How Marriott, Hyatt, Hilton and MGM Are Evolving Their Meetings Experience
Photo Credit: Marriott's new LG Studio meeting space is rolling out in new-build properties in North America and Asia. Marriott International
Skift Take
The legacy hotel companies are developing new strategies to engage meeting planners and attendees more like they do with their leisure crowds, but some of these initiatives seem overly ambitious or too corporate to become mainstream.
With healthy advance bookings for meetings forecasted through 2018, the major hospitality brands are showing a sudden surge of creativity to engage meeting planners in more compelling ways similar to leisure travel audiences.
At the IMEX America meetings industry trade show in Las Vegas this month, we spoke with top group sales and marketing executives at Marriott International, Hyatt Hotels, Hilton Worldwide, and MGM Resorts International to learn how the global brands are developing strategy around their meeting platforms heading into 2017.
"I think we're still in a healthy phase in the meetings business because occupancy levels are at an all-time high, and there's a shift with corporate buyers doing more multi-years," said Brian King, global brand and sales officer for Marriott International. "Typically, corporate is a couple years out and maybe one contract at a time, but because demand has been so strong, if you want the space, the smart planner is going to do a multi-y
