Marriott's Upgrade: New CEO Arne Sorenson Freshens Up The Brand For Millennials - Forbes

At first blush Marriott International’s annual corporate awards ceremony looks the part. Eight hundred people crammed into a hotel ballroom, just 2 miles from headquarters. Eighty-one-year-old Chairman John Willard 'Bill' Marriott Jr. lording over the festivities, with Arne Sorenson, the new chief executive officer, sitting across the aisle. Top brass in from as far away as Hong Kong seated cheek by jowl with a dozen Marriott family members.

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Marriott re-brands flagship brand as worldwide campaign launches

Reflecting the transformative change happening at its properties, the iconic Marriott Hotels, the signature brand of Marriott International has launched a new multi-year global marketing campaign.

Called ‘Travel Brilliantly’, the campaign reflects the lifestyle of the next generation of travellers, who seamlessly blend work and play in a mobile and global world.

The campaign includes TV, digital and mobile advertising, a new brand look and logo, and enhanced social media platforms.

In addition, Marriott is launching a new website – Travel Brilliantly - revealing innovations under development, as well as a co-creation platform to solicit user-generated ideas.

At its core, the campaign disrupts the traditional industry idea that a hotel is bound by its four walls.

Rather, the campaign shifts the focus, celebrating how the global travel experience opens minds and is inspirational.

As the advertising proclaims: “This is not a hotel. It’s an idea that travel should be brilliant… It’s not only about where you’re staying. It’s about where you’re going.”

From culinary to design to technology, the new campaign draws on the personal passion points and values of the next generation guest, to create a visual that is emblematic of the new Marriott experience.

“The iconic Marriott Hotels brand is transforming itself and reasserting its position as an innovation leader,” said Mara Hannula, vice president of global marketing, Marriott Hotels.

“Therefore, the campaign had to be bold in not only staking our claim, but also engaging the next generation of travellers to join us in co-creating the future of travel.”

To signal change, Marriott created a new brand logo, keeping its iconic ‘M’, while modernising its overall appeal.

Grey NY, one of the world’s leading advertising and communications agencies developed the integrated campaign and the new brand voice. 

The new website will be a platform for portraying Marriott’s past and future innovations and soliciting similar, future-forward ideas from influencers, experts and travelling consumer enthusiasts.

Visitors to the website are invited to share their groundbreaking ideas to improve the modern travel experience across design, culinary, wellness and technology.

Marriott’s new campaign will run online in prominent news and lifestyle outlets, such as Fast Company, Mashable and Wired, and in key mobile placements beginning in June.

Television spots featuring ads from the campaign will begin in September.

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Choice Hotels International announces new vice president of brand strategy

Choice Hotels International, Inc, one of the world’s largest hotel companies, today announced that Anne Engelking Smith has joined the company as Vice President of Brand Strategy. Smith joins the company from AARP where she was responsible for overseeing the AARP brand in commercial marketing and driving membership growth including the organization’s multicultural membership base.

At Choice Hotels, Smith will oversee the brand strategies for nine of the company’s midscale, economy and extended stay brands: Comfort Inn, Comfort Suites, Sleep Inn, Quality Inn, Clarion, Econo Lodge, Rodeway Inn, Suburban and MainStay Suites. Smith will lead the overall strategy for this portfolio of brands to promote a compelling value proposition to both franchisees and consumers, with goals of optimizing unit growth, and driving central reservations. She will report to Alexandra Jaritz, Senior Vice President, Brand Strategy and Marketing.

“Choice Hotels enjoys some of the strongest brands in the industry from our iconic Comfort Inn to our storied Quality Inn which was the first of our brands. Under Anne’s leadership our portfolio of brands will become even stronger,” said Alexandra Jaritz, Senior Vice President Brand Strategy and Marketing.

Smith’s extensive brand management experience includes leadership roles at Frito-Lay, Inc., a division of Pepsico, where she was responsible for overseeing multiple award-winning campaigns and product launches including the relaunch of SunChips. She also led innovation for a $5 billion portfolio that included the Lay’s, Tostitos and Rold Gold brands. Smith also led an effort that highlighted the company’s environmental sustainability practices to evolve the company’s corporate identity.

Anne received her MBA from Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management and undergraduate degree from the University of Texas at Austin. Earlier in her career, Anne worked in the publishing field, where she produced compelling content for science and technology textbooks to engage children in learning and demystifying these subjects. The creative skills she honed developing scholastic content combined with her educational background and consumer packaged goods experience, have sharpened her ability to create a compelling brand strategy and tell the “story” of a brand.

