into the stay, and Next Gen travelers expect more. Through Marriott’s “win the booking, win the stay” Digital Strategy, we are transforming the mobile-digital guest experience and motivating customers to Book Direct.

Since the launch of Mobile Guest Services globally last year in support of this Book Direct strategy, Marriott has been focused on strengthening hotels’ mobile culture to create a deeper connection with guests and serve travelers in an even more personalized way.

We are pleased to announce that Marriott’s industry-leading Mobile Requests and chat feature, the next step in the digital transformation of the Marriott Stay Experience, is now live at 700 full service hotels worldwide. Through the app, guests can:

Communicate with hotel staff 1-3 days prior to arrival, during their stay, and up to midnight day of departure
Request various amenities (e.g., towels, housekeeping, valet, etc.)
Tap “anything else” and chat with hotel staff in real time to get their issue or question resolved

More than 50,000 requests, ranging from organizing amenities for special occasions to letting hotel staff know their flight was delayed, have already been made via the mobile app. We know from guest feedback that this personalized communication builds brand engagement and enables hotels to deliver a superior experience to further enhance guest engagement.

Additionally, with 7 million digital check-ins and check-outs to date, Mobile Check-In usage has grown to 15% of Marriott Rewards arrivals across all hotels globally, up nearly four times as much compared to last year. Guests using the mobile app have a 2.5-point higher satisfaction with their check-in experience than non-mobile guests, according to guestVoice.

MOBILE KEY: Swipe. Tap. Unwind.

Mobile Key is another “win the stay” effort that will strengthen Marriott’s Book Direct strategy and deliver personalized service to Rewards members. Our customer research shows keyless entry is a priority for improving the overall travel experience for business travelers and Next Gen guests. We have been developing the prerequisites for a scalable, secure, and reliable Mobile Key solution, which we believe will deliver the right economics to you as well as an enhanced experience for every guest who chooses to use Mobile Key.

Marriott’s two-part “skip the desk” Mobile Key solution offers choice, control, flexibility, and personalization:

With Mobile Key Locks installed throughout the hotel, guests conveniently use their mobile device as their room key to enjoy secure, reliable access across the hotel.
With the self-serve Mobile Key Station, guests activate a key reader screen installed in the main lobby to print up to 6 traditional room keys from their mobile device.

Marriott has identified the right lock vendors, guest experience, and installation process to successfully implement Mobile Key. Following is a summary of our high-level deployment impacts and timeline.

Guestroom Lock Standard:

In preparation for the Mobile Key implementation, all hotels will be required to meet the Mobile Key Lock Standard for Mobile Key certified RFID BLE locks, which was published in May 2015. The standard was updated last week to require 100% installation and includes a multi-vendor approach. Marriott has certified Saflok, and we are pursuing additional certification with Ving and Onity in 2016.

To enable the launch of Mobile Key to all hotels by year-end 2018, the standard requires all hotels to retrofit or replace 100% of guestroom and all guest-keyed access area locks, as follows:

Locks 10 years or older must be replaced.
Locks 6-10 years old are recommended to be replaced, or required for retrofit.
Locks less than 6 years old may be retrofitted if not already Mobile Key certified RFID BLE.

At launch, 50% of guestroom inventory must be “activated” with Mobile Key, with a goal to activate 100% of locks by end of 2018.

Leading with Marriott Hotels, MOXY, and AC Hotels:

An accelerated timeline for the Marriott Hotels brand will require all properties in the U.S. and Canada to launch Mobile Key by year-end 2017. Details will be communicated to MH owners and franchisees shortly.

Going forward, new-build MOXY and AC Hotels will open with Mobile Key, and we will also test Mobile Key globally in 2016.

DESIGNING AND TESTING NEW FEATURES

Based on customer feedback and research, our teams are working to provide a more reliable and easier-to-use mobile app experience. We are strengthening our “win the booking, win the stay” Digital Strategy with new features and services.

As an expansion of the Mobile Requests platform, we are testing new Mobile Dining concepts at 10 Marriott Hotels and 6 Ritz-Carlton hotels. Guests can select food and drink directly from the Marriott Mobile App, input their delivery time and location, and call or chat directly with hotel staff about their order. In addition, we are expanding Mobile Requests and chat to our Select Service and Extended Stay hotels next year, further elevating service for our guests across our portfolio.

We will continue to engage you along our journey as we explore and test new features to win the stay with guests. To learn more about the work currently underway, please view Marriott’s Digital Travel Experience Showcase.

Thank you for your continued feedback, support, advice, and partnership. For questions, please contact mobileservices@marriott.com.