Marriott International elevates guest service with IBM Cloud

ARMONK, NY – IBM announced today that Marriott is adopting IBM Cloud technology. The two companies will provide enhanced IT operations to help Marriott offer faster digital services to web-savvy guests and to discern insights about this important traveler cohort for its more than 4,000 properties across the globe.

The hospitality industry is experiencing unprecedented change in meeting the needs of next generation travelers, retaining customer loyalty, burnishing brand reputation and growing revenues. The sheer speed of technological change has presented many challenges with guest expectations shaped by their use of social media and mobile devices. Over its extensive history, Marriott has built a reputation for operational excellence, and continually innovates its products and services to enhance guest satisfaction.

To maintain its industry leadership position, Marriott will migrate a significant portion of its core IT systems and applications to IBM’s open cloud platform over the next few years. The SoftLayer infrastructure-as-a-service provides for a flexible, scalable platform, which minimizes the need for on-site IT support and upgrades. The IBM cloud solution will also enable faster deployment of new Marriott digital capabilities.

IBM will also provide Managed DevOps Services to enable the development of “born on the cloud” capabilities using the cloud solution. Further, Marriott will be deploying IBM analytics software as a service called Big Insights.

“Marriott continually transforms its technology to ensure we provide a seamless and enjoyable experience for guests throughout their entire stay,” said Bruce Hoffmeister, Global Chief Information Officer, Marriott International. “IBM Cloud provides the analytics to see early-stage data patterns and the scale and flexibility to enable timely, innovative new services that will meet guests’ expectations in a predominantly digital world.”

“Industry leaders stay ahead by moving to the next paradigm ahead of competitors,” said Robert LeBlanc, Senior Vice President, IBM Cloud. “Through our powerful enterprise cloud platform and ability to integrate it seamlessly with existing on-premises technology, IBM is enabling Marriott’s transformation and global expansion.”