Skift Take
Everyone wants to get in on the tours and activities market, but very few can or have succeeded in the space.
When it comes to promoting its own inventory of thousands of travel experiences, Marriott appears to be taking a page out of Airbnb's book.
The company Wednesday announced it is adding expert recommendations, more specialized categories, and a new Facebook messenger integration with its recently launched Marriott Moments marketplace — similar features that were previously adopted by Airbnb when the homesharing giant expanded its business into tours and activities nearly two years ago.
The Marriott Moments marketplace, which offers more than 110,000 experiences in more than 1,000 destinations worldwide, represents the evolution of Marriott's own 2017 investment in tours and activities metasearch platform, PlacePass. Marriott is offering approximately 8,000 experiences exclusively to its 110 million loyalty program members.
The New Features
The newest features that Marriott rolled out make it easier for Marriott Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest loyalty members and non-members alike to find and book the types of tours and activities that will appeal to their travel needs and wants.
New expert recommendations on what to see and do in different destinations have been compiled from hotel general managers, chefs, and mixologists, as well as celebrities ranging from chefs Daniel Boulud and Eric Ripert to actress Lea Michele and professional skier Gus Kentworthy.
To augment all those 100 or so endorsements, Marriott Moments will also have a variety of "bespoke categories" for tours and activities that will make it easier for travelers to find the type of experience they are seeking. Categories include Pop-Culture Vulture, Exhaust Your Kids and Be the Family Hero, and Young, Broke & Fabulous, for example. Customer reviews will also help guests make decisions about which tours and activities to book.
The platform is also meant to become more personalized each time a guest uses it to book his or her travel expe
