Marriott International launches “Business Access by Marriott Bonvoy”

Marriott International announced the launch of Business Access by Marriott Bonvoy, a comprehensive online travel booking program designed as a direct channel for small to medium-sized businesses. The Program combines an expanded booking experience with benefits and rewards available only through Marriott Bonvoy’s award-winning travel program and portfolio of brands. Starting immediately, the program is available to small to medium-sized businesses based in the United States, Canada, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Caribbean, and Latin America and is anticipated to expand to other regions.

According to a global survey conducted by Wakefield Research among business travelers at small to medium-sized businesses in the U.S., UK, Canada, and Mexico,¹ 75% report experiencing frustrations with their travel booking platforms. 56% say they are difficult to use, 27% are unhappy with the inability to book travel and hotels from the same place, and more than a quarter (27%) express disappointment with the platforms’ lack of integration with their travel expense programs. In fact, 58% are so unwilling to work within their current programs that they would rather ask for forgiveness than permission for booking outside their companies’ travel management platforms.

With the new program, companies have the ability to book hotels in the Marriott Bonvoy portfolio at a discounted rate, as well as flights, rail, and rental cars, within one easy-to-use multilingual tool. The Program includes additional features that satisfy business needs, such as access to live traveler data, real-time reporting, and expense management.

“We recognize the significant value small businesses provide to the hotel industry, which is why we’re excited to combine the benefits of our award-winning travel program with a comprehensive suite of tools in Business Access by Marriott Bonvoy,” said Drew Pinto, Executive Vice President and Chief Revenue and Technology Officer, Marriott International. “Whether small to medium-sized businesses are looking for convenient online booking capabilities for their employees or better expense management solutions, the all-in-one platform, merged with our portfolio of hotel brands around the world, provides everything they need to manage their business travel needs.”

With a seamless experience at every step, companies can now take their travel to the next level and benefit from the following features:

• Discounted Marriott Bonvoy Rates and Awards: Small to medium-sized businesses that join Business Access by Marriott Bonvoy will be eligible to select a discount at hotels in the Marriott Bonvoy portfolio around the world (subject to availability) while earning points for future stays at participating hotels, room upgrades, and more. Participating businesses can also receive Marriott Bonvoy Elite status awards after certain companywide usage thresholds are reached. These status awards can be gifted to employees, who can enjoy the benefits that each Marriott Bonvoy Elite status level provides to members.

Small businesses that have the Marriott Bonvoy Business American Express Card, the Marriott Bonvoy Premier Plus Business Credit Card from Chase, or the Marriott Bonvoy Business Credit Card from Chase are also invited to apply for Business Access by Marriott Bonvoy. All Marriott Bonvoy Business Credit Card Members who join the Program can continue to enjoy the benefits of their Cards.

• Elevated Shopping Experience: The online booking tool serves as a one-stop shop for small to medium-sized business travelers to compare, book, manage, and change Marriott Bonvoy hotel, flight, rail, and car rental reservations all within one integrated platform that supports compliance with their companies’ travel policies.
• Customizable Travel Policies: Travel managers can take control of their companies’ travel policies and ensure compliance with spending limits. From setting clear guidelines for their unique needs to managing expenses, the self-service tool makes it easy for managers to make changes.
• Global Travel Policy Management and Reporting: Real-time analytics empower managers with detailed insights on travel spend, sustainability reporting and behavior so they can make policy adjustments.
• Traveler Health and Safety Monitoring: The travel insights tool gives managers the ability to monitor the well-being and safety of employees on the move. Managers can view interactive maps to stay informed of potential disruptions and proactively mitigate risks, helping keep teams safe and their businesses running smoothly.
• Expense Management Solutions: Businesses that sign up for Business Access by Marriott Bonvoy will have the option to use an expense management tool. Travelers can choose to integrate the Program with existing expense management platforms and submit payments with virtual credit card They can also automate expense reports based on set policies, making it easy for managers to approve and reconcile expenses.
• Access to Marriott Bonvoy Benefits: Employees of small and medium-sized businesses who join Business Access by Marriott Bonvoy will have full access to the offerings of Marriott Bonvoy, Marriott International’s award-winning travel program and marketplace. Members can take advantage of benefits such as member rates, free breakfast, late checkout, mobile check-in, mobile keys, and mobile chat on the Marriott Bonvoy mobile app, free in-room Wi-Fi, room upgrades and more, subject to availability. Additionally, members can earn points at properties participating in Marriott Bonvoy globally and enjoy free stays by redeeming points or a combination of points and cash or use points to bid on Marriott Bonvoy Moments® experiences.

The new program is powered by Spotnana, a Travel-as-a-Service platform modernizing the infrastructure of the travel industry.

1 The Marriott Business Travelers Survey was conducted by Wakefield Research between May 22 and May 29, 2024, among 1,500 business travelers at small to medium-sized companies in the U.S., UK, Canada, and Mexico, with “business travelers” defined as those taking a business-related trip requiring an overnight stay in the past 12 months, using an email invitation and an online survey. “Small companies” are defined as those with fewer than 1,000 employees, and “midsize companies” are defined as those with 1,000-4,999 employees.

The article Marriott International launches “Business Access by Marriott Bonvoy” first appeared in TravelDailyNews International.