In a push to connect to a younger, more technologically savvy traveler, Marriott and MIT teamed up to develop a hotel app that helps Millennials have the best guest experience possible.
The new app, called Six Degrees, was the brainchild of the MIT’s Mobile Experience Lab – essentially created by undergraduate students, who aim to turn your hotel experience into something highly social.
Here’s how it works. By using LinkedIn, the app can match users with other guests who share similar qualities – whether it’s being at the same conference, a love of kayaking or finding someone who went to your alma mater to watch the game with at the hotel bar.
Moreover, it doesn’t necessarily have to be the guest who seeks out an event or outing through the app. The hotel employees can actually use the app to organize anything from a wine tasting to a spa day for guests.
By using LinkedIn, the app offers a more private way to match people, as opposed to using Facebook, which often reveals too much personal information.
According to Fast Company, hotels will have a large, interactive screen in their lobbies that will serve as the hub for this new app. When users place their phones on the screen, it will light up based on how many connections they have to other people seated at the table.
Hotel brands like Marriott clearly have their eyes on Millennial travelers, and Six Degrees could be the true differentiator that will spell long-term brand loyalty from this unique demographic.