March 18, 2021 | U.S. & Canada Franchise Management Company Webinar

Tier Level

Tier Breakdown By Room Count

Cost Per Hotel

Tier 1

Hotels with 200 rooms or less

$500 USD

Tier 2

Hotels with 201 – 550 rooms

$1,500 USD

Tier 3

Hotels with 551+ rooms

$3,000 USD

Brand-Based Campaign

Cost Per Hotel

U.S. Luxury Resorts

$3,000 USD

U.S. Luxury Urban

$3,000 USD

U.S. & Canada Franchise Update | March 18, 2021

Review Resources from Recorded March GM Webinar
Watch the recording to hear program updates and review the full presentation for additional information included in the appendix.

Review 2021 American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) and Hotel Association of Canada (HAC) Assessment Details; Opt Out by April 2 if Desired
Since the pandemic began, AHLA (U.S.) & HAC (Canada) have been working diligently to represent the lodging industry and lobby for relief for hotels and associates. All hotels are encouraged to participate in the annual membership in support of these critical efforts. As communicated in December 2020, Marriott will be facilitating a per-room assessment on behalf of our owners and franchisees, which will be remitted directly to AHLA and HAC.

•U.S. Hotels: The 2021 assessment is $5.00 (USD) per room for Luxury hotels and $4.50 (USD) per room for all other brands. Hotels are encouraged to view AHLA’s 2020 accomplishments and the overview of AHLA property membership benefits. Those not wishing to participate may complete the opt-out form.

•Canada Hotels: The 2021 assessment is $2.00 (CAD). Hotels are encouraged to view the overview of HAC property membership benefits. Those not wishing to participate may complete the opt-out form.

The assessment will be billed to hotels in the June OFB invoice (received in July 2021). Hotels not wishing to participate must opt out by April 2 or they will be considered participating.

Date

Details

Link

March 23

Property Marketing Office Hours Available March 23 at 4 p.m. ET
​This virtual session (Join | Add to Calendar) will provide an open forum for property marketing contacts to ask questions. No pre-registration required.

March 24 & 30

PLUS Platform Office Hours Available March 24 & 30
Office hours have been scheduled to ensure hotels have the support needed as they transition to the new Digital Media Planner and Campaign Optimizer. Click the link below to join; registration not required. 

•March 24 at 8 a.m. ET (Join | Add to Calendar)

•March 30 at 12 p.m. ET (Join | Add to Calendar)

MGS

March 25

U.S. & Canada Account Sales Team – Select Accounts Webinar on March 25 at 1 p.m. ET
​Click the link to join the webinar; registration is not required (Join | Add to Calendar). During the call, the U.S. & Canada Account Sales Team will share information on how hotels can partner with the group of sellers deployed to Select Account opportunities. This proactive and reactive team is responsible for accounts with a total spend up to $250k each.

April 7, 20, 22

Selling in a Down Economy Virtual Class Now Available
This optional 60-minute class is designed for sales leaders, team members and GMs interested in improving sales at their property. This course will examine how hotels and the industry responded to the 2008 great recession, lessons learned and share creative sales best practices to build a strong recovery. With approval from your manager, sign up for one of the three options for $15 USD per person. Advanced registration is required via mHUB and spots are limited.

•April 7 at 2 p.m. ET

•April 20 at 11 a.m. ET

•April 22 at 2 p.m. ET

MGS

May 11, 12, 18, 19

Q2 Virtual Mobile, GXP and Marriott Bonvoy Workshop Registration Available
Contact-Lite experiences continue to remain a focus during the recovery process as associates and guests adjust to today’s travel norms. Delivering these services consistently builds guest trust, loyalty and streamline operations. The Digital Guest Experience, GXP and Marriott Bonvoy programs will be continuing the virtual workshop series in May at no cost to associates. Register for the available sessions below: 

•Full Service/Luxury: May 11; 3-5 p.m. ET or May 19; 1-3 p.m. ET

•MSB: May 12; 1-3 p.m. ET or May 18; 3-5 p.m. ET

Date

Details

Link

March 19

Marriott Account Sales Preferred Business Pilot Program; Opt Out by March 19
As part of the Business Transient segment focus, Marriott is piloting a North American Preferred Business Program within a select group of Account Sales Mid-Market customers.  The Pilot includes a discount of 5% off retail rate, effective April 1 – Dec. 31. Hotels wishing to opt out can do so via survey response by March 19. No action is required for participation; the 5% discount will be automatically loaded. Program details and opt out instructions will be communicated to all MarRFP users on March 8 and can also be found on MGS.

MGS

March 25

#ForwardForArne Running Through March 25
Associates are invited to join #ForwardForArne and run, walk or wheel any distance in Arne’s honor and can view others’ inspiring stories and events or share their own photos and videos. Consider using a custom Instagram background (violet or white) and the hashtag #ForwardForArne on social media. Visit MGS to download an event bib and other resources to help activate locally.

