As part of its global mobile strategy, Marriott International has announced a significant expansion of the company’s mobile check-in and check-out feature.
Now, ten additional brands – The Ritz-Carlton, JW Marriott Hotels and Resorts, Renaissance Hotels, Autograph Collection, Courtyard, SpringHill Suites, Fairfield Inn and Suites, Residence Inn, TownePlace Suites and Marriott Executive Apartments – are joining the nearly 500 properties of the company’s flagship Marriott Hotels brand in providing mobile check-in and checkout to guests.
With these latest additions, these services are immediately available at 1,200 properties worldwide, and will be live at more than 4,000 hotels worldwide by year-end.
Marriott said it is “laser-focused on delivering the mobile services travellers told the company that they want most and making these services as widely available as possible… the company is rapidly introducing mobile services that improve the travel experience by giving guests added convenience and greater choice, while giving hotel staff the opportunity to deliver an even higher level of service. When it comes to fulfillment, the company’s hotels have achieved an enviable 98 percent success rate in executing nearly a half-million mobile check-ins to date, leading to nearly nine out ten guests saying they will use it again”.
With the Marriott Mobile app, check-in and checkout is simpler. Marriott Rewards members receive a push notification on their Apple iPhones or Android devices after 4 pm on the day before their arrival alerting them they can check-in. Then they receive an automatic notification when their room is ready. Communicating in advance means the hotel is prepared for their arrival. Because payment information is stored within members profiles, guests simply walk up to the expedited mobile check-in desk where their pre-programmed key card will be waiting for them.
At the end of their stays, guests receive a push notification alerting them that mobile checkout is available. Upon completion, guests will then be prompted to provide an email address where their bill should be sent, allowing them to confidently bypass the front desk. Mobile check-in and checkout are available in five languages: English, French, Spanish, German and Mandarin.
Marriott now offers mobile service requests in fifteen markets in North America, where hotels are serving as “mobile incubator” laboratories for the future. For example, guests at these hotels can use a drop down menu of the most typical service requests, such as extra towels and pillows, or chat directly with hotel staff using a mobile app. The company will offer these and other mobile services to its Marriott Rewards members at the Marriott Hotels brand beginning early next year.
“You cannot separate the mobile experience from the personal interaction between guests and our hotel associates. When executed flawlessly and consistently, they complement each other and enhance the overall experience,” said Marriott’s Senior Vice President of Digital, George Corbin.
“In our testing of mobile service requests so far, 86 percent of guests who used the feature have chosen to chat directly with hotel associates, illustrating how much guests appreciate the personal interaction using their mobile devices, and nearly nine out of ten guests gave the experience a very high positive rating.”
Recently, the company’s award-winning Marriott Rewards became first major hotel loyalty program to offer geo-targeted, mobile offers using beacon technology. Participating hotels send members, who opt-in, push notifications on their mobile devices as they pass by “hot spots” within the property. Called LocalPerks, offers are tailored to the property, ranging from food and beverage to spa to golf. Future plans for LocalPerks include Marriott Rewards’ offers available locally in the neighborhoods surrounding participating hotels.