PlacePass Announces Strategic Investment from Marriott International
Cambridge, MA (PRWEB) March 21, 2017 -- PlacePass, a pioneering provider of travel technology solutions offering travelers a leading online meta-search platform for in-destination experiences and activities, today announced an investment from Marriott International, Inc.
The companies also announced their intent to establish a partnership aimed at accelerating Marriott’s ability to provide guests and members of its three loyalty programs – Marriott Rewards, which includes The Ritz-Carlton Rewards, and Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) – with even more travel experiences around the world when they book direct with Marriott.
"The demand for experiential travel is growing at an unprecedented pace," said Emily Bernard, Chief Brand Officer and co-founder of PlacePass. "This investment from Marriott will help us accelerate our vision of enriching lives through great experiences across the globe. We're thrilled to help Marriott expand its portfolio of in-destination offerings and create more value for Marriott guests in a variety of personalized ways."
"Our investment in PlacePass is also an investment in our guests, who more than ever before are looking for personalized experiential travel wherever they go," said Stephanie Linnartz, Global Chief Commercial Officer, Marriott International. "Marriott has been a leader in offering a complete travel experience with the Marriott Rewards Experiences Marketplace now complemented by SPG Moments. Last year, members redeemed points for about 6,000 travel experiences around passion points like music, sports, cuisine and culture on both platforms."
Consumers can go to members.marriott.com to learn even more about what’s in store and the types of experiences Marriott will offer with PlacePass, as well as the experiences it already provides travelers.
Founded in December 2015, PlacePass was launched with the vision of facilitating online access to hard-to-reach tour operators and activity providers. Today, PlacePass is changing the way people travel, by empowering them to more easily search, compare, and book in-destination experiences anywhere in the world. The company’s consumer platform, PlacePass.com, is the world’s leading meta-search engine for travel experiences, bringing together more than 100,000 activities in 800+ global destinations. PlacePass also powers B2B software solutions for leading hospitality industry partners.
The Marriott investment is part of the PlacePass Series A funding round. PlacePass plans to use the funds to accelerate product innovation, expand its global footprint, and invest in top-caliber talent in several core business areas. Specific deal terms were not disclosed.
About PlacePass
Based in Cambridge, MA, PlacePass is a leading provider of travel technology solutions. PlacePass.com, the company’s global experiences marketplace, is designed to help travelers discover and book the perfect things to do in any destination. We partner with leading travel websites to provide travelers with a one-stop shop in which to explore and book in-destination tours, activities, and experiences. By enabling comparison across multiple websites, we help travelers save time and money, and ensure they can make the most of their valuable free time.
PlacePass.com features more than 100,000 experiences in 800+ global destinations. PlacePass offers a broad variety of things to do, including concert and event tickets, culinary experiences, outdoor adventures, historical excursions, VIP getaways, and more. In addition to our consumer platform, PlacePass powers software solutions for leading hospitality industry partners. For more information, please visit https://www.placepass.com.
About Marriott International
Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR) is the world's largest hotel company based in Bethesda, Maryland, USA, with more than 6,000 properties in 122 countries and territories. Marriott operates and franchises hotels and licenses vacation ownership resorts. The company's 30 leading brands include: Bulgari®, The Ritz-Carlton® and The Ritz-Carlton Reserve®, St. Regis®, W®, EDITION®, JW Marriott®, The Luxury Collection®, Marriott Hotels®, Westin®, Le Méridien®, Renaissance® Hotels, Sheraton®, Delta Hotels by MarriottSM, Marriott Executive Apartments®, Marriott Vacation Club®, Autograph Collection® Hotels, Tribute Portfolio™, Design Hotels™, Gaylord Hotels®, Courtyard®, Four Points® by Sheraton, SpringHill Suites®, Fairfield Inn & Suites®, Residence Inn®, TownePlace Suites®, AC Hotels by Marriott®, Aloft®, Element®, Moxy® Hotels, and Protea Hotels by Marriott®. The company also operates award-winning loyalty programs: Marriott Rewards®, which includes The Ritz-Carlton Rewards®, and Starwood Preferred Guest®. For more information, please visit http://www.marriott.com, and for the latest company news, visit http://www.marriottnewscenter.com and @MarriottIntl.
Contacts
Emily Bernard
PlacePass
630-292-1716
[email protected]
or
John Wolf
Marriott
202-437-6975
[email protected]
Emily Bernard, PlacePass, http://www.placepass.com/, +1 (630) 292-1716, [email protected]
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