Marriott Hotels
PROBLEM STATEMENT
To continuously elevate the travel experience for its customers, Marriott Hotel has initiated a comprehensive user research study, seeking wisdom from travelers to uncover evolving trends and shifts in consumer behaviors. The research plan, executed by a team specializing in qualitative research methods, aims to delve into the intricacies of user preferences and behaviors to enhance the Marriott Hotel brand, particularly in the realms of stays and loyalty programs.
The research methodology centers on qualitative research interviews, allowing the team to gain deep insights from six participants who have recently planned and experienced at least one vacation in the past year. By focusing on developing specific preferences and behaviors, the study is designed to extract valuable information that can be instrumental in refining the overall user experience for both business and leisure travelers.
Project goals
Project goals have been defined through collaboration with senior executives, crystallizing the top three priorities for the research team:
- Why (and why don’t) people sign up for the loyalty program?
- What do business travelers look for, want, and need when evaluating properties and choosing a room to book, and why?
- What do leisure travelers look for, want, and need when evaluating properties and choosing a room to book, and why?
The research aims to provide Marriott Hotel with nuanced insights into consumer behaviors, facilitating tailored offerings and loyalty programs. The findings will guide strategic improvements to enhance the overall stay experience, optimize loyalty programs, and foster increased customer engagement. Marriott Hotel is committed to refining its customer service approach based on study results, ensuring seamless alignment with the desires and expectations of both business and leisure travelers. This user-focused initiative positions Marriott Hotel to strengthen its leadership in the hospitality industry by adapting to evolving consumer preferences.
Project Duration
Interview-based research
Analysis & Synthesis
Finalization
Tools Used
Approach
Research Objectives, Methods, and Data Collection
Based on the top three business goals, the team aims to discover insights and observations by conducting user research interviews on loyalty programs, business, and leisure travelers. After the user research interviews, The team will analyze and synthesize the result into an affinity diagram to generate the most common themes among participants.
Recruiting Participant Profiles
The team defined a user profile based on the key business goals to create a short survey to find participants who planned and immersed themselves in a vacation in the past year. We decided to include frequent and infrequent travelers. Each moderator recruited two individuals for a total of six research participants.
Participant Profiles
This table shows how we recruited our participants surrounding the primary themes, goals, and issues the research team needed to solve. The team developed a user persona based on the common information found among participants.
User Research Interviews
The research method was used to help gather information and bring awareness to help improve the company’s brand. Discovering what travelers look for when evaluating properties, choosing a room to book, and loyalty programs will help us deepen our exploration and development of specific preferences and user behaviors. Sessions ran for approximately 60 minutes in length and were video recorded. While evaluating participants, the moderator took notes on body language and gestures during and after the sessions. The videos were reevaluated and transcripted for anything the researcher may have missed.
The notes, videos, and transcriptions were uploaded to a shared cloud-based service and compiled into an Excel spreadsheet for the group. At this stage, we identify illustrative quotes from participants to help tell their stories. Completing all the steps listed above was a full day’s worth of work for one moderator.
Interview Questions
Warm-up Questions:
- How often do you travel?
- How often do you stay in a hotel?
- How often do you stay outside of a hotel?
- When planning to travel, who makes the plan?
- Is it for business or personal?
- When traveling, who goes with you?
- What can affect your travel dates?
- What devices do you use to book your stay?
- What platforms do you turn to start your research?
- How many sites do you look at on average?
- What web browser do you typically use when searching for information?
- What products/apps/services do you regularly use when planning your stay? (Such as Vrbo, AirBnB, booking.com, Expedia, Groupon services, etc.)
- How do you use these websites?
- How important are reviews?
- Where do you read the most reviews?
- How do you book your stay? Over the phone, travel agent, or online?
- At what stage of your research do you read reviews?
- Did you visit the website of the place you were to stay before making a reservation?
- What inspires you to start planning to travel?
Topic Specific:
- What is your relationship like with traveling and booking a place to stay?
- How do you currently go about booking a place to stay?
- How much time do you typically spend on booking a place to stay?
- Tell me about the last time you tried to book a place to stay.
- What do you like about this process?
- What are the biggest problems/inefficiencies in this process?
- What is your most significant pain point about booking a place to stay?
- What about booking a place to stay is important to you and why?
- What is the hardest part about booking a place to stay?
- What is the easiest part about booking a place to stay?
- What do you like or dislike about booking a place to stay?
- What satisfaction do you get from booking a place to stay?
- What are the biggest challenges?
- How do you coordinate scheduling tasks and events when booking a place to stay?
Open Ended Questions:
- How does traveling make you feel?
- How does booking a vacation make you feel?
- How does booking a business trip make you feel?
- What digital or manual tools do you use to track your stay?
- Tell me about the last time you created/planned to travel and booked a place to stay.
- How does that feel?
- What is that like for you?
- Can you walk me through how you created/planned to travel and booked a place to stay?
Theme 1: Leisure Travelers
- What are you looking for when evaluating a property and choosing a room to book for leisure?
