Is this much ado about nothing? Honest question, really.

I did a bit of searching and found this article and this report (both a bit dated, but informative and apparently fully legitimate). Bottom line: Chinese tourists spend A LOT of money (in recent years, anyway) and they prefer to use mobile payment (which would be consistent with the Alibaba connection; I'm thinking along the lines of Amazon/Amazon Pay).

This is Marriott International making a savvy move to reap spending from a willing, and very active, group of travelers...good for them.

cheers and happy travels!