As Chinese leisure travel market boomed, Marriott Hotels & Resorts saw an growth opportunity to strengthen its leadership in the leisure segment. Operating hundreds of properties in greater China, half of which under its premium portfolio, Marriott sought to create distinctive leisure experiences while remaining scalable acorss diverse hotel portfolio.
To achieve this, Marriott partnered with Labbrand to develop an end-to-end experience design solution. The program was to be executed at scale in time for the summer travel season.
Labbrand combined industry data, hotel GM interviews, travel influencer interviews and guest co-creation workshops to map underserved travel needs and occasions.
Five innvoative leisure travel purposes stood out: Family Bonding, Pet Bonding, Concentrated Exploration, Holistic Well-being, and Celebration.
For each theme, Labbrand designed a modular 360 experience program integrating services, amenities and activities across the guest journey. Designed for minimal hardware investment, the modules could flex across city and resort properties.
One of the flagship outcomes was the creation of the “Marriott Bonvoy Squad”, an original family-oriented IP developed to spark creativity and leave lasting memories for family travels.
Marriott Squad featured three curious young travel companions: Luca the fox, Noah the elephant and Mia the sheep. United by their love of travel and adventure, each character celebrated a distinct personality and unique strengths, inspiring children’s curiosity, imagination and spirit of exploration through play.
The IP extended across every stage of the guest journey, including themed rooms, children’s activities, family adventure kits and branded merchandise.
Within the three themed rooms, each character’s distinctive traits were translated into color palettes, troys and functional design elements, creating an lighthearted atmosphere that blent fun with function.
Beyond the stay, the experience continued through a collection of Marriott Bonvoy Squad merchandise, allowing families to take home as souvenirs of their memorable brand experience.
The collaboration between Labbrand and Marriott Hotels & Resorts had been an “end-to-end” journey of companionship. By engaging Marriott HQ, hotel properties and owners throughout the process, Labbrand ensured strong stakeholder alignment and consistent execution across the portfolio.
The result was more than five innovative experience programs. Labbrand created a scalable experience platform across Marriott’s diverse properties, enabling Marriott to continuously evolve its guest experiences that fueled long-term growth.
About Marriott Hotels & Resorts
Marriott Hotels & Resorts is one of the world’s leading premium hospitality brands, offering distinctive stays built around thoughtful service, modern comfort and meaningful experiences. Backed by Marriott International’s global network, the brand continues to shape the future of leisure and business travel across Chinese market.
About LABBRAND
Founded in 2005 in Shanghai, LABBRAND (朗标) is a leading global brand consultancy. Headquartered in Shanghai with international offices in Paris, New York, Singapore, and Kuala Lumpur, LABBRAND leverages deep expertise in Naming, Strategy, Research, Design, Branding, and Innovation to deliver precise brand solutions for clients worldwide, helping them drive brand innovation and grow brand equity in a constantly changing business environment. As a trusted partner in brand innovation, LABBRAND has been recognized by top global media and awards bodies, winning 70+ international honors, including iF, Red Dot Design Award, London International Awards (LIA), and Transform Awards (Asia, North America, Europe).
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