BETHESDA, MD – September 3, 2013 – Marriott Hotels announces the five First Prize Winners and their submissions for the second entry period for its Travel Brilliantly contest: Richie Welton of Madison, WI Megan Steffen of Napa, CA; Rene Kolga of Salt Lake City, UT; Suzanne Polito of Charlotte, NC; and Marie Cheney of Portland, OR. The brand invited consumers to submit the most innovative and inspiring ideas to re-imagine the future of travel in the realms of technology, eat & drink, work & play, health & wellness and style & design categories. One Grand Prize Winner will have the opportunity to travel and work with Marriott Hotels and an expert in his/her field to refine the winning submission idea.
This is the second round of innovation announced for “Travel Brilliantly;” the first round of five finalists was announced earlier in August and a third round of five is soon to follow. On Monday, September 30th, the fifteen First Prize Winners will participate in a judging day at Marriott Headquarters in Bethesda, MD. The panel of judges, Shira Lazar, host and co-founder, “What’s Trending;”Marc Kushner, founder/CEO of Architizer.com; and Matthew Von Ertfelda, Vice President, Creative Strategy ISI (Insight, Strategy & Innovation Team) at Marriott Hotels, will select the one Grand Prize Winner.
While Marriott Hotels received many innovative submissions, the five First Prize Winner selections from this round were recognized for their potential to enhance the future of travel. With Work & Play top of mind, Richie Welton proposed a monthly happy hour event for business travelers themed by common topics (Giving Feedback, Identifying Talent, Using Social Media, etc.), where event-goers can interact with other guests at the hotel who work in different industries. Tech-savvy Megan Steffen submitted a social media inspired innovation that allows guests to receive Marriott Reward points, hotel credits, and discounts for using a designated hashtag on their social media accounts. Rene Kolga ideated an app that allows for guests to make recommendations on the best places to eat, tourist attractions and activities in the area surrounding the hotel. To recreate the comforts of a home-cooked meal on the road, Suzanne Polito submitted the idea for an app allowing for guests’ rooms to be stocked with groceries that they would select from a pre-ordered list upon arrival. Finally, Marie Cheney proposed the switch from traditional print newspapers to a daily digital news subscription; each guest would have the option of selecting from a variety of newspapers at check-in including The New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today and more, with automatic e-mail and text notifications for when their daily digital paper would arrive.
The winners’ submissions were selected based on criteria including the extent to which their idea described in the submission would enable guests to “Travel Brilliantly;” the innovativeness of the submission; feasibility and strategy for execution; overall impression; and the quantity of votes received by users publicly voting online.
In addition to the “Travel Brilliantly” contest, the iconic hospitality brand has been innovating throughout its hotels globally. Re-designed lobbies and public spaces known as Greatrooms are being rolled out for the next generation of travelers who seamlessly blend work and play in an increasingly mobile and global world. As the industry leader in hosting meetings, Marriott is introducing new concepts designed for the new mobile worker including Workspring at Marriott, Red Coat Direct and Workspace on Demand. Additionally, Marriott Hotels has recently unveiled its “underground” Innovation Lab in its Bethesda, MD headquarters.
About Marriott Hotels
With 500 hotels and resorts in nearly 60 countries around the world, Marriott Hotels is evolving travel through every aspect of the guest’s stay, enabling the next generation to Travel Brilliantly. Boldly transforming itself for mobile and global travelers who blend work and play, Marriott leads the industry with innovations, including the Greatroom, Future of Meetings and Mobile Guest Services that elevates style & design and technology. All Marriott hotels participate in the award winning Marriott Rewards frequent travel program that allows members to earn hotel points or airline miles for every dollar spent during each stay. For more information, visit http://www.MarriottHotels.com. To join the ongoing Marriott conversation, like us on Facebook (Facebook.com/Marriott) and follow us on Twitter (Twitter.com/Marriott, @Marriott).
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