Marriott Invests in PlacePass

In celebration of Marriott Rewards surpassing 100 million loyalty members (granted, it includes The Ritz-Carlton Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest members), they announced this week that it invested in PlacePass, an activity search and price comparison website that scans hundreds of travel and tour operators to find some of the best prices out there. There are over 100,000 customized travel experiences to choose from in 800 destinations in 177 countries.

The program also works when you book on Marriott.com or on SPG.com. You can also narrow your search to Canada specific.

Thoughts

There is no question that Marriott is aggressively trying to expand their business model. So far, for the most part, they have been positive moves for the consumer. I just hope that the positive moves are here to stay and it does not come crashing down.

What I mean is that Marriott has a lot of positive momentum going on right now, and attracting a lot of attention. Adding The Ritz-Carlton and Starwood Preferred Guest has given them access to a multitude of resources, which I hope that they will put to good use. They really have an opportunity to take the best of 3 worlds and combine it into one.

I really hope that we do not see a monopoly on our hands. For now, I will remain positive, as I do remain optimistic that Marriott can keep it going!