MARRIOTT HOTELS RESEARCH PLAN

SUMMARY• Imagine an experience tailored to

each hotel guest. From booking to check out, from dining to entertainment, every request is met in a timely and efficient manner. This is where we want to take Marriot hotels, but where do we begin?

• In order to achieve this experience, we need to review the current condition of the user's experience. By assessing what the hardships are, what's been successful and some areas for improvement, we will deliver an action plan that will help Marriott Hotels achieve their goals.

BUSINESS GOALS

• Increase hotel bookings via digital properties by 10%

• Increase reservations for their Luxury and Lifestyle Collection hotel categories

• Gain 10,000 incremental members of the Marriott Rewards loyalty program in the first quarter after the redesign

• Decrease by 20% the number of people starting and then abandoning a reservation

• Increase by 5% the number of people choosing a hotel and flight package (vs. just booking their hotel alone)

HOW GOALS AREN'T BEING MET

• Website not optimized for mobile/tablet users.

• Poor visuals, video and photography

• Insufficient showcasing of the Marriott event space and property information

• Possible shortage of customization when hotel guests are booking

• Pricing is either hard to find or confusing to understand

• Overlooking the important of Search Engine Optimization

• Demonstrating a one-size fits all approach to hotel booking

• The lack of sufficient customer service hours

• Having extremely high requirements to meet certain elite statuses

• The lack of enticing rewards

• Property upkeep.

• The lack of unifying sister brand reward programs

• Packages appear expensive or lack discounts for booking

• The website booking system loads slowly due too much multimedia content

• The absence of a return stay option for valued guests.

HOW CAN MARRIOTT ADDRESS THE ISSUES?

• Redesign the website to work on both mobile and tablets.

• Offer a discount when booking on a portable device.

• Use the iPhone’s fingerprint scanner to preload guest information and Marriott Rewards number.

• Add Marriott brand images that invoke luxury.

HERE ARE YOUR USER RESEARCH QUESTIONS

So What Are Your Guests Looking For?

• What is the demographic makeup of our user population?

• How do people choose a hotel?

• Why do people start a hotel search and then not complete a reservation?

• When do people use the Marriott website vs. the mobile app?

• What value are customers looking for in a hotel loyalty program?

FOCUS GROUPS AND USER TESTING THAT ADDRESS CLIENT QUESTIONS

• Conduct a focus group to understand what guests want in their hotels loyalty program.

• Conduct user tests to demonstrate the success rate of booking via the mobile website vs the desktop version.

• Poll recent hotel guests and conduct a focus group to understand what made them choose Marriott over their competitors.

• Conduct a focus group with hotel rewards customers to understand what makes them loyal to a particular hotel brand.

OUR GOAL ORIENTED QUESTIONS

• How many users book hotels with a smartphone or tablet device?

• What makes a guest loyal to a hotel brand?

• How frequently do guests shop around for the hotel deals?

• What’s the benefit of booking with places like Travelocity, Orbit, Trivago, etc.

• Are mobile apps the way to go to book hotel stays?

• What makes a hotel’s loyalty program attractive?

• What makes a website attractive to a business guest, family, or vacationer?

RESEARCH SPECIFIC QUESTIONS

• When booking a hotel, what’s the most common device you’ve used?

• Can you give us a time where you’ve abandoned a reservation?

• Do you belong to a rewards program? What makes brand X’s loyalty program attractive?

• What are some of the loyalty programs benefits that you like and dislike?

• What are some of your favorite places to look for hotel deals and packages?

• Can you demonstrate how you search for hotel discounts or discounted packages?

• What mobile platform are you more familiar with? Android or Apple?

• Would you consider yourself a person who is tech savvy person? Why or why not?

• Would you be more inclined to use a mobile application that utilizes the iPhone’s fingerprint scanner? Why or why not?

• Would you say that being able to check-in with a mobile application is important to you? And Why?

• When looking at a hotel’s website/mobile app would you say imagery/video gives you an idea of what the hotel is like? And Why?

Working together on our next steps

Focus Groups

User Testing

At Home User Testing

Prototype Testing

Website Testing

Website Testing

REVAMPING THE MOBILE APP

Our Final Recommendation: