Dive Brief:
- Marriott International is offering guests at an Irvine, CA, Marriott Hotel a unique experience using technology that can capture doodles on foggy shower doors that will be sent to the guest’s email, according to a company press release.
- The idea behind the tech came from a 2017 Marriott International survey of 5,000 international travelers that found 51% of respondents reported their best ideas came while showering.
- The hotel brand is always looking for new ways to use technology to enhance the guest experience, and turning a shower door into a sketch pad is a way to push that thinking in an “imaginative and fun way,” said Matthew Carroll, vice president and global brand manager, Marriott Hotels, in a statement.
Dive Insight:
The hospitality industry is notoriously competitive, and hotels chains are always looking for something that sets them apart. The shower door tech deployed by Marriott, albeit for a limited time and only in one hotel, hits a couple of areas that might interest travelers. It is interesting and a bit fun, and Marriott’s own internal research suggests guests might actually find some utility in the technology as over half of surveyed travelers said they get ideas in the shower.
Marriott is calling the tech the “Splash of Brilliance” room, and usage, feedback and satisfaction scores from the guests that use it will determine whether or not the idea gets rolled out to other Marriott hotels.
Like many hotel chains, Marriott has been actively testing or introducing new technology for its guests, including testing both Alexa and Siri earlier this year to determine the best personal digital assistant for in-room use, and in February it redesigned its mobile app with an easier-to-use “one button” ergonomic design, a swipeable home screen and plans for mPlaces, a real-time messaging service with push messages from beacons installed in its hotels.
