After Millennium Hotels, Marriott next to tie up with WRS for wildlife staycation packages

Following in the footsteps of Millennium Hotels and Resorts, Marriott International has partnered with Wildlife Reserves Singapore (WRS) to offer wildlife staycation packages for seven of its hotel brands. The staycation package will enable guests to have daily breakfast, along with the choice of any of the two Wildlife Encounter packages, curated by WRS. The packages are Singapore Zoo Family Experience with Orangutans or River Safari Panda Forest Family Experience. The participating hotel brands are St. Regis, W Singapore, Ritz-Carlton Millenia, Marriott Tang Plaza Hotel, Sheraton Towers, Four Points, as well as The Vagabond Club.  

In a statement to MARKETING-INTERACTIVE, a spokesperson from Marriott International said while the Orangutans and Panda wildlife experiences are not exclusive to Marriott International, they were curated specially for hotels. "Offering our guests new and unique experiences will always be our highest priority, and with travel restrictions in place, we are redefining the staycation experiences with inclusions, activities and immersive experiences for guests at Marriott International properties," the spokesperson added. MARKETING-INTERACTIVE understands that WRS is also currently exploring opportunities with other hotel industry partners to offer wildlife experiences at its parks.

To promote the wildlife staycation package, Marriott International has a dedicated landing page for the ease of guest booking. It will also be using social media and digital marketing efforts to reach out to Singaporeans. Additionally, Marriott International will have dedicated communications going out to Marriott Bonvoy, its loyalty programme, members in Singapore to amplify the messaging.

The collaboration is in line with Singapore Tourism Board’s #PassionMadePossible and #SingapoRediscovers campaign. It is also part of Marriott's bigger staycation campaign "Vacay with a Staycay", which was launched earlier in September. Besides the wildlife experience offerings, the "Vacay with a Staycay" campaign also other packages catered to families, food lovers, and couples as well. 

Rivero Delgado, area vice president Singapore, Maldives and Malaysia for Marriott International said it is confident the collaboration will further encourage Singaporeans to explore the island and boost the tourism sector. The wildlife staycation package will also allow the hotel brand to engage with its regular guests as well as young guests through insightful, educational yet personalised experiences. "Singapore has a lot to offer and we are delighted to bring that to life through these unique staycation packages," she added.

Irene Lin, chief marketing officer, WRS, added that the collaboration will grow the nature-quotient in the community of holidaymakers and inspire more people to appreciate the world around them and care for nature. “Our parks are windows to the wild where families can appreciate the naturalistic habitats of a wide range of animal species. To enrich the experience, we are curating special interactions with our animal care teams whose stories will personalise the animal encounters," Lin said.

Lin also told MARKETING-INTERACTIVE that WRS chose to work with hotels for this package as a hotel stay and a wildlife adventure make a great holiday itinerary. "When partners come together to create something special, Singaporeans and local residents can choose from a fuller menu of vacation activities that include guided programmes with personalised interactions," she said.

Last week, Marriott International also tied up with Grab to enhance its hospitality experience. Under the agreement, Marriott International will integrate into Grab’s platform in phases across food delivery, payment, transport, loyalty and rewards, as well as advertising. Marriott International will have access to Grab’s sizable customer base via GrabFood, GrabPay, and GrabAds, enabling them to serve a growing pool of customers who are increasingly transacting online.

GrabFood will feature approximately 600 restaurants and bars from Marriott International’s portfolio in six different Southeast Asian markets, which will be made available on the GrabFood platform in phases starting November.

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