New home screen, simplified navigation, personalised travel content: Marriott has completely redesigned its Marriott Mobile application, available in English and French in addition to three other languages. Smartphones are now considered indispensable travel companions," said George Corbin, Senior Vice President of Digital at Marriott International. Marriott is using the smartphone to revolutionise the next generation of customer service for our travellers around the world, offering a much more personalised and anticipated travel experience.
Members of the Marriott Rewards loyalty programme - initially those using iOS, soon to be followed by Android - can now take advantage of a host of new features: while Marriott was the first group to offer mobile check-in and check-out, the hotelier is now going one step further and allowing them to request an upgrade or a late check-out via the app. They can also communicate directly with hotel staff before or during their stay. Via Mobile Requests, travellers can, for example, request additional towels or pillows or other services or facilities from the list of most frequent requests. Now that Starwood has been acquired by Marriott, the app is also rolling out an innovation launched by the group that owns the Sheraton and W brands, namely the Mobile Key, the dematerialised key integrated into the smartphone, which is available in more than 500 hotels worldwide this year.
In addition, before their trip, Marriott Rewards members will be able to sort the group's offer using more precise filters and save their favourite hotels for quicker future bookings. For the first time, the app will feature original content from Marriott's digital magazine, Traveller, based on users' previous hotel searches or upcoming trips.
And these are just some of the first innovations, as others are already being finalised, such as mPlaces, which will send travellers real-time notifications of offers in the destination. Also in the pipeline is the ability to order a meal from a restaurant or room service wherever they are, even by the pool. Next year, the application should also make use of artificial intelligence to test "anticipated service".
