Marriott built an ‘Airbnb’ before coronavirus crashed travel. Did it help?
Marriott Hotels launched its Homes & Villas alternative lodging service a few years ago. It has grown to 10,000 listings and has become popular with Marriott Bonvoy rewards members, but remains only a minor bright spot in the Covid-19 crash.
Getty Images
Marriott International began its push back against the success of Airbnb in Spring 2019 with Marriott Homes & Villas, a luxury property lodging service that offered customers a private residence alternative to hotel rooms. Bookings are up, by a lot, during Covid-19, as more travelers flock to individual properties. That’s made the Airbnb rival a rare bright spot in business results for the hotel giant, which like its peers, has seen a massive falloff in traditional room bookings as business travel, travel to urban centers, and international vacation travel dwindled during the pandemic.
From May to August, Marriott saw record performances in top booking days, up to 2x