Marriott Expands Reach Into Tours and Activities With Its Latest Investment

Marriott International wants to connect its loyalty members to even more in-destination experiences, and to do that, it has made an equity investment in a tours-and-activities metasearch platform, PlacePass. The Cambridge, Mass.-based, two-year-old startup lists more than 100,000 experiences in 800 destinations worldwide from various vendors and eventually, all 100 million members of Marriott’s three loyalty programs — Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG), Marriott Rewards, and Ritz-Carlton Rewards — will be able to access those experiences through Marriott’s various direct channels, including its brand.com sites and loyalty apps. While special experiences have long been a cornerstone of the SPG program’s Moments, and most recently with the Marriott Rewards’ Experiences Marketplace, this investment in PlacePass signals Marriott’s desire to get even more involved in the largely fractured and untapped area of in-destination tours and activities. These bookable activities from companies such as Viator and GetYourGuide through PlacePass will augment the number of experiences already being offered to Marriott’s loyalty members. “Today and more than ever, travelers want more memorable, personalized experiences,” said Stephanie Linnartz, global chief commercial officer for Marriott International. “That’s what consumers want today. When we think of Marriott now being a company with 30 brands and more than 6,000 hotels worldwide, we have more breadth and depth in offering different experiences at the hotel level. Different brands and location. "Building upon that, we want to build on the loyalty platforms, including SPG Moments and Marriott Experiences. Last year a