Recommend December 2010 - (Page 10)

MARRIOTT wins big! 14th annual hotel desk rca Best Resort/Hotel Chain for Value; winner FOR AWARDS PIECES Best Resort/Hotel Chain in the USA/Canada, Europe, Latin America & Asia; Best Hotel Chain for Travel Agent Support; rca Best Resort Chain (non-all-inclusive) for Travel Agent Support 14th annual readers’ choice award winner 11/10/10 4:46:57 PM FINAL LOGO.indd 1 W paloma villaverde de rico Without doubt, the big winner in this year’s Recommend’s Readers’ Choice Awards is Marriott International, taking home seven awards in total, two in the travel agent support category: Best Hotel Chain for Travel Agent Support (11th consecutive win) and Best Resort Chain (non-all-inclusive) for Travel Agent Support, as well as Best Resort/Hotel Chain for Value; and Best Resort/Hotel Chain in the USA/Canada (ninth consecutive win), Europe, Latin America (second consecutive win) and Asia (second consecutive win). “Marriott International has a long-standing tradition of ensuring the success of our travel agency partners,” says Julius Robinson, v.p. of global intermediaries for Marriott International. For instance, “Marriott’s global Love Travel Agents campaign helps to differentiate Marriott International from our competitors. The program was designed to celebrate and build awareness of the global travel agency community and its partners, and created to help build awareness of the pivotal role travel agents play within the travel industry.” In fact, Marriott International has several innovative programs and services for agents, including a newly revamped travel agent website— marriott.com/travelagents—designed by agents; a Hotel Excellence! training program; Fam-Tastic familiarization rates; and the industry’s only double commission guarantee. So with these offerings, as well as a new brand—think EDITION— popping up and the constant expansion of the company’s traditional brands in regions around the world, all of these awards our readers bestowed on the hotel company are really not at all surprising. In fact, Robinson says it’s a very exciting time for Marriott International because of “the growth of different and exciting brands such as EDITION and our select service offerings.” The company will be doubling its presence in China and Europe and will expand new brands, such as Residence Inn by Marriott, in Latin America. And just last month, the company opened its 500th property under the iconic Marriott Hotels & Resorts brand—the 416-room Pune Marriott Hotel & Convention Centre in the historic city of Pune, India. In fact, Marriott International plans to have 100 hotels in India by 2015—that’s huge when you consider that it has only 11 currently. Additionally, the first international EDITION hotel—in partnership with famed hotelier Ian Schrager—will open in Istanbul in the first quarter of 2011 (the first one is already welcoming guests in Waikiki), and the company has announced the acquisition of the historic Berners Hotel in London, which will be renovated over the next 18-24 months to become The London EDITION. This new brand, incidentally, “combines the personal, intimate, individualized and unique lodging that Schrager 10 december 2010 “Marriott International has a long-standing tradition of ensuring the success of our travel agency partners. Marriott’s global Love Travel Agents campaign helps to differentiate Marriott International from our competitors.” Julius Robinson, vice President, Global Intermediaries, Marriott International is known for,” explains Robinson, “with the global reach, operational expertise and scale of Marriott.” And adding to its string of newbies, the company’s luxury JW Marriott brand saw the opening of the JW Marriott Marquis Miami in downtown Miami. “The founder of our company, Mr. Marriott Sr., has a personal motto that ‘success is never final,’” says Robinson. “This motto has become a pillar of Marriott’s company culture around the world. The core values established by the Marriott family over 80 years ago…will continue to guide our growth into the future. There is truly a ‘Marriott Way.’ It is about serving the associates, the customer, and the community. Marriott’s fundamental beliefs are enduring and the keys to its continued success.” Another key to its success is the constant “dialogue” the company has with its guests and travel agents. “Marriott has been active in the social media space through our @marriottintl Twitter account, the Marriott News Center and, of course, Mr. Marriott’s personal blog. Clearly this evolution has changed the way that we do business, and communicate with our customers. Our social media channels have created the opportunity to communicate with our guests, customers and travel agents from around the world.” l contact information Marriott International: marriott.com recommend.com http://www.marriott.com http://www.recommend.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Recommend December 2010

Editor's Notes
Hotel Desk-Marriott International
Tour Talk-Globus
Services-SABRE; Apple Vacations & Travel Impressions
Ritz-Carlton
Hertz & Hawaii
Las Vegas
Tauck World Discovery
Florida
Southwest Airlines
France
Ireland
Italy
Delta Air Lines & Rail Europe
China
Thailand
Singapore Airlines
2011 Taiwan Travel Planner
Tahiti & Goway Travel
Costa Rica
Brazil & Avanti Destinations
Egypt
South Africa
Abercrombie & Kent & Isram World of Travel
Israel
Jamaica
Sandals & Beaches Resorts
St. Lucia
GOGO Worldwide Vacations
Cancun
RIU Hotels & Resorts & Apple Vacations
Riviera Maya
Celebrity Cruises & Royal Caribbean International
Princess Cruises
Carnival Cruise Lines & Regent Seven Seas Cruises
Crystal Cruises & Viking River Cruises

Recommend December 2010