- What are some things you want? And why?
- What are some things you need? And why?
- What do you consider to be the most important factors when choosing a place to stay for leisure?
- What do you consider to be the least important factors when choosing a place to stay for leisure?
- When do you travel for leisure?
Theme 2: Business Travelers
- What are you looking for when evaluating a property and choosing a room to book for business?
- What are some things you want? And why?
- What are some things you need? And why?
- What do you consider to be the most important factors when choosing a place to stay for business?
- What do you consider to be the least important factors when choosing a place to stay for business?
- When do you travel for business?
Theme 3: Loyalty Programs
- What are your priorities for choosing a loyalty program?
- Why do you think someone would use a loyalty program?
- Can you see yourself ever using a loyalty program?
- How or why do you think you would use a loyalty program?
- How do you think a loyalty program is going to help you?
- Would you use a loyalty program today?
- What might keep people from using a loyalty program?
- What’s the most you would be willing to pay for a loyalty program?
- What would a loyalty program need to do to meet your needs?
- What would be the biggest goal to redeem points for?
- How can a loyalty program address the challenges you mentioned earlier? - (If any)
ACTIONS
User Persona
The information and data collected were compiled into an affinity diagram to discover patterns and determine the priority and severity of our findings. The affinity diagram was created using a Gmail application called LucidCharts. Our team lead organized all the information into the chart, and from there, we broke things down based on the top three business goals and questions from stakeholders. Themes were generated as information was compiled differently to create a shared vision. This process took the team a week to gather and sort.
Affinity Diagram
RESULTS
The Results of the Joint Data Collection on Loyalty Programs
The data gathered could be more insightful if more participants surrounded the primary business goals and objectives.
Research Findings for Loyalty Programs
The Main Qualitative Themes: WHY: The feeling, use, reward expectations, discounts, the rate of gaining points, and the goal.
Loyalty programs must make customers feel it is worthwhile to “get something from it” to save money in the long run. Participants who travel seasonally and leisurely would like to have the ease of earning points, making the points always available. Participants use points towards free or discounted flights, stays, luxury rooms, all-access or VIP passes, a free package deal with your stay, restaurants, merchandise, and cheaper rates on places that they couldn’t afford. They want massive benefits towards getting free stuff.
QUANTITATIVE DATA:
- 1/6 participants said they’d use a loyalty program because their company required it.
- 2/6 of participants mentioned seasonal use
- 4/6 of the participants mentioned discounts
- 6/6 of participants stated getting something/rewards is essential when it comes to loyalty programs
The Main Qualitative Themes:
WHY NOT: Cost, return on investment (ROI), challenging to use, security and privacy, and personal.
Participants would not pay for a loyalty program and find it too expensive. They feel companies are already making money from using their services. Participants feel most loyalty programs are credit card-based, offer minimum benefits and lack convenience. In return, it makes participants feel they don’t get much for what they pay for and exceed their budgets. Participants will not use specific services because they like to look for deals; a hotel might not be in the visiting area, and they want to stay in different hotels and eat at different restaurants when traveling. There are too many steps to sign up, hassle instead of a benefit, too hard to earn points, and a requirement to use services available. Emails associated with loyalty programs are “annoying” and spammy, flooding your email with junk. In addition, many programs will sell your information.
QUANTITATIVE DATA:
- 2/6 of the participants mentioned the rate of gaining points and wouldn’t use the program for personal reasons
- 3/6 of the participants stated it was a breach of security and privacy
- 4/6 of the participants said it was difficult to use
- 5/6 of the participants stated it was outside their budget, needed to see an ROI, and would not use a loyalty program
Research Findings for Business Travelers
The Main Qualitative Themes:
Company expenses paid, surroundings, private and public guest accommodations, and frequency.
Participants don’t have a choice and expect all expenses to be paid for by the company they work for when choosing a place to stay. The participants would like restaurants, public transport, memorable attractions, and nearby businesses. The wants and needs in a place to stay are a personal choice and can vary based on each individual for private and public accommodations.
Business travelers are looking for a comfortable room, a desk in the room to work, a place the participants can go to check in with family, a quiet place that offers some downtime and toiletries, a luxurious room with a window view, and a place away from all the intensity. Business travelers seek a place to engage in other activities outside of work. The participants are looking for airport transportation, 24-hour staff, WiFi, and housekeeping to ensure the participants stick to their itineraries. The things the participants need in a place to work are amenities to help with business obligations, a place to sit together, and a big area to spread out and go through documents together. In addition, participants would like to have meals included. Participants are less concerned with specific amenities because the participants want a place to get stuff done. The time to travel for business appears to be sporadic. It would depend on the business and what people travel for when companies book a business trip. A quiet place or place to unwind is essential when traveling for business. WiFi access is considered important to business travelers.
QUANTITATIVE DATA:
Don’t Want/Need:
- 2/6 of participants said it does not matter and mentioned amenities
Want/Needs:
- 2/6 of participants stated it doesn’t matter what amenities the participants have.
- 2/6 of participants want restaurants close by.
