Marriott Hotels has created a 10,000 square foot Innovation Lab underneath its headquarters in Bethesda, ML. Anyone from Marriott employees to guests can experiment and create new ideas to transform the traditional guest experience.
Paul Cahil, the senior vice president of management of Marriott hotels describes it as “tapping into the best technology to create an ever-changing lab for innovation, experiencing ideas, exploring concepts, and receiving instant feedback from guests.” Because feedback is instantaneous, Marriott can try out new ideas and get instant reactions from their guests before implementing them at its various properties. Parts of the Innovation Lab are mobile allowing for the placement of beds and couches to be experimented with to find the best positioning for guests.
When guests walk into the Innovation Lab, they can see a gallery with high tech LED images projected on walls; setting the scene for Marriott's newest designs. Moving past the gallery, there is a “Contribution Wall” where guests can impact future innovations by sharing their own ideas, or simply by saying what they do and don’t like when they stay in hotels.