WASHINGTON, D.C.— Marriott International is taking large steps to build up its guest reward program in the form of not only marketing promotions but personnel as well. On the heels of unveiling its “Look No Further Best Rate Guarantee,” (HOTEL BUSINESS®, Dec. 7, 2003) Marriott last month officially named Ed French as senior vp/customer relationship marketing with overall responsibilities to manage the hotel company’s loyalty marketing efforts and the strategic direction of its frequent guest program, Marriott Rewards. French, who previously headed up American Airlines’ highly touted AAdvantage Program before joining Marriott, is charged with guiding the communication, customer service, partnership development, database and member acquisition efforts of the Rewards program. “Overall, I look at customer relationship management as thinking of the relationship that Marriott has with its customers not only based on experiences with us— either through Rewards or other marketing programs— but also the experience they have with the hotel brand itself,” French told HOTEL BUSINESS®. This includes the total guest experience from booking the hotel to checking in, to the beverages served and even the checkout experience, he said. “One role I have in this job is to champion the thinking about the guest and the experience they have with the company overall, and how to enhance that relationship with the [individual]properties and through the Marriott Rewards program,” he said. By far, harnessing and leveraging Rewards will the “biggest chunk” of French’s job, he said, adding that the program has not been stagnant but constantly evolving. Quite the contrary, during the past year Marriott has been investing in and pushing Rewards, which is celebrating its 20-year anniversary, with new promotions. For instance, last year Marriott initiated a “Be Here Faster” national advertising campaign claiming that Rewards members can earn free seven-night stays 30% faster than they can with other frequent guest programs. The comparison, conducted in August 2003, was based on the redemption of a seven-night stay at a Marriott, Starwood, Hilton, InterContinental or Hyatt full-service hotel. This type of efficiency is all part of Marriott’s overall customer relationship management strategy, according to French. “CRM is about the whole guest experience. Marriott is thinking about multiple disciplines, if you will, and then how Marriott Rewards fits into that. Clearly the marketing that we do for our customers is to cement the relationship with Rewards, but we have to get the right kind of rewards in the right customer’s hands to make it beneficial to what they want,” he said. Marriott and French are banking on his experience with American Airlines to help the hotel company better target Rewards and personalize the marketing approach more. “I understand the basics of loyalty programs and how they work,” French said. “That helps me in this position. Having worked in a service industry that is about interfacing between individuals and the company providing the service helps me understand how people interact with the brand,” he said. Asked why the move, French said, “ It’s such an exciting time to be here at Marriott. It’s a great brand with an already excellent program. It is the longest running loyalty program in the industry, and that is very attractive to me,” he said. As far as his priorities, French said, “My focus is on learning the business and learning the program. Marriott has a pretty strong philosophy about understanding the company and the business.” He reports to Rita Cuddihy, senior vp/marketing for Rewards.
