By Rashmi Pradhan
IN RESPONSE to the changing nature of family travel in Asia, including the rise of multi generational travel and parents’ desires to provide their children with learning experiences even when on vacation, Marriott Rewards, Marriott International’s loyalty program has launched MAX. A new and exclusive kids program which aims to enrich the travel experiences of children through holistic activities. Entitled to the kids of Marriott Rewards Members, MAX is a holistic children’s program that truly elevates the family holiday experience. The program will be available to members staying at participating Marriott International properties throughout the Asia-Pacific region starting from the 21st of this month.
Launched in Mumbai at JW Marriott Mumbai Juhu, over 100 kids, (see photo) whose parents are Marriott Rewards Elite Members, sampled MAX at this exclusive event. Chef Surjan Singh Jolly, Director of Food and Beverage, JW Marriott Bengaluru guided kids in cooking classes creating culinary delights and learning the nutritional value of their products. Sucheta Pal, a master Zumba trainer took kids through a mix of music and dance.
Created for children between five to twelve years, MAX is founded on four activity pillars: Be Active offers action-packed sessions, ranging from pool activities to dance lessons; Stay Curious encourages intellectual curiosity with activities such as cooking and arts-and-crafts; Go Explore will appeal to children’s sense of adventure; while Just Relax offers more tranquil pursuits. The four pillars are consistent throughout all offering properties; however, the specific activities will be curated by each property, making the experience authentic to the location and culture.
Speaking to BW Hotelier on how the program was evolved, Anka Twum-Baah, Vice President, Customer Loyalty & Content, Asia Pacific, Marriott International, said, ’About a year ago, the Marriott operations team had a question on whether they should do something for children staying at Marriott properties. When I joined Marriott (less than a year ago), we started by asking our members and associates on what are things they expect in a hotel when travelling with kids. We received many interesting feedbacks, however the four pillars of MAX really standout. Based on input from its current members, Marriott Rewards developed this unique program that caters to these evolving demands and offers activities that are both educational and fun, nourishing children’s innate desire to learn and stay active. We are launching MAX with the aim of inspiring children to enjoy a range of memorable experiences that they can share with their family and friends. It is more about a holistic development of a child.’
On asking why India was chosen to launch the program in Asia Pacific, Twum-Baah said, ’In Asia Pacific, the rise of the middle class, changing consumers’ behavior and increase in desire to travel especially in India inspired us to choose India for the launch. India was on top of the lists. India from a population perspective is growing rapidly and is an emerging market and thirdly, we saw a need for such program in India. There are certainly activities in the school but we don’t see activities in the hotels at this level. We looked at a lot of different places but we wanted to do it in a JW Marriott hotel that was important to us. It was important to have it in a place that has vibrant and rich culture and a hotel that was supportive. We have always received great support from the India team.’ Similar events will be organized in Hong Kong and Thailand
By introducing MAX, Marriott Rewards aim to exceed the high expectations parents have when they choose a hotel for their family vacation. Providing children with enriching experiences has a positive effect on their lives. Twum-Baah added, with MAX parents are assured that their children’s sense of curiosity and desire to learn about their surroundings will be encouraged and celebrated. She informed, ’We were contemplating whether to keep the upper limit to 13 or 15 years but after having discussions with them we released that child in their teens don’t want to get associated with kids program.’
The MAX program roll-out will begin at resorts of all brands and JW Marriott Hotels in Asia Pacific and continue to all other hotels in the Marriott International portfolio with the exception of The Ritz-Carlton and Bvlgari brands. The MAX programme extends to 43 hotels across Australia, Greater China, India, South Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam. In India JW Marriott Hotel Bengaluru, JW Marriott Hotel Chandigarh, JW Marriott Mumbai Juhu, JW Marriott Hotel Mumbai Sahar, JW Marriott Mussoorie Walnut Grove Resort & Spa, JW Marriott Hotel New Delhi Aerocity, JW Marriott Hotel Pune and Goa Marriot Resort & Spa.
