Grab and Marriott International join forces in mega tie-up

Grab and Marriott International have tied up in a wide-ranging strategic partnership that will see both companies integrating their offerings to bring the premium hospitality experience into the hands of millions of consumers in Southeast Asia.

According to a joint statement by the two, this is Marriott International’s first extensive integration with a super app platform in Southeast Asia, and Grab’s most comprehensive agreement with a hospitality group to date.

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.

In addition, customers will be able to conveniently pay for their dining experiences through GrabPay at selected Marriott International hotels. This will be piloting in the first quarter of 2021 in Singapore, and travellers will be able to make cashless payments through GrabPay at participating Marriott International hotels. F&B outlets that accept GrabPay can soon also access Grab’s merchant discovery feature to notify guests in the vicinity of participating hotels about ongoing promotions and events to help businesses increase sales, grow customer loyalty and drive more foot traffic to physical outlets.

Customers will earn GrabRewards points for all transactions on the Grab platform, which can be converted to Marriott Bonvoy points (and vice versa). Marriott Bonvoy is the travel program of Marriott International that encompasses the company’s global portfolio of 30 hotel brands and premium home rental offering, Homes and Villas by Marriott International. Starting in Q1 2021, Grab customers and Marriott Bonvoy members will be able to enjoy two-way points transfer. This will allow consumers to convert GrabRewards points to Marriott Bonvoy points and vice versa, enjoying flexibility and benefits on GrabRewards, Southeast Asia’s largest rewards platform by users, with nearly 800 merchants.

Through this partnership, Marriott International and Grab seek to digitally enhance the premium hospitality experience by making it more accessible, relevant and rewarding for their customers in the new normal. Grab and Marriott will link their respective loyalty programmes to offer expanded benefits to Marriott Bonvoy and GrabRewards members.

“Marriott International is constantly looking for ways to innovate and bring value to travelers and Marriott Bonvoy members as part of our partnership strategy,” said Rajeev Menon, president, Asia Pacific (excluding China), Marriott International. “Our collaboration with Grab is one way we are designing a more seamless travel experience by leveraging the expertise of a super app in the region.”

Grab and Marriott International will jointly create impactful marketing campaigns that are relevant and personalised to customers. With GrabAds' solutions, Marriott International can connect with customers in a targeted way through audience data, integrate marketing communications across touchpoints, and track campaign performance in real-time.

Russell Cohen, group managing director, operations, Grab said: “We are excited to partner with a world-renowned hospitality group like Marriott International that is at the forefront of delivering customer-first hospitality experiences. The breadth of our collaboration reflects our value as a platform of choice in supporting global brands on their digitalisation journey in the new normal, and in particular represents a milestone for our fast-growing GrabAds business.”

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