Travelers Can Ask Anything, Anytime, Anywhere with the New, Industry-leading Mobile Request Chat Feature from Marriott Hotels -- Now Available on the Marriott Mobile App

BETHESDA, Md., May 13, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Travelers everywhere will be able to instantly connect with 500 Marriott Hotels worldwide before, during and after their stays using the new Mobile Request option on the Marriott Mobile app.  Specifically designed to enable guests to request services and amenities from their mobile devices, the new app feature is being introduced at 46 hotels today and will be launched globally this summer across the entire portfolio of the Marriott Hotels brand – the flagship brand of Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR).

Mobile Request will be available to the 50 million members of Marriott Rewards, the company's loyalty program. Members who have upcoming reservations will be able to instantly communicate with their hotel in two ways. The industry-leading "Anything Else?" feature offers guests two-way chat functionality to have conversations in real time with the hosts at Marriott Hotels who can fulfill and confirm their requests. It also offers a drop-down menu with most requested services and amenities, such as extra towels and pillows. Introduction of the Mobile Request chat feature represents the broadest global communications rollout of its kind in the hotel industry.

"Some 75 percent of people travel with one or more mobile devices and the percentage is higher for younger travelers," said Matthew Carroll, vice president, Marriott Hotels. "We know today's travelers want a mobile experience built around their changing needs and desire to communicate on their terms. Mobile Request is the brand's next evolution since our introduction of mobile check-in, checkout and room ready alerts worldwide."

In testing, Mobile Request proved beneficial for guests in transit who needed to request services and amenities before their hotel arrival, such as having a car service meet them at the airport. Guests on the road can simply tap once on the Marriott Mobile app icon and be instantly connected to their hotel, rather than having to find the hotel's phone number and punch in ten or more digits. For guests who have checked in and might be in a business meeting or in their guest room rushing to get ready for an engagement, Mobile Request gives them immediate access to hotel staff, rather than having to call or visit the front desk. Of the more than 10,000 Mobile Requests made by guests during testing, 80 percent of guests chose the "Anything Else?" two-way chat option.

With Mobile Request, Marriott Rewards members can order services and amenities directly from their mobile devices, beginning up to 72 hours before their stay. Guests can download the free Marriott Mobile app from the Apple iTunes Store, Google Play and at www.marriott.com/marriott/mobile-apps.mi. Guests can easily enroll in Marriott Rewards at no charge at http://www.marriott.com/rewards/rewards-program.mi.

To celebrate the launch of Mobile Request, Marriott Hotels is literally bringing its app to life with its #AppYourService stunt in New York City tomorrow. Marriott Hotels is building a command center, a branded, open-air pod in Times Square to monitor all social engagement surrounding the stunt. Powered by Tickr with social data from Sysomos, the Marriott Hotels command center will showcase an unmatched, real-time visualization of #AppYourService usage, enabling Marriott to listen and engage with consumers.

Marriott Hotels is on a transformational journey to enable its guests to Travel Brilliantly by engaging guests, experts and influencers to join with the brand in co-creating the future state of travel. Guests and travel enthusiasts can visit www.travelbrilliantly.com to experience the countless ways Marriott Hotels continues to meet the needs of today's travelers. In addition to mobile check-in, checkout, room ready alerts and Mobile Request, Marriott Hotels is piloting keyless entry with mobile devices at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront Hotel.

Offering innovative mobile and digital solutions is central to Marriott International's commitment to helping its guests maximize all aspects of their travel experience and have ready access to the places, people and things that matter to them most. Mobile Request will be introduced at additional Marriott International brands after the rollout for Marriott Hotels is completed this summer as part of the company's connected guest mobile/digital strategy to engage travelers before, during and after their stays.

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, 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.

About Tickr & Sysomos:

Tickr provides a real-time, unified marketing performance platform, empowering organizations with insight into how their brand, products, and services are being perceived and discussed across the web, side-by-side with key performance metrics on advertising marketing, sales and operations. Tickr's cloud platform unifies enterprise data streams from internal business-critical applications like Marketo, Salesforce.com, and Oracle, as well as external sources from social networks like Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and more. Tickr allows CMOs, CFOs, and other executives to easily create custom real-time dashboards to visualize, evaluate and manage the performance of their programs, from individual marketing campaigns to business-wide efforts. Top brands and agencies like Marriott, Lego, Gatorade, Nike and Edelman rely on Tickr to gain a real-time view of marketing performance, across multiple brands, geographies, and products.  To learn more about Tickr, please visit: www.tickr.com. 

Sysomos provides the world's most valuable brands immediate context to the hundreds of millions of online conversations happening every day. Marketers rely on the Sysomos social intelligence platform to learn what their customers are saying and to understand the impact on their business. Founded in 2007, Sysomos has offices worldwide, including San Francisco, New York, London and Toronto. Learn more at www.sysomos.com.

Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR) is a global leading lodging company based in Bethesda, Maryland, USA, with more than 4,200 properties in 80 countries and territories.  Marriott International reported revenues of nearly $14 billion in fiscal year 2014. The company operates and franchises hotels and licenses vacation ownership resorts under 19 brands. For more information or reservations, please visit our website at www.marriott.com, and for the latest company news, visit www.marriottnewscenter.com.  

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SOURCE Marriott International, Inc.

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