- 4/6 of participants need WiFi.
Look for:
- 3/6 of participants want a place to unwind and relax
Who Chooses?:
- 4/6 participants don’t have a choice and expect all expenses to be paid for by the company the participants work for when choosing a place to stay.
Research Findings for Leisure Travelers
The Main Qualitative Themes:
Information before booking, surroundings, private and public guest accommodations, frequency, and personal.
Before choosing a place to stay, the participants want to know what others think and have experienced. Customers find reviews are more important than the hotel rating. Participants like to have clear information about the expectations, the price, and the functionality of a place. In addition, participants would like to have the place easily accessible with little contact with the owner. Reviews are critical when deciding on booking a place to stay. Participants book a place based on the location and whether it is close to the ocean, convenient to what the participants want for a trip, restaurants, attractions, nightlife, other businesses, and parks. Leisure travelers seek a place to sleep and shower with a spacious bathroom, fridge, and standard amenities. The wants and needs participants seek in a place to stay are personal choices and can vary based on each individual. Overall, the participants want to feel comfortable and as close to home as possible during their stay. Leisure travelers are looking for a place to stay with many public guest accommodations, WiFi, basic necessities, cleanliness, and many amenities. The busiest time for leisure travel is during the summer and the warmer months. Participants want to form something memorable and experience something different on vacation.
QUANTITATIVE DATA:
Frequency:
- 1/6 of participants travel in the spring and whenever there is time off from work/school
- 2/6 of participants travel during the Holidays
- 5/6 of participants travel for leisure in the summer
Guest Accommodations:
- 2/6 of participants would like a basic/full kitchen, a convenient store, WiFi, and A/C
- 3/6 of the participants want a shower and a place to sleep
- 4/6 of participants want places to eat nearby
Surroundings:
- 1/6 of participants want an overall feeling
- 2/6 of participants want comfort and think about the price
- 3/6 of participants want a pool
- 5/6 of participants want the place to be a centralized location for internal and external places the participants want to go.
Information before booking:
- 4/6 of participants focus on reviews and information before booking.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Actionable Recommendations
Loyalty Programs
- A loyalty program is a marketing tool that helps companies change customer behaviors and build a deeper emotional connection with Marriott Hotel products and services. Our customers' overall goal is to save money in the long run.
- Meeting customer expectations is more complicated than it was before. Simplifying and creating meaningful, everlasting experiences will make the modern customer stay with your brand forever.
- A one-size-fits-all approach is no longer satisfying. Creating a tiered loyalty program will make customers feel like it is a worthwhile investment.
Rewarding activities, such as visiting your website, liking you on social media, or writing a review, will help customers gain points conveniently to earn rewards, generate positivity towards the Marriott Hotels brand, and build on a seasonal approach to their needs. Leveraging reviews will help build credibility and reputation, expand network opportunities, offer a sense of security, and generate a positive ROI for both the customer and Marriott Hotel.
Business and Leisure Travelers
- Building a community around your brand will attract customers with specific interests. Business travelers don’t have a choice when choosing a hotel experience but are looking for a place to unwind and relax.
- Offering companies a package spa deal for their associates would make the customer feel more at home, comfortable, and relaxed with their limited downtime.
- Offering packages and discounts to leisure travelers to form something memorable and experience something different on vacation with friends and family would generate a valuable Marriott Hotels experience.
Personalization has become an essential part of the modern customer that should extend to rewards, the experience, and how the product is communicated. Highlighting services unique to your brand will help elevate Marriott Hotels as an excellent place for businessand leisure travelers. Allowing the Marriott Hotel to be a centralized location for internal and external places travelers want to go will help form more memorable experiences.
Next Steps
Though our suggestions may be incomplete, the participants provide a starting point for future iterations for Marriott Hotels. Our recommendations offer valuable solutions to the company and customers for ROI and points earned for loyalty programs. Making Marriott Hotel a unique brand and building a community around our hotel and services will allow customers to feel at home during their stay. With the team's user research methods, Marriott Hotel’s could find more data from travelers and loyalty program users. Other vital topics and business-oriented goals from stakeholders can be addressed from this research.
- Increase business traveler reservations by providing wants and needs from the hotel properties.
- Increase the number of accounts created 10% year over year
- Increasing customer loyalty program enrollment during the reservation flow
- Measuring loyalty program member satisfaction based on our research recommendations and show year over year improvement
- What are the demographics of our approximately 75 million yearly business travelers?
- How do our business travelers’ demographics compare to the business traveler demographics of our competitors?
LESSONS LEARNED
This was my first UX research project. It was a nerve-wracking yet rewarding experience. The affinity diagram felt overwhelming at first, but once diving into the responses became less overwhelming overtime. The importance of daily meetings became evident as they played a crucial role in the project's success, fostering a strong bond with my teammates. The project underscored the significance of user research anchored in understanding an individual's core motivations for travel, accommodation booking, and loyalty programs. This valuable experience has provided key insights, and I eagerly anticipate applying the same user-centric approach in future research endeavors.