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Aloft brand makes debut in Cancun

Starwood’s Aloft brand has made its debut in Cancun, Mexico. The property is located in the Hotel Zone, adjacent to Cancun Center, the city’s convention and exhibition center, and walking distance from dining, shopping and nightlife.

Aloft Cancun features the atmospheric public spaces that have made Aloft a worldwide hit. Guests will be able to mix and mingle, read the paper, work on laptops, play a game of pool or grab a drink with friends at the re:mixSM communal lobby area or at the w xyzSM bar.

The hotel will also have a rooftop pool and re:fuel café as well as a re:chargeSM gym. It will have approximately 6,500 square feet of banquet and meeting space.

“Since its launch, Aloft has emerged as a popular choice among savvy business travelers. We are thrilled to launch the Aloft brand in Cancun, a renowned tourist destination as well as a prime business travel destination that is seeing increased demand in the meetings and conventions segment,” said Osvaldo Librizzi, Co-President the Americas.

“This opening is also an important step for Starwood as it marks our 25th hotel in Mexico and the entrance of our eighth brand in the country. Furthermore, it allows us to continue to build on the momentum of the Aloft brand in Latin America.” Librizzi added.

The Aloft brand made its debut in Latin America in 2011 with the opening of the Aloft Bogota Airport, followed by Aloft San Jose in Costa Rica three months later. Currently, there are eight Aloft branded hotels in operation or in development in the region, including the Aloft Panama, which will open in June. Aloft Merida and Aloft Guadalajara are slated to open in 2014, and Aloft Asuncion and Aloft Montevideo will open their doors in 2015.

“We’re delighted that Cancun will be the launching platform for the Aloft brand in Mexico, and we are excited to partner with Starwood in this project,” said Mauricio Hamui Hilwani, owner and Director of Promotora TIIM. “Cancun continues to establish itself as an important convention and tourism hub, as demand increases from leisure and business travelers. As a result, it is the ideal location for Aloft – a brand that caters to both segments.”

Aloft Cancun is located along the main avenue of Cancun, Boulevard Kukulcan, only 25 minutes away from the International Airport, 15 minutes from downtown and walking distance to several key entertainment places, including the city’s famous white-sand beaches.

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Holiday Inn brand debuts in Grand Cayman

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) has revealed the latest addition to the growing global Holiday Inn Resort brand portfolio with the opening of the Holiday Inn Resort Grand Cayman hotel. The property has 117-rooms and a variety of beachfront amenities.

“We are thrilled to bring a Holiday Inn Resort hotel to one of the most popular destinations in the Caribbean,” said Gerardo Murray, vice president, Marketing Strategic Services for Mexico, Latin America and Caribbean, IHG.

“Adding this property to our Holiday Inn Resort brand portfolio is in alignment with our strategy to bring the brand to easily-accessed leisure destinations.” Added Murray.

Additional amenities available for guests include a fitness center, tennis court, swimming pool, beach volleyball court, golf course, business center, wireless Internet, onsite dive shop, and complementary children’s activities. The resort also offers an array of aquatic activities including onsite jet ski, kayak and snorkeling rentals. Guests can indulge at the Blue Iguana Grill and Lounge featuring classic Caymanian cuisine and refreshing cocktails and beverages.

“This new Holiday Inn Resort property will further bolster the strong presence of the Holiday Inn Brand Family in the Caribbean while also enhancing the travel experience of our guests,” said Heather Balsley, senior vice president, Brand Management, the Americas, IHG. “Grand Cayman is a family-friendly vacation destination and a key location for the Holiday Inn Resort brand.”

Guests staying at the beachfront property can choose between one of the resort’s well-appointed spacious guest rooms, or a suite that features a variety of breathtaking views of the shimmering waters of the North Sound.

The suites also offer extra living space and amenities, such as a fully stocked gourmet kitchen, a living room, dining room and an en-suite laundry. The resort is also ideal for meetings or special events which can be hosted at the poolside covered patio, by the airy sandy beach with pavilion or in a traditional meeting room.

“The Holiday Inn Resort Grand Cayman brings the total number of countries in which IHG has a presence in Latin America and the Caribbean to twenty-one,” added Alvaro Diago, chief operating officer, Latin America and Caribbean, IHG. “We are confident that it will be extremely well received by our guests, who will appreciate our growing presence in this region.”

The Holiday Inn Resort Grand Cayman hotel is located 15 minutes from Owen Roberts International Airport, on the North Sound, near many of Grand Cayman’s most tourist attractions including Stingray City and Rum Point.

Visitors can also access nearby Camana Bay and George Town via the resort’s shuttle service which provides guests complimentary transportation to anywhere within 5 minutes of the hotel.

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