Marriott launches online travel booking program for small & medium-sized businesses

Marriott International has announced the launch of Business Access by Marriott Bonvoy, a comprehensive online travel booking program designed as a direct channel for small to medium-sized businesses.

The program combines an expanded booking experience with benefits and rewards available only through Marriott Bonvoy’s travel program and portfolio of brands.

Business Access by Marriott Bonvoy is now available to small to medium-sized businesses based in the U.S., Canada, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Caribbean and Latin America, and is anticipated to expand to other regions.

According to a global survey commissioned by Marriott Bonvoy and conducted by Wakefield Research, 75 per cent of business travellers at small to medium-sized businesses in the U.S., U.K., Canada and Mexico report experiencing frustrations with their travel booking platforms.

Another 56 per cent say they are difficult to use, 27 per cent are unhappy with the inability to book travel and hotels from the same place, and 27 per cent express disappointment with the platforms’ lack of integration with their travel expense programs.

The survey also found that 58 per cent are so unwilling to work within their current programs that they would rather ask for forgiveness than permission for booking outside their companies’ travel management platforms.

With Business Access by Marriott Bonvoy, companies have the ability to book hotels in the Marriott Bonvoy portfolio at a discounted rate, as well as flights, rail and rental cars, within one easy-to-use multilingual tool.

The program also includes additional features, such as access to live traveller data, real-time reporting and expense management.

“We recognize the significant value small businesses provide to the hotel industry, which is why we’re excited to combine the benefits of our award-winning travel program with a comprehensive suite of tools in Business Access by Marriott Bonvoy,” said Drew Pinto, executive vice-president and chief revenue and technology officer, Marriott International. “Whether small to medium-sized businesses are looking for convenient online booking capabilities for their employees or better expense management solutions, the all-in-one platform, merged with our portfolio of hotel brands around the world, provides everything they need to manage their business travel needs.”

Some of the program’s features include discounted Marriott Bonvoy rates and awards, an online booking tool that streamlines purchases across the platform, customizable travel policies, global travel policy management and reporting, traveller health and safety monitoring, solutions for expense management and access to Marriott Bonvoy benefits.

For more information on the program, click here.

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