Marriott to offer pre-arrival planning
 

MARRIOTT LAUNCHES AT YOUR SERVICE® PRE-ARRIVAL PLANNING
ACROSS 2,500 HOTELS GLOBALLY
Order Room Service Prior to Take-off with Marriott’s “Virtual Concierge”

A few mouse clicks and room service will be waiting upon your arrival. And the local weather report will help you decide what to pack. Or the convenience of an airport shuttle can be confirmed. These are just a few of the services that guests will be able to request online via Marriott International, Inc.’s At Your Service® pre-arrival planning service and “virtual concierge,” effective Jan. 25.

Marriott’s At Your Service® program focuses on the total guest experience from point of reservation to check-out. As part of the pre-arrival planning service, guests will receive a personalized e-mail* five days prior to check-in that includes local transportation, weather and restaurant information, as well as directions and maps. This service will be offered at nearly 2,500 hotels worldwide, including Marriott Hotels & Resorts, JW Marriott Hotels & Resorts, Renaissance Hotels & Resorts, Courtyard, SpringHill Suites, Fairfield Inn, Residence Inn, TownePlace Suites and Marriott Conference Centers.

At a growing number of hotels and resorts, the service will be expanded as a “virtual concierge.” Guests will be able to reserve spa treatments, room service for delivery upon arrival, and other amenities specific to each hotel. They may also request complimentary amenities that each hotel offers, such as extra pillows, miniature refrigerators and early check-in/late check-out. Marriott plans to continue adding useful and timely information and services as it expands the “virtual concierge.”

“The pre-arrival planning service and ‘virtual concierge’ are based exclusively on feedback from guests, who asked for information about their stay that is personalized, reassuring and timely,” said Senior Vice President of Marketing Rita Cuddihy. “According to our research, more than 80 percent of guests said they’d be more likely to book their next trip with Marriott if they received this type of service.”

Also recently implemented as part of the At Your Service® program are enhancements to Marriott.com. With more than 20,000 new photos of hotels and resorts, guests can make even more informed decisions. Other improvements include an easier process for Marriott Rewards® members to redeem their points online.

The pre-arrival planning service and “virtual concierge” build upon the success of the At Your Service® system already in place at full-service hotels. Rather than calling various numbers to request different services, guests simply press the At Your Service® button from their in-room phones to speak with one guest service associate.

These new offerings are a component of the new look and feel of Marriott, a fresh approach influenced by the world’s foremost innovations in design, technology, culinary expertise, service and comfort. Guests will begin to experience this evolution across Marriott brands this year, in new hotel designs, exotic destinations, enhanced fitness centers, sumptuous spas and expanded culinary offerings, as well as new luxury bedding.

I wonder if Renaissance Austin's pre-arrival amenity request page, sent to us a couple days before our stay back in October, is part of the Virtual Concierge concept?

Never saw that before... looks like a great idea on Marriott's part!

I agree that this is a nice idea -- but someone should proof it for typos/spelling errors. :eek:

Hmmm... I stay at the same 3 properties each week - one or two nights in each. I wonder if there's a way not to be flooded with ongoing emails every day. And I rately make a reservation more than a day ahead (I made tonight's at 2pm) - I'm curious how they will handle that.

Nice touch though - I appreciated the advance mail exchange with St. Kitts this summer - everything was ready to go when I walked in.

Just curious as to how this program fares with it's Tues. launch. Anyone know if you get an e-mail if you booked months ago or only after the start on the 25th? I've already reserved a few Europe hotels and it would be somewhat handy to find out a little more about them.

Can someone add to this thread with some feedback when it's up & running.

Just doing some casual browsing and found a couple more amenity sites:
Renaissance Richardson: http://www.stayatmarriott.com/amenities/dalrd
Austin Airport Marriott South: http://www.stayatmarriott.com/amenities/ausap

For attempts at viewing other properties, just type the hotel codes after http://www.stayatmarriott.com/amenities/. Keep in mind that only a select group of properties currently work with this URL.

I'm sure that with a little browsing others can come up with more of these ^

not working....
 

www.stayatmarriott.com/amenities/ does not appear to be working right now... darn.....

As for the previous question about stays booked prior to Jan 25, I'd like to know about that, too..... will we be receiving an email, or is it just for newly-booked stays?

I received my first email yesterday on a stay next week. It came in the form of the new confirmation format and listed the links you see below which opened up to a considerable amount of information on the property.

For example, many have asked for taxi information in the past. This was included in this email and said it averaged $12.00 from the airport.

If any one has additional questions I will post the info from the links below.


Dear l4pi
We are looking forward to your arrival at the TownePlace Suites Columbus Airport Gahanna. In anticipation of your visit, below is some information we hope will ensure you have everything you need for a great stay.

See you soon.


Before You Leave


Local weather
View a 10-day forecast >>

Parking
Complimentary on-site parking
On-site and nearby dining options >>
Your choice of restaurants is just a click away.

Useful Information


Maps & transportation >>
Driving directions >>
Restaurants & lounges >>
Area information >>

About Your Hotel


The TownePlace Suites Columbus Airport Gahanna website >>
About this hotel >>
Guest rooms in detail >>
Printable hotel fact sheet >>
Services & Features >>


From the "guest room in detail" link.............

Highlights
• rooms have full kitchens with refrigerators, stove, microwave, & dishwasher; living area with sofa
High-speed Internet Access >>
Back to top
Guest Room Information (may vary by room type)
General Room Amenities
• Air conditioning
• Alarm clock
• Coffee maker/tea service
• Crib
• Individual climate control
• Iron and ironing board
• Pillows: down/feather
• Pillows: foam
• Pull-out sofa bed
• Rollaway bed
Bathroom Amenities
• Hair dryer
Room Entertainment
• Cable channel: CNN
• Cable channel: ESPN
• Cable channel: HBO
• Cable/satellite TV
• Color TV
• VCR player
Kitchen Amenities
• Conventional oven
• Dishwasher
• Microwave oven
• Pots, pans, serving dishes
• Refrigerator
• Silverware
• Stove
• Table and chair
• Toaster oven
Back to top
Business Amenities (may vary by room type)
• Electrical outlet: desk level
• Phone feature: voice mail
• Two-line phone

Well, this explains the reminder e-mail that I received for a stay at a Fairfield Inn later this week.

Although I usually know what to expect whenever I stay at a Fairfield Inn, it is nice to have all of the information (as well as links to additional information such as weather) readily accessible and organized on one place...

I wonder if this would effect upgrades. Many times, I get upgraded at checkin. If I have room service waiting in a standard room, How do I get the Club Level or Suite?

Just goy my first "Virtual Concierge"email (as opossed to a reminder or "at your service"email)today for an upcoming weekend stay at the Irvine Marriott-this will be my 16th Marriott stay this year-mostly in FS Marriotts.So I guess it is not online in all the properyies yet?

The same for me: what about the upgrades, as a gold member do i get a standard upgrade to a better room and some breakfast coupons?

Has somebody got some experience?

Pascal

Since upgrades are "When you check in, we'll upgrade your room whenever we can at no additional charge.", I doubt you will be considered for an upgrade before you arrive.

To me, all this really consists of is a reminder that you have a stay, with weather forcasts, directions, etc., and the chance to order spa treatments and other on-site offerings in advance.