BETHESDA, MD—Marriott International will continue to expand its offerings to business travel professionals, according to Brian King, the company’s global officer, brand management & global sales, in a speech at the Global Business Travel Association’s annual convention in Denver.
“Marriott International is in the midst of one of its most exciting periods ever for business travel professionals,” King said. “In the coming year, we’ll be unveiling scores of new luxury and lifestyle properties and significant new ballrooms worldwide, but also new guest experiences for valued, tech-savvy road warriors across our portfolio of brands.”
Current and future plans include:
Beta Hotel—According to the company, next month it will unveil a hotel designed to test new ideas and technology. Planners will be able to see Marriott’s vision for next-generation meeting space and experiences. Among the concepts to be tested are an interactive pre-function space that resembles a high-end residential kitchen and a next-generation boardroom with natural light and touch screen monitors.
Expansion of Gaylord Hotels—Construction commenced on the two million-sq.-ft. Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center in Aurora, CO. Once completed in late 2018, Gaylord Rockies will be the largest combined hotel and convention center in Colorado, according to the company. At the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center near Washington, construction began on a freestanding, 23,000-sq.-ft. ballroom overlooking the Potomac River, set to open in July 2017. At the Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center near Dallas, work began on a $120-million expansion that will add 86,000 sq. ft. of meeting space including a new ballroom in 2019.
More luxury and lifestyle hotels in more destinations—Marriott plans to open more than 100 luxury and lifestyle hotels in the next 12 months, with the Ritz-Carlton brand arriving in new locations such as Langkawi, Malaysia. In the next year, there will also be a global expansion of AC by Marriott in countries such as Mexico, Brazil and Germany; the arrival of three new JW Marriott locations in China, and new locations for the Moxy brand in Europe.
Mobile check-in and check-out—Marriott International offers guests mobile check-in and check-out option across 4,200 hotels globally. The company recently surpassed the 12-million mark for mobile check-ins and check-outs, according to the company.
Netflix in-room entertainment—The company allows guests to login to their Netflix accounts or start a new one on in-room TV screens in more than 300 hotels.
MeetingsImagined.com—Marriott International’s website unites meeting planners with more than 750 of its hotels; it also provides more than 4,000 images, according to the company.