MGS

March 26

Marriott Awards of Excellence Nominations Due by March 26

The Marriott Awards of Excellence were established to recognize the “best of the best” each year for outstanding customer service and corporate citizenship. Use the online process to nominate for the following awards:

•J. Willard Marriott Award of Excellence

•Alice S. Marriott Award for Community Service

March 26

Marriott Digital Services (MDS) Studio Website Products to Require Single Sign-On (SSO) Beginning March 26
​Hotels that purchased one of the MDS Studio products listed below will now require SSO activation in order to edit their content. To activate SSO, submit a request form in the MDS Client Community by following these step-by-step instructions. Once access is approved, Marriott EIDs can be used to log in and edit content. Current logins will temporarily remain active; however, all custom and generic logins will be sunset by March 26. For questions, contact MDS Studio.

•Outlet Site Builder

•One-Page, In-Language Sites

•Custom/Vanity Websites

•Discovery Pages (Enhanced or Multi-Outlet)

•“What to Expect” Cleanliness & Safety Module

March 31

Global Quality Audit Process Updates

•March Self-Audit now available and due by March 31 at 5 p.m. ET. Associates that cannot access the site or need to modify their access to reflect a different property should use the QA Site Access Guide to submit an access request. It can take several days for access to be approved and reflected on the QA site.

•Virtual Audits began Feb. 1 and will continue to take place throughout 2021. Beginning March 15, hotels who do not schedule a Virtual Audit within two weeks of receiving the scheduling email from Deloitte will be assigned a date and time for their Audit. Once scheduled, changes cannot be made to the date and/or time. Hotels that cancel or do not show up for their Virtual Audit will be assessed a $300 fee and the Virtual Audit will be rescheduled. This is consistent with the BSA program, where a hotel would be charged for the BSA if they refused the auditor. Watch the video and review the FAQs for further information on scheduling and expectations. 

April 1

Explore Program Updates Room Rate Changes Coming April 1

•​Room rates for reservations booked using the Explore Rate (MMP) code will increase $4 to $10 per room night (Explore Friends Rates (MMF) are not impacted). The increase varies by brand and may differ for Resorts. Reservations made prior to April 1 will be honored at the reserved rate. Revenue Managers will receive information directly on implementing this change. ​The HR Policy (BEN-21) has been updated to reflect the changes.​

•Functionality to Suspend Associate Explore Rate Privileges: Hotels now have the ability to enter Explore rate suspensions into mHUB for associates who violate program rules, as outlined in the new Global Room Rate Discount Policy – Franchise, Owner & Licensee Associate Suspension (BEN-21B) (HR-238) standard. In the event an associate violates the Global Room Rate Discount Policy (BEN-21) (HR-075), the General Manager at the associate’s home property or location should determine if the associate’s discount privileges should be suspended.

April 15

2020 Income & Expense Statements Needed for Revenue Based Fee Audit (RBFA)
Marriott International is preparing to conduct the 2020 Revenue Based Fee Audit, in which the year-end financial statements are compared to the actual fee invoices billed to ensure accuracy. On March 16, finance and/or main account contacts, as well as OFB contacts, of franchised hotels in the U.S. & Canada received an email from Marriott International Revenue Services requesting 2020 Income and Expense Statement(s). Note: monthly P&Ls are required for Canada hotels due to exchange rates. Hotels should work with their above-property and OFB contacts to ensure the Administrator(s) who will be responsible for assigning and maintaining users and uploading P&L statements within the P&L document submission tool are submitted by April 15.

MGS

April 30

Updated COVID-19 Public Space Signage Now Available

The COVID-19 public space signage related to protocols and standards has been updated and consolidated to provide more consistency for guests and ease of use for associates. Segment-specific placement guidance and signage packets are now available on MDAM and MAL to make it easier to print high-priority signage locally, if needed. Guidance for temporary FF&E and interiors interventions are also consolidated into a separate guide on MGS. Hotels that have not printed signage, have worn out signage, or have signage that does not align to the guidance provided should plan to print at least high-priority signage by April 30.

MGS

Ongoing – June 24

2021 Leisure Recovery Offers Extended; Now bookable through July 5
Refer to the survey for a list of recommended offers and respective rate codes. If you are opting in for the first time, Topline Teams should ensure rates are loaded in HPP.  If your hotel previously opted in, confirm your set up in HPP is correct. Current offers are now bookable through July 5 with stay dates through September 6, 2021 and will be supported by email marketing, paid social media, placement on marriott.com and public relations support at no additional cost. Hotels can use the opt-in survey through June 24.  Submissions made before Wednesday at 5 p.m. ET will be added to marketing channels each Thursday throughout the booking window.