Marriott Hotels: Business Travel

We’ve discussed loyalty a lot, and having trust with the customer, keeping in contact with the customer. How loyal are the leisure travelers, to big branded hotels, versus business travelers?

We see a trend in regular travelers where they have the same travel plan, every year, in the summer, for example. Yes, they do have their routine and their habits in each hotel and they are very happy to come back to the same hotel. The strength in the brand is that you go to one hotel in one city and when you go to another one, you don’t have to repeat what you like, what you dislike. That’s something very important, to bring back the leisure business. In the same city or in a different city, but with the same brand, that is what is important; keep the customers visiting the same brand, across the world, by making them feel welcome back to the hotel. But also, knowing them, knowing their preferences and knowing how to exceed their expectations.

Is the frequency of the business traveler much higher than the leisure loyalty member, for example?

I don’t have the data with me, but I would say – I don’t want to give you incorrect information – but basically, the business travelers are usually more loyal, in any loyalty program, such as an airline program, a hotel program. Sometimes, we do have leisure guests who are travelling, but they are not in the loyalty program, but still, they like the brand, they want to travel to the brand and they stay with the same brand.

The business traveler, obviously, is where for airlines and hotels, the money is?

Yes.

Are you worried about business travel, more broadly?

Maybe worried is too strong a word. It’s something that is out of our hands, because if the borders remain closed, wherever a leisure traveler would want to go, they are not able to.