Marriott Hotels & Resorts, Steelcase, and IDEO Collaborate to Innovate on the Future of Meetings and Work

LOS ANGELES and BETHESDA, Md., March 27, 2012 /PRNewswire/ --  The nature of work is changing: it's mobile, fast-paced and global. While most people demand choice and control to work when and how they want, wherever they are, working remotely doesn't always offer consistent options when it comes to access, comforts and convenience. Marriott Hotels & Resorts, the flagship brand of Marriott International (NYSE:MAR); Steelcase, the world's leading workplace experience provider; and global design and innovation consultancy, IDEO, today announced a collaboration to design, create and test innovative concepts and solutions for the future of work and meetings in hotels. The collaboration comes to life this week as a showcase of these potential solutions is unveiled at the Marriott Hotels & Resorts Global General Manager Conference in Los Angeles.

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With mobile technology, the world is becoming interconnected and people need the right blend of spaces and solutions to support their different work needs throughout the day –wherever they are. Whether staying at a hotel individually or attending a meeting or conference, business travelers need spaces that offer them choice and control for quiet, individual work in comfortable and inviting public spaces or collaborative settings for groupwork with colleagues. Leveraging unique insights from IDEO and Steelcase, Marriott Hotels & Resorts aspires to revolutionize hosted work environments in hotels, while opening a dialogue around the evolving needs, desires and mindset of the Gen X and Gen Y global business traveler.

"By 2013, almost 35 percent of the global workforce will work without an office. We are designing hotels for a new generation that is used to working how, where and often times whenever they want," said Paul Cahill, senior vice president, Brand Management, Marriott Hotels & Resorts. "Marriott Hotels & Resorts is the  leader in hospitality, and no one understands the changing nature of work better than Steelcase. Together, along with IDEO, we are excited to collaborate on the Future of Work, a working innovation lab designed to create solutions that innovate, elevate and evolve the hotel work experience."

The Future of Work Innovation Co-Labs at the General Mangers Conference showcases ten prototypes that create new technology, space, and service experiences for meetings and work. Marriott Hotels & Resorts general managers are experiencing the prototypes, offering immediate feedback, and ultimately helping 'co-create' meeting experiences of the future in real time.

Having worked together for more than 40 years, Marriott and Steelcase have a history of collaborating to provide business travelers with satisfying work settings.

"People need environments that help them innovate and inspire them to do great work," said Mark Greiner, chief experience officer, Steelcase. "With business executives working remotely more frequently, work has to go where they go.  By bringing choice and control to a hosted-meeting environment, Steelcase, Marriott Hotels & Resorts and IDEO are delivering an unparalleled proposition for today and tomorrow's global worker."

With its innovation and design heritage, IDEO helps companies visualize new directions that often lead to new products and service offerings.  Their contributions in behavioral research and the science behind how people work have been a critical success factor for Marriott International brands in the past.

"We're thrilled to partner with Marriott Hotels & Resorts as well as Steelcase on this exciting endeavor," said Beth Viner, Associate Partner at IDEO. "It is our experience that our most innovative clients in the hospitality sector understand that it is not just about changing the physical space but instead choose to focus their attention on behavior and design.  Both Marriott and Steelcase are heavily invested in creating change that affects the total experience from beginning to end."

Today's work is more global and more social, and a new generation of workers demand and expect solutions that enable them to be untethered and collaborative.  With the first phase of this collaboration under way, Marriott Hotels & Resorts demonstrates its deep commitment to re-imagining hospitality for a new generation of global travelers.

About Steelcase Inc.

For 100 years, Steelcase Inc. has helped create great experiences for the world's leading organizations — wherever work happens. Steelcase and our family of brands – including Steelcase, Coalesse, Designtex, Details, Nurture, PolyVision, and Turnstone - offer a comprehensive portfolio of furnishings, products and services designed to unlock human promise and to achieve social, economic, and environmental sustainability. We are globally accessible through a network of channels, including over 650 dealers.  Steelcase is a global, industry-leading, and publicly traded company with fiscal 2011 revenue of approximately $2.4 billion. Our workplace research is published through the Steelcase 360 Magazine, 360.steelcase.com and 360 iPad app.

About IDEO

IDEO is an award-winning global design firm that takes a human-centered, design-based approach to helping organizations in the public and private sectors innovate and grow.  The company identifies new ways to serve and support people by uncovering latent needs, behaviors, and desires.

About Marriott Hotels & Resorts

Marriott Hotels & Resorts continues to inspire and provide a balanced life on the road for discerning and high-achieving business and leisure travelers, offering warm, professional service; sophisticated yet functional guest room design; lobby spaces that facilitate working, dining and socializing; restaurants and bars serving international cuisine prepared simply and from the freshest ingredients; meeting and event spaces and services that are gold standard; and expansive, 24-hour fitness facilities. All Marriott hotels participate in the award winning Marriott Rewards frequent travel program that allows members to earn hotel points or airline miles for every dollar spent during each stay. For more information, visit www.MarriottHotels.com.

Visit Marriott International, Inc. (NYSE: MAR) for company information. For more information or reservations, please visit our web site at www.marriott.com, and for the latest company news, visit www.marriottnewscenter.com.

SOURCE Marriott International