CASE STUDY
Marriott Bedding Program
Marriott International Uses Project Management to Upgrade Bedding Worldwide
Headquartered in Washington, DC, Marriott International, Inc. is one of the leading hospitality companies in the world with more than 2,400 properties in 68 countries and territories.
As a management company, Marriott is responsible for daily operations in both company-operated and franchised properties. Marriott has an extensive portfolio of brands including full-service hotels and resorts, limited-service hotels like Fairfield Inn by Marriott and corporate housing such as
Marriott ExecuStay. In 2004, Marriott International set out to upgrade their bedding across all Marriott brands by providing new sheeted duvet covers, soft linens, down pillows and pillow-top mattresses for their customers.
Background
The Marriott Bedding Program set out to develop and implement a bedding package for over 628,000 beds across
10 Marriott lodging brands in two years, giving Marriott a new look and more comfortable amenities. The US$190 million global renovation required seamless coordination of resources from interior design, operations, finance, owner relations and public relations.
In addition to transforming the Marriott brand, the finished product gave the company an important advantage and unique selling point over competitors. As bedding choices became a focal point of lodging industry competition, it was imperative for Marriott to conform to a tight project timeline with strong compliance across the Marriott system in order to reap the rewards of competitive advantage.
The new bedding was part of a comprehensive initiative to transform the look and feel of all Marriott brands to create a more comfortable hotel experience for all guests
Thus the project team, composed of Project Management
Professional (PMP®)-certified project managers managed by a program manager out of Marriott’s Lodging Program