Skift Take
In May 2022, Marriott said it would let non-hotel marketers place ads on its site, lobby TVs, and guest-room Wi-Fi portals. But it's been largely quiet since then. Here's an update.
Early Check-In
Editor’s Note: Skift Senior Hospitality Editor Sean O’Neill brings readers exclusive reporting and insights into hotel deals and development, and how those trends are making an impact across the travel industry.
In May 2022, Marriott launched the Marriott Media Network: The goal had been to let non-hotel marketers place ads on the company's website and app, its marketing messages to guests, and eventually on in-room TVs and digital screens in lobbies.
Marriott has data that guests provide voluntarily when they join its loyalty program. Brands could target their ads in relevant ways, such as to people in a particular geographic area. But Marriott would "anonymize" it, so they wouldn't pass along personally identifiable information, such as email addresses. The hotel group wasn't alone in experimenting. In November, United Airlines said it would test using its customer data to sell personalized ads. Walmart has been letting advertisers use its data to inform how they display ads across the internet. Some Analysts Saw Visions of Large Dollar Figures. Humphrey Ho, managing director, Americas, Hylink Digital, wrote at the time: "Considering an average occupancy rate of 75% in 2021 (or 367,701,000 rooms sold), a conservative estimate of five ads shown per day and a $30-$50 CPM [price per every 1,000 impressions], the hotel group would be addin