Marriott International Pilots AI Solutions to Streamline Hotel Design Process for Future Properties in Asia-Pacific

Planned for Marriott's Select Service Brands to offer owners proprietary, cutting-edge tools that cut cost and reduce design time by more than 50% on average

HONG KONG, March. 2, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Marriott International Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR) is reinventing how hotels in its Select Service brand portfolio are designed and constructed using a suite of proprietary solution. A first to be piloted in Asia Pacific, Marriott's end-to-end, one-stop solution is part of the latest design package that includes the use of artificial intelligence leveraging the Building Information Modeling (BIM) platform. With Marriott International offering this latest solution, the design process for owners will be more efficient with increased speed-to-market while at the same time maintaining cost control.

"Marriott International's new end-to-end design solutions are a world-first in our industry, and we are excited to offer this to our owners in the Asia Pacific region. The current solutions package will offer greater cost efficiency, consistent quality and faster delivery times for each new Marriott International property being designed from the ground up," said Michael Wang, Senior Continent Head, Global Design, Asia Pacific.

Streamlining the design process

Leveraging the Building Information Modeling (BIM) platform, the newly introduced suite of solutions provides an intelligent Cloud and 3D reference throughout the life cycle of a project, from early planning through design development to construction and operations. BIM prototypes can create an entire virtual hotel in days, instead of the months normally required. The flexibility of BIM means Marriott International's rigorous design guidelines are built right into the platform. Customizations to guest rooms such as room size and furniture layouts are easily editable, with the rest of the design process automatically recalibrated to incorporate any type of changes, greatly improving coordination and workflow amongst the many stakeholders involved in the design process. With this, Marriott is offering a one-stop solution so that owners can have increased confidence that Marriott brand style guides and specifications are maintained throughout the entire process.

"The implementation of AI technology is once again demonstrating our ongoing commitment to assist and support our business partners in delivering value and speed to market," said Ron Harrison, Global Design Officer, Marriott International. "It delivers value to owners while upholding quality, and represents a core part of our larger technology strategy within Marriott's global design process."

Enhanced owner experiences with high-resolution, 'fly-through' 3D tours

Using BIM technology and prototyping, high-resolution 3D Virtual Reality environments can be created faster than any other technology currently available. Another attractive advantage of using BIM technology -- an elevated experience, with virtual 'fly-through' tours of the proposed hotel, with visualizations of every design element shown in detail. This allows hotel owners to view in real time their entire hotel without having to wait for manual design renderings or construction.

One of the fastest-growing segments in Marriott's brand portfolio, the seven Select Service Brands offer travelers the quality of international brand names at moderate price points. These innovative, trailblazing brands are characterized by their affordability and signature fuss-free service. Select Service brands comprise Fairfield by Marriott, Courtyard by Marriott, Four Points by Sheraton, Aloft, Moxy, Element and AC Hotels. In 2020 alone, more than 50% of new hotel deals signed were in the select service brand category, underscoring the strong demand from owners for this segment that caters to mid-market consumers. The introduction of Marriott's latest proprietary solution is expected to continue to drive interest for this brand category given shorter design project cycles.

"Marriott's proprietary BIM design package is well underway," said Ralph Frehner, Vice President, Design Development Operations Asia Pacific, Marriott International. "To date, BIM design solutions for our Moxy brand for guestrooms and public spaces including kitchen are 100% completed and ready to be leveraged for owners. Our Courtyard and Fairfield BIM solutions for rooms are more than 70% ready, and we expect the gradual finalization of other Select Service brands' solutions across 2021."