Marriott International is celebrating the 10th Anniversary of Marriott.com, which has been recognized as one of the industry`s fastest hotel sites according to Gomez Advisors. The site now receives more than 13 million visits a month with visitors spending 1.6 million hours on the site. This is six times more than the voice channels

The site has grown tremendously since its beginnings in 1996. When Marriott.com was launched in 1996, one reservation was made per hour. Today, the site generates approximately 1,400 reservations per hour. Over 15% of gross reservations for Marriott are now made through Marriott.com, compared to just 0.03% in 1996.

Marriott.com offers one-stop services for travelers to ease their travel planning experience. Guests can now book, modify and cancel hotel reservations, purchase airline tickets (only when the reservation is booked using a credit card issued by a US bank), reserve a rental car and book vacation packages via the website.

To provide guests with detailed information about Marriott hotels online and help them select the right hotel for their travel needs, Marriott.com now offers complete hotel web sites with up to 25 pages of information per hotel, including stunning photography, 360-degree virtual tours, hotel special offers, maps, driving directions, and local area information. A new site feature also allows guests to compare up to three hotels side-by-side. To meet the needs of our international customers, Marriott.com has also expanded to 16 international sites with content in eight different languages.

Customers who book on Marriott.com receive reservation confirmation and pre-arrival emails. These emails place important trip planning information at their fingertips - guests can view reservation details, obtain directions to the hotel, check on weather conditions and make hotel restaurant reservations and spa appointments prior to arrival.

The site also provides one stop services for Marriott Rewards members. Guests can enroll in Marriott Rewards, earn and redeem points, access member exclusive offers, as well as manage their accounts and personal preferences online. As of last month, Marriott Rewards members can also opt-in online to have their hotel bills emailed to them after every stay at North America hotels.

From a business-to-business perspective, the site now offers convenient tools and resources for customers. Meetings and events planners may utilize the Request for Proposal tools on the site for easy planning. In addition, customers can now obtain custom web pages for events at Marriott hotels that include a room block, which provide event details and easy access to book rooms at the group rate online. Travel Agents can log-in to the site to access time and money-saving services and information.

“It is very exciting to see the progress of Marriott.com over the past 10 years, as it has grown from a hotel booking engine to a one-stop trip planning resource,” said Shafiq Khan, senior vice president e-commerce for Marriott International. “Our customers are increasingly turning to the web as they make their travel plans, and we are committed to continuing to enhance Marriott.com to meet their needs online.”
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