The United Kingdom and Ireland's Institute of Travel and Meetings has condemned Marriott International as "anti-corporate" after the hotel giant late last month announced that it would provide free Wi-Fi to members of its Marriott Rewards loyalty program only if they book directly through Marriott channels. ITM criticized the move, due to take effect Jan. 15, 2015, for undermining managed travel programs, which often require travelers to book hotels indirectly through corporate booking tools or travel management companies and other service providers.
A statement from ITM, which claimed in 2013 to represent more than £6 billion of corporate travel spend, said the Marriott initiative "could hinder companies' ability to manage money spent on hotels and breach duty-of-care procedures." ITM called on Marriott to reconsider.
"We are disappointed that Marriott has embarked on an anti-corporate initiative," said ITM industry affairs group chairman Mark Cuschieri. "We recognize the importance of rewarding loyal customers with complimentary services or amenities. For hotels, these people usually come from the business travel community. But when there is an effort to attract business travelers away from approved corporate channels, it becomes a major problem.
"On behalf of our members I request that Marriott reconsider its position and simply recognize the traveler for loyalty instead of seeking to use them as an opportunity by stealth to reduce overall distribution costs whilst undermining negotiated corporate hotel deals," Cuschieri said.
ITM chief executive Simone Buckley added: "Traveler compliance to the managed travel program is critical from a duty-of-care perspective as well as delivering market share to preferred suppliers. We do not believe that a corporate traveler who is a Marriott Rewards member should be excluded from benefiting from free Internet access simply because of the distribution channel that their organization has asked them to use."
Marriott was unmoved by the intervention from ITM. The hotel company in a written response said: "We understand buyers' concerns, but direct booking is Marriott's best opportunity to build a strong relationship with guests, prepare for their arrival and best understand their needs. Free Wi-Fi is one of many benefits that come to Marriott Rewards members who book direct."