Marriott Rolls Out Small Mtg. Booking Ctrs.

<B> Marriott Rolls Out Small Mtg. Booking Ctrs.</B>

By Maria P. Vallejo

Taking the concept of one-stop shopping to the next level, Marriott International last month launched a series of one-stop Event Booking Centers nationwide. The centers are designed to give small-meeting planners a single point of contact, and allow them to immediately choose from a variety of preset meeting packages at hotels across a wide geographic area.

"It's a great service for customers," said Marriott chairman J.W. Marriott Jr. "You only have to make one call. We will find space for you and we will get rooms for you."

At Event Booking Centers, dedicated sales staff will be able to quickly provide planners with availability and rates at eight nearby Marriott properties, ranging from upscale to midpriced, and including all 10 Marriott brands. Center operators also will be able to offer planners numerous meeting packages that include basic conference space, meeting components and audiovisual equipment at predetermined prices.

The centers will be rolled out to 35 major business cities, including Atlanta, Chicago and Washington, D.C., by year-end. Twelve booking centers will be in "the western half of the United States," including San Francisco, Sacramento and Scottsdale, Ariz. More than 100 domestic centers will be in place by the end of 1999, the same year international beta tests will begin. If the concept proves successfull, the chain may develop a similar product for large meetings and conventions bookings, according to company officials.

For Marriott, small meetings are no small piece of business. Groups of 50 or less account for about 50 percent of its group business. "A lot of customers over the years said that speed of response and convenience of bookings were a couple of the key things that drive their decision," said Rich Hanks, senior vice president of sales. "They wanted a one-stop shop for a booking that will take care of their needs until they hold a meeting."

In hopes of simplifying the process for both sides and ratcheting up its market share, Marriott more than three years ago charged an internal sales force with meeting planners' feedback on the ideal booking process for small meetings. It spent 18 months interviewing planners to develop the concept and another 18 months beta testing it with a group of nine northern California hotels, including several Courtyards, Residence Inns and Marriotts.

Beta test results revealed some planners preferred to book immediately their meetings and hotel room accommodations in the operator-recommended properties, rather than continue a possibly futile search for closer available competitive hotels. "What we're finding is for small meetings, the customer wants a booking right then and right there, and they are willing to travel another 10 minutes," said James Kauffman, vice president of San Francisco marketing. "We can give them the rate, get them the availability and book them. The fact that we can move them around is wonderful."

The centers are based inside one of the hotels within the property cluster, chosen based on its technological ability to handle the project's hardware and software systems.

Although the centers can handle most small meeting events, Hanks cautioned they might not meet the needs of all buyers. Planners who need elaborate packages or have specific unique requirements may want to stick to the normal negotiations process, he said.

"We sell packaged meetings and it's very clean," Hanks said. "A planner of a complex meeting may want to get into the nitty gritty. There are people who love conflict and negotiating, and those who don't. It's based on how much you like convenience and speed.