Marriott Hotel's Website Design Functionality From Customer Experience

3.1 Brief History of Marriott Hotel

U.S. hotel chain Marriott International is a brand of hospitality based and premium hotels based in the US and own a number of 5-star and 7-star rated hotels across the world. Marriott International Inc.'s headquarter is in Bethesda, Washington DC. It is headed by the chief executive officer and President Arne Sorenson and the executive chairman Bill Marriot. Marriott International Inc. was established in 1927 by John Marriot. The hotel was called Twin Bridges Marriott Motor Hotel situated in Virginia. John wanted a family business that he could hand over to his son. Marriott Jr. managed the business just like his father. The company was rebranded as Marriott cooperation in 1964 because of the interest of the company to enter hotel and restaurant business. In 1977, the company sales had crossed one billion dollars. John Marriott Jr. developed a concept of hotel network that operated actively in three sectors in the US market; a network of cheap motels, inexpensive hotels and network of hotels with full service. In the 90s, Marriott already has some hotels outside the US. As a result of the principle of diversification, Marriott was split into two companies in 1993: Host Marriott (real estate transactions and food delivery) and Marriott International (hotel and real estate management). This laid the foundation of active promotion of the company in international market. Today, Marriott International Corporation has about 3500 lodging properties in the US and 69 lodging properties around the globe, which employs about 137,000 people. In 2017, the company was ranked number 12 on Fortunes for being the top 100 best companies to work.

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The main goal of Marriott International is to win and retain its leading position in the hotel industry, showing much concern to employees, business partners, guests and the society as a whole. Therefore, the corporation is built on the ideals of services offered to clients, workers and the society. The ideals are unique and perpetual making the company a successful manager and a cornerstone or each employee in the business. Therefore, Marriott has built a character for immeasurable integrity, innovation, service excellence and quality.

3.2 Marriott’s Website Design Functionality From Customer Experience

3.2.1: Website Safety

At Marriott International Inc. the safety and the security of customers is their top most priority for the past several years. Security risk assessments of the company website are reviewed often to ensure that the online hotel booking is the best and safest of booking the hotel globally. The website keeps the details and information of the customers safe and the company's staff has been trained to evaluate and take action appropriately to threatening situations. Therefore, the security measures at Marriott International Inc. are tailored to ensure customers book hotels and rooms based on their preference and choice. For example, Marriott International Inc. launched an engaging and redesigned mobile app for iOS to provide a dynamic mobile experience for its customers in five languages. The mobile app goes beyond transactions to personalize and anticipatory customer's experience throughout their journey. Since customers are able to use their mobile devices for travel related activities, the Marriott iOS app has enable the company to engage with customers. For example, customers are able to check in using the app, receive notifications and request room upgrades before they travel. Customers are also able to chat directly with the hotel staff for special request that needs special or personal attention. Although the company uses reasonable administrative, technical and organizational measures to protect the customer's personal information, no data transmission system is guaranteed at 100% secure. There have been concerns about phish-an email that appears to be from Marriott International Inc. but is a scam to get access to client's financial and personal information and commit identity theft. Clients have in the past been directed to a web page, which seem legit, asks clients to log in, enabling the phishers to get the password and username of Marriott clients and commit identity theft because they can access the rest of the information. Therefore, for clients who feel their interaction with the company is not secure, they should notify the company immediately.

3.2.2: Information Quality

E-commerce plays a critical role at Marriott International Inc. and Marriott.com has become an important component of customer experience. Marriott.com has become one of the most viewed website, generating over 10 million visitors monthly. This is due to information quality available in the company website that provides quality and excellent information that can help achieve customer satisfaction and loyalty. Marriott International Inc.'s website is well-defined enough to build confidence and trust, reinforce an image of usefulness, alert visitors on the wide range of services and products the company offer and point out upcoming events and reasons for customers to come back again. Marriott encourage customers to make direct bookings and online reservations from its website. The website functions to attract visitors and attract them to become potential hotel guests. Direct bookings save the customers intermediary fees such as the commissions levied by travel agencies. With lower costs of booking, customers have cheap options because there are no third parties involved. Therefore, such cheap rates ensure customers get best rates whenever they book directly through the company website. The company's website also provides award winning loyalty programs as one of the customer relationship strategy. The reward programs provides information, which enable the company to determine the values of customers, use critical customer knowledge and predict the future business potential and travel behavior. The reward program has one of the biggest bases of business customers that have provided the best way for the company to reach its most profitable clients. Marriott also makes sincere effort to respond to client requests as it continue developing and improving its website and services.

