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Marriott Hotels has furthered its partnership with TED through its educational arm, TED-Ed, to debut its “first-ever immersive experience” outside of a TED conference, with immersive guest rooms.
The rooms feature interactive activities integrated into the Marriott Hotels guest room design.
Following an inaugural launch in San Francisco, guests will be able to book the discovery-based room at London Marriott Hotel County Hall later this summer with stays starting on 15 August and 15 September, respectively. Each room experience will be live for three months at each location.
It comes as recent social listening research conducted on behalf of Marriott saw a “significant” year-over-year uptick in searches for #themedrooms (+106%) and “hotel rooms” + themed (+65%), suggesting consumers are “craving more distinct and inspiring hotel experiences”.
Marriott revealed that within the new scheme, the entire guest room is described as a “puzzle box waiting to be solved”. Puzzle elements have been hidden within the décor, and solving them all will “lead guests to a grand finale and series of surprises and rewards”.
Jason Nuell, senior vice president, Premium Brands, Marriott International, said: “Marriott Hotels has always been a place where guests can be inspired at every corner of their experience and we’ve taken that to the next level with TED’s award-winning, educational arm TED-Ed.
“This one-of-a-kind adventure further fosters the notion for our guests to stay curious in their travels, opening their minds beyond a typical overnight stay and propel them to explore the destination with renewed desire to learn something new.”
TED-Ed’s founding and executive director, Logan Smalley, said: “Watching millions of people view and share TED-Ed’s educational animated videos online every day is a profoundly rewarding experience for our team of creators.
“What really excites me about our partnership with Marriott Hotels, though, is that it will enable families throughout the world, for the first time ever, to experience a totally unique version of TED-Ed in person. I think everyone who participates will gain, in the most tantalisingly fun way possible, a deeper understanding and appreciation of TED-Ed and their destination, and I’m grateful to Marriott Hotels for making that possible.”
Marriott Hotels has a longstanding, global partnership with TED. The partnership began in 2016 by distributing TED Talks and TED Fellows Salons, blogs, and original quotes to hotel guests worldwide.
Travelers staying at Marriott Hotels have access to custom content expertly curated by TED, with selected themes that are topical and relevant to guests including innovation, travel, entrepreneurship, and more.
