Marriott Hotels Courts Millennials with Live Performances, Food Trucks and More
by Kandia Johnson

July 28, 2015

Marriott Hotels Courts Millennials with Live Performances, Food Trucks and More

If you’re a frequent traveler driven by unique cultural experiences, Marriott International Hotels are looking for you to indulge in one of their new “mix and mingle” properties. From hosting performances in hotel lobbies by established and emerging musicians to providing suggestions on food and beer pairings, the hotel is ready to spice up their hotel amenities.

[Related: Marriott Port-au-Prince Opens in Haiti]

With a new program called Residence Inn Mix, guests are encouraged to connect with other business travelers on various “themed nights” such as:

  • It’s On (Mondays) – Meet other guests for some “must-see TV” or hang by the fire pit with a variety of light-fare appetizers.
  • Off the Grill (Tuesdays) – Join in for conversation and great eats, hot off the grill.
  • Food Truck (Alternating Wednesdays) – Get to know the local area’s most popular food trucks.

In a statement released by Marriott Hotels, as part of the Residence Inn Mix rollout, the brand has teamed up with leading visual discovery platform Blippar to pilot image recognition and augmented reality technologies. The augmented reality experience will be showcased at four special Residence Inn Mix launch events, starting this month in Boston, Austin, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C.  Guests will be provided with blippable beverage coasters that allow them to unlock unique interactive experiences including multiplayer trivia games, customizable selfies and premium Anheuser-Busch content including suggested food and beer pairings.

Beyond social hours filled with games and food, the hotel chain recently partnered with Universal Music Group, the world’s largest music company, to arrange exclusive performances in hotel lobbies by established and emerging musicians, music downloads, ticket offers, and more. Starting this summer, Marriott and UMG are “setting out to engage a new generation of experience-seekers, travelers, and music fans to deliver unique #WithTheBand experiences.”

When the LA Times asked Jennifer Utz, Marriott’s vice president of Buzz Marketing and Partnership, “Does that mean that your local hotel lobby might feature a set by Universal Music Group’s biggest clients, including Madonna, Sting, Mary J. Blige, Nicki Minaj and Jennifer Lopez? She said “the artists will be matched with the hotel venue so that more popular acts will play at large hotel conference centers while up-and-coming bands might play in an intimate lobby setting.”

“It will run the gamut of artist,” she said. “We are working to match them with our various properties.”

“The good news is that all hotel performances will be free to guests, and, when space allows, to the general public, Utz said.”


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