Marriott links with Alibaba

A joint venture designed to improve the travel experience for hundreds of millions of Chinese travellers has been established between the Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba Group and Marriott International.

The partnership will leverage the hotel company’s global portfolio of brands and hospitality expertise as well as Alibaba’s digital retail leadership to reach more than 500m mobile monthly active users across its platforms.

The partners say the joint venture will draw on resources from both Marriott and Alibaba to manage and operate Marriott International’s Chinese-language digital channels.

These include Chinese language versions of Marriott.com and Starwoodhotels.com; the Marriott Mobile App and SPG App as well as the Marriott storefronts on Alibaba’s travel service platform, Fliggy.

Marriott says its owners and franchisees globally will benefit from the joint venture by capturing a greater share of the growing Chinese travel market and lower distribution costs associated with the joint venture.

Alibaba Group chief executive Daniel Zhang said: “We are proud to join forces with Marriott International – combining our large-scale consumer base, leading-edge technology and consumer insights with their unparalleled hospitality expertise.

 “Together, we are elevating and redefining the travel experience for Chinese consumers to be more seamless and personalised as they embark on adventures to discover the world.”

www.marriott.com

www.alibabagroup.com

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