Marriott Partners With Alibaba to Court the Chinese Travel Market Even More
Photo Caption: Marriott International has formed a new joint venture with Alibaba Group to grow its business in the global Chinese travel market. Pictured are the Fliggy and Marriott logos together. Marriott International
Skift Take
Smart move, Marriott. Given the growth of the middle class worldwide will be led by China, it's incredibly insightful on Marriott's part to be doing all it can to establish loyalty and brand recognition with this crucial market sooner than later.
Marriott International and Alibaba Group have formed a new joint venture specifically developed to help Chinese travelers see the world. The partnership leverages Marriott's portfolio of 30 hotel brands spread out over more than 6,200 properties worldwide, combining it with Alibaba's digital retail expertise to provide a suite of travel services to more than half a billion Chinese travelers.
Alibaba is often compared to as the "Amazon of China" and rightly so. The new partnership between Marriott and the e-commerce giant will focus on Marriott's storefront on Fliggy, Alibaba's travel service platform which was formerly known as Alitrip, and will include targeted marketing campaigns to Alibaba's customer base. They will also link to both both companies' loyalty programs.
Marriott hotels around the world will also receive content, programs, and promotions customized for the Chinese traveler.
How the Joint Venture Came About
Reaching the Chinese traveler market is something nearly
