Since taking over Starwood Hotels & Resorts and all its brands last September, Marriott International has now become the largest hotel company in the world, with more than 6,000 hotels and 30 brands in its portfolio. Brian McGuinness, the senior vice president and global brand leader of Marriott Hotels, Sheraton, Starwood and Delta Hotels, recently hosted a TED talk by the Moroccan architect Aziza Chaouni and French-Tunisian street artist eL Seed on international innovation at the newly opened Marriott Hotel Al Forsan Abu Dhabi. The talk was the third in a series of five TED talks that Marriott is holding at their hotels, one in each continent. Here he reveals Marriott Hotels’ innovation strategies:
What prompted Marriott Hotels to host these talks?
TED is a non-profit that’s devoted to spreading messages and we fundamentally believe that travel opens the mind. We’re videoing the talks to generate content we can use in our in-room entertainment platform, so when you’re staying at the hotel you can watch a talk that was recently held at that hotel.
Your TED talk was on the theme of innovation. In what ways is Marriott working to innovate the hotel market?
In this hotel specifically, if you walk around the public spaces and you are still for a minute, you’ll actually see the lighting dim. It’s really eco friendly. We’re looking at every moment, to make sure we’re not abusing energy. We’re also introducing smart check-in through your phone, so you have the ability to get your digital key through your phone and use it to unlock your door. We are constantly trying to put our fingers on the pulse of what’s new and what’s next but its also tricky. You have to make your bets.
What scope is there for innovations in the future?
Taking that smart check-in to the next level, you will be able to build a trip persona of yourself. Imagine I’m “Party Brian” and I’m in Dubai. I land in the airport, go into the app, I pick “party Brian” – rather than, for example “Business Brian” or “Healthy Brian” – I come into the hotel, and the technology would recognise me coming in by opening my profile. Automatically the hotel knows which Brian is in the building, so that will direct what I’m offered. That might be a drink, as opposed to Healthy Brian, who gets a smoothie and some nuts. It could stack up my channel liner on TV, so Business Brian wants BBC, CNN and Party Brian might want MTV. It might alert the concierge to say he’s probably looking for clubs to go to and tell me what’s happening in the city at night. Business Brian might want a low-key restaurant for a business meeting. As we think of that next-gen travel, we’re looking for innovations that will help us to better serve them. We don’t want innovations that take the human out of the equation. It’s about how we serve you better through that platform of technology.
What potential does Marriott International have for growth?
We’ll invest about US$2 billion globally in the next several years with our owners and operators in the assets. We have 150 renovations in the works and we are moving very quickly. I see a lot of growth in the Marriott and Sheraton tier. These are significant properties with amazing service, especially through group conventions here in the Middle East. We also see growth in Asia Pacific and Latin America. We are bullish with these brands in our ability to do more deals around the world. Now that we’re all one family, we get to understand the right hotel and the right location. Before, we would be asking “who is selling against us?” and now we’re saying “of our 30 brands, what hotel makes the most sense in this market?”
In what ways do each of your brands distinguish itself?
All the brands can have a music programme but it might be symphony or opera at St Regis, hip-hop or K pop at Moxy, or more traditional music at other brands. When it comes to botanicals on display, we can go from hydrangeas to roses to orchids to succulents. One way we differentiate ourselves is in our design, but that’s becoming more challenging with the marketisation of design. We also differ in terms of the guest experiences we offer. An emerging artist might fit perfectly into a Moxy or Aloft, because they’re emerging brands. From a target customer perspective, that’s where we want to be.
With such a focus on innovation, why does Marriott still charge for internet?
Like with cable TV in your home, there’s a cost in putting down the pipe. We have to rewire an entire building in each hotel building, then we have to put access points everywhere, from rooms to public spaces and now expended public spaces. All this simply costs money. But if you’re a Marriott rewards member, you do have complimentary internet.
business@thenational.ae
Follow The National's Business section on Twitter
