Marriott Announces Free WiFi, Charging Stations To Woo Tech-Savvy Travelers
By Christine Kern, contributing writer
In light of FCC fines, Marriott moves to win back traveler confidence.
Marriott International, Inc. has announced a program to provide free Wi-Fi to all 47 million members of Marriott Rewards, the company’s award-winning loyalty program, who book directly on Marriott.com, Marriott’s mobile app, 1-800-MARRIOTT, or through a Marriott hotel, according to a company press release. The benefit will be available as of January 15, 2015 across more than 3,800 hotels in the company’s extensive lodging portfolio worldwide.
“Marriott Rewards members asked for free Wi-Fi, and we answered,” said Stephanie Linnartz, executive vice president and chief marketing and commercial officer, Marriott International in the statement. “Free Wi-Fi is a meaningful way to reward our most loyal customers and continue to attract next-gen travelers.”
This new Marriott Rewards benefit will be available at Marriott Hotels, JW Marriott, Renaissance, Gaylord Hotels, Autograph Collection, AC Hotels by Marriott, and Marriott Executive Apartments, as well as Marriott Rewards’ exclusive luxury partner, The Ritz-Carlton®. These brands join EDITION, Moxy, Courtyard, Fairfield Inn & Suites, SpringHill Suites, Residence Inn, TownePlace Suites, and Marriott Vacation Club, which already provide free Wi-Fi today.
Marriott Rewards Platinum and Gold Elite members already receive complimentary enhanced Wi-Fi, where available, a premium-tier service that enables downloading large files faster and streaming media such as movies. Other members may upgrade to enhanced Wi-Fi for a fee. Marriott International will continue to honor commitments with accounts and groups with negotiated agreements.
There are some concerns about the value of the offer, however, as Boarding Area pointed out, since the free Wi-Fi is the “standard” or basic version- at many hotels that’s only fast enough for a quick check of email or flight status. Plus, to get free Wi-Fi you have to book directly with Marriott.com or with a hotel; travel agency or other third party bookings won’t qualify.
However, it is clear that Marriott is trying to listen to its users, and to bounce back after the negative press they garnered when they jammed customer WiFi hotspots to force them to use the hotel’s fee-based service, for which they were slapped with a $600,000 fine by the FCC.
In addition to this announcement of free WiFi (even with its restrictions and limits), Marriott also recently unveiled a program of wireless charging stations at 29 Marriott hotels where guests can charge their devices. According to a press release, “Placed in dozens of Marriott Hotels properties around the United States, the charging cubes serve as the latest proof point of the growing adoption of wireless power in a variety of applications.”
“We teamed with IDT because of the company’s expertise and experience bringing this type of innovative technology to consumers,” said Dave Weinstein, vice president at Kube Systems in the statement. “As a result, thousands of Marriott customers have first-adopter access to the convenience of wireless charging.”
The chargers in the Marriott hotels can simultaneously power up to six devices, covering Apple, Android and Windows Mobile devices. The idea came from a submission on TravelBrilliantly.com.
Since the average traveler now carries an average of 3 mobile devices, Marriott is trying to address the changing needs of their guests. The charging stations, free WiFi, and additional accessible power outlets in guest rooms are just a few of the steps they are taking to garner guest satisfaction.