Booking rooms and meeting spaces at Marriott just got easier

Marriott International is offering event planners direct access to real-time, best available group rates and inventory at more than 1,500 Marriott properties across the United States and Canada.

The hotel group has partnered with technology company Groups360 to launch ‘Instant Booking’ functionality for both guest rooms and meeting space at scale.

The GroupSync Marketplace will help meeting planners to reduce the time and effort during the sourcing and contracting process, in particular for smaller meetings, and also remove the need to book meeting space separately from guest rooms. Planners can also view inventory availability before submitting an RFP for more complex events at all Marriott hotels globally.

Marriott is comparing the combination of these new capabilities to turning the ‘sourcing’ process into the ‘shopping’ or ‘buying’ process, simplifying the way planners book meetings.

Commenting on the partnership, Drew Pinto, global officer, global sales, distribution and revenue management, Marriott International said: “This offers our group customers what they have told us they are looking for, which is a much more seamless and efficient booking experience. Our integration with Groups360 will also allow all Marriott hotels globally to receive and respond to RFPs quickly and efficiently through a two-way response process. This will be a win-win for both planners and hotels."

Kemp Gallineau, CEO of Groups360 added: “Event organisers benefit not only from instant booking for rooms and space but from à la carte catering and equipment ordering, too. Their involvement is a testament to the commitment to reduce friction in group travel planning and help hoteliers, like Marriott, enhance their customer relationships."

Marriott said that additional growth of the service is expected throughout 2023.