How Marriott increases total rewards satisfaction by 15%

For over 80 years, the simple motto “People first” has been the foundation of Marriott’s corporate culture and success.

The story

Marriott Hotels & Resorts is Marriott International’s iconic brand with 500 hotels and resorts in 60 countries. The Calgary Marriott Hotel is located in downtown Calgary, close to major attractions and businesses.

For over 80 years, the simple motto “People first” has been the foundation of Marriott’s corporate culture and success. The leading hotel chain’s belief is that its associates are its greatest assets in providing the superior service customers expect.

The business challenge

The Calgary Marriott needed a rewards and recognition program that would support its retention strategy and unify the entire staff. Previously, the hotel had different recognition programs across different departments, but the programs were not cost-effective and were difficult to track.

The program

Marriott partnered with Achievers to launch a new customised, Web-based, results-driven program branded as S.P.I.R.I.T. (Special Recognition, Participation in the Community, Introducing New Business, Recruitment, Innovation and Team Recognition) Rewards.

Using Recognition Cards with points attached as well as Everyday Recognition through the Achievers platform, employees and associates earn points for living any of the S.P.I.R.I.T values. Employees redeem points for a wide range of brand-name merchandise, travel, gift cards and experiences using an extensive online catalogue.

Marriott Hotel was able to consolidate all of its former recognition and rewards programs and initiatives into one single program, which makes it much easier to track progress and program effectiveness and ROI.

Results

The online recognition program considerably improved employee retention and also has impacted bottom line financial benefits in motivating employees to focus on suite upselling — tripling the number of suite upsells.

Annual engagement survey

The hotel had the highest improved rates in employee satisfaction throughout Marriott Hotels’ Northwest Region. The overall engagement score increased 16%. Additionally there was a 15% increase in Marriott’s Total Rewards Satisfaction score on their annual Engagement Survey — despite the fact that many wages had been frozen or seen minimal increases over a two-year period.