Marriott Hotels Champions Innovation, Embarking on a Journey to Re-Imagine Healthy Eating "On the Go" with the Grand Prize Winner of the Travel Brilliantly Co-Creation Program

BETHESDA, Md., Oct. 22, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Today, Marriott Hotels announced the Grand Prize Winner of the Travel Brilliantly Co-Creation Program which invited consumers to tap into their creativity for bold ideas to redefine the future of travel.  Among the more than 700 submissions to TravelBrilliantly.com, Anjana Kallarackal's concept, a healthy and nutritious vending machine rose to the top as determined by the judges -- Shira Lazar, host of "What's Trending," Marc Kushner, Co-Founder of Architizer and Matthew Von Ertfelda, Vice President of Innovation at Marriott -- after the panel convened in The Underground, Marriott's Innovation Lab. With wellness in mind, the winning idea from Anjana, who is from Roswell, GA, taps into the travelers' mindset for healthy and easily accessible quick food options that support any travel schedule, but which are delivered in a bold new way.  The judges determined her idea truly reflects the needs of the next generation of travelers who blend work and play, and demand quality, yet easily accessible products. 

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As the grand prize winner, Anjana will travel to the London Marriott Hotel Grosvenor Square in November to work with Housebites, a sustainable food innovator that delivers fresh and locally sourced recipe ingredients to consumers; Jamie Welch, executive chef at the hotel; and other innovators in fields such as design to further develop her winning idea in the next stage of the innovation process. Ultimately, the brand expects to launch a prototype of Anjana's idea at select Marriott hotels in the future. The collaboration among the Marriott brand, its partners, and travel consumers marks the brand's continued dedication to improving every touch-point so guests can "Travel Brilliantly" at their hotels and beyond.

In addition to collaborating with experts, Anjana's London itinerary will offer inspiration with visits to iconic culinary locations including Brick Lane and local markets. She will also take part in an Innovation Work Session alongside industry experts from relevant fields including technology (Laurence Holloway, International Business Award Winner at the 2013 British Young Business Awards), design (Jane Penty, practicing designer and educator, currently at Central St Martins College, University of the Arts, London), and culinary (Jamie Welch, Executive Chef at London Marriott Grosvenor Square) to help her ideate, innovate and bring the concept to life. Following the trip, Anjana's refined idea, along with a behind-the-scenes video on the development process, will be featured on TravelBrilliantly.com alongside Marriott's other recent innovations.  Anjana's winning innovative idea is the first of many submitted to TravelBrilliantly.com that will continue to enable consumers to be a part of designing the future of travel.

"Travel Brilliantly is more than a mantra for our marketing campaign, but also a truth for the brand as we invite our guests to co-create and innovate with us for the new generation of travelers," said Mara Hannula, vice president of global marketing, Marriott Hotels. "The development process for Anjana's innovative idea could inspire additional food and wellness initiatives for the brand, elevating what it means to eat and travel brilliantly.  The possibilities for our ongoing co-creation platform are endless and we are so proud to celebrate Anjana's concept and all of those that were submitted."

"I feel so lucky to be given the chance to co-create with professionals from Marriott's Travel Brilliantly campaign to develop my idea further," said Anjana Kallarackal.  "I am really looking forward to traveling to London and designing healthy food options that would hopefully improve the journeys of other travelers like me."

Anjana's submission was selected based on a set of criteria, including how their idea described in the submission would enable "Traveling Brilliantly;" the innovativeness of the submission; feasibility and strategy for execution; and overall impression.

In addition to the "Travel Brilliantly" contest, the iconic Marriott Hotels' brand has been innovating throughout its properties globally.  Re-designed lobbies and public spaces known as Greatrooms are being rolled out for the next generation of travelers who seamlessly blend work and play in an increasingly mobile and global world. With the expansion of mobile check-in feature on the Marriott Mobile App, guests can now check-in to most Marriott Hotels properties in the United States and Canada using their smartphones. As the industry leader in hosting meetings, Marriott is introducing new concepts designed for the new mobile worker including Workspring at Marriott, Red Coat Direct and Workspace on Demand. Additionally, Marriott Hotels has recently unveiled its innovation lab, "The Underground," located beneath the company's headquarters in Bethesda, MD where work is underway on a revolutionary new guest room.

About Marriott Hotels

With 500 hotels and resorts in nearly 60 countries around the world, Marriott Hotels is evolving travel through every aspect of the guest's stay, enabling the next generation to Travel Brilliantly. Boldly transforming itself for mobile and global travelers who blend work and play, Marriott leads the industry with innovations, including the Greatroom, Future of Meetings and Mobile Guest Services that elevates style & design and technology. 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.

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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.

About Housebites

Housebites, a sustainable food innovator, delivers fresh, portioned ingredients and inspirational recipes to consumers on a weekly basis. The service gives consumers the opportunity to create tasty and healthy gourmet meals, all taking around 30 minutes, and reclaim their kitchens even on a work night.

Visit http://www.housebites.com/ for more information. 

SOURCE Marriott Hotels