3.2.3: User Interface Convenience

3.2.4: Online Customer Support

The success at Marriott is due to the ability of the company to make millions of connections everyday to serve its guests. Guests can reach the company through fax, phone or email whenever they have questions, comments or concerns about the company. When clients seek reservations and ask about Marriott Rewards program, the agents at Marriott are well poised to answer calls, faxes, and email messages immediately. Such a quick and reliable response has assisted in improving customer service and encouraging repeat visits. Guests are also comfortable to use Marriott.com because the company has provided one of the best online experiences through 16 global sites that different opportunity for personalized service. By addressing the needs of its global customer base and providing support to its 2,800 ownership resorts and hotels, Marriott has succeeded in handling reservations successively in its online platform. Marriott.com has been secured using AT&T Internet Data Center enabling it to receive about 173 million visits yearly leading to an increasing need of guests to book their reservations through Marriott.com. Marriott agents are available 24/ /7 and always prepared to serve customers anytime.

3.2.4: Booking Experience

Marriott has changed its mobile booking experience from simple to a more personalized travel concierge with many features on its mobile app. Marriott has been a market leader in mobile app experience, being the first hotel to offer customers mobile check-ins and room ready alerts since 2014. Although the previous version of app provided transaction focused booking experience, the new app provides personalized experiences particularly for reward members. Due to the insight that most travelers always have their hands full and do not have time, the app allows users to select options easily, which automatically show new options based on the kind of trip the travel is about. Marriott also launched a messenger service called "mPlaces," within the app that allows messenger to deliver greetings to clients whenever they arrive and provide them with more information about the features of the hotel and also provide room service ordering. Features such as mobile check-ins have been strengthened to allow clients to request late check-out and room upgrades. This provides guests with more ability to customize their booking experience by chatting with hotel agents during their stay. The app also brings the "Mobile Key" service that enable guests to use their phones to lock and unlock their rooms. Therefore, Marriott is a leader in e-commerce functions in the hotel industry due to its priority of using apps enhances customer's booking experience.

Marriott has also partnered with TripAdvisor to enable travelers shopping for hotel rooms to make their bookings with Marriott. The TripAdvisor has developed a new distribution model that has changed the game in the hotel and travel industry as it addresses the key concerns of suppliers in the hotel sector. The partnership has benefited Marriott as customers are able to book their hotels and build direct relationship with the guests even before they arrive. Thus, TripAdvisor has provided an efficient booking experience for guests looking to book with Marriott.

3.3 Measurement models of satisfaction and loyalty scales

The multi-dimensional nature of customer satisfaction and the lack of consensus on how it should be measured in the hospitality industry are undeniable. This led to the creation of the following models of measurement to help measure customer satisfaction.

3.3.1 SERVQUAL MODEL

SERVQUAL model is a popular model used in measuring customer satisfaction in the hospitality industry. It is based on customer's evaluation of service quality that compares the expected and obtainable value while also considering the gaps in the process of providing service. The gap model below is the foundation of SERVQUAL scale.

The service quality concept has seven major gaps in the gap model:

• Gap One: This is the gap between management perception and customer expectation. It is one of the most important gaps linked to customers. The gap is big if the company has many management layers, lack upward communication, and has a wrong market orientation research.
• Gap Two: This is the gap between service specifications and management perceptions. It leads to inadequate commitment of managers or employees to service quality, absence of goal, lack of task standardization and a perception of unfeasibility.
• Gap Three: This is the gap between service delivery and service specification. The gap involves employees who do not know their position o task leading to the gap. Sometimes employees know their roles but they do not execute their task well due to lack of supervisory control systems and team work.
• Gap Four: This is the gap between external communication and service delivery. The gap is caused by over-promise to customers and lack of horizontal communication.
• Gap Five: This is the gap between customer expectations and their perception about the services being delivered. This gap is considered the major measure of service quality because it is the gap most influenced the SERVEQUAL model and it is the directly related to external customers. The diversified customer needs and expectations are diversified but the service delivery is not based on t...