At a recent Marriott Convention & Resort Network event in Boston, execs outlined some key value-adds for large groups, from double points to carbon offsets.
Marriott’s Convention & Resort Network (CRN) may have been around for a while, but the hospitality professionals at the CRN’s portfolio of 125 specialized hotels and resorts across more than 50 destinations are always talking to clients to find new ways to add value to their large, multi-year programs. Marriott executives at a recent CRN event in Boston took part in a panel discussion to answer questions and outline some new CRN initiatives, as well as provide a general overview of CRN is and does.
CRN key features include helping planners build momentum over time with their repeat, multi-year events — such as rotational incentive trips or annual conferences — by offering repeatable planning processes, consistent teams and shared learnings, along with sourcing guidance and tailored recommendations. The network also has simplified the contracting review, approval and planning processes for multiple hotels and across several years so planners can manage multiple programs and years under a single contract. The multi-year agreement “makes a big difference in the speed and ease of doing business for all of us on that journey,” said Shannon Braniff, Director of Marketing, CRN.
“We start by listening so we can understand where the pain points are, then do a lot of research to see what we can bring to the table,” she added.
Alice Harrington-Caravello, Managing Vice President, Sales and Distribution, East Region, who outlined some of those trends and pain points at the panel, said “One of the biggest coming up is that people want to be immersed in the experience.” She added, “Being able to connect with people [attendees and the local community] is really critical.” As is wellness.
She ran through a representative sample of some of the new openings and renovations that lean into those trends, such as the $100 million transformation of the Boston Sheraton Hotel, which included a refresh of its lobby, guest rooms, dining and meeting spaces as part of the refresh of the entire Sheraton brand across the U.S. The JW Marriott Scottsdale Camelback Resort & Spa also is undergoing a $24 million renovation of its spa, scheduled to debut in January 2026, which will focus on aligning the desert’s natural energy with guests’ individual journey toward holistic health. The company also is excited to debut the Gaylord Pacific Resort & Convention Center in Chula Vista, Calif., with 1,600 rooms and 477,000 sf of meeting space. “We’re really excited to have that property open for the portfolio.”
In addition to new openings and renovations, another result of that listening is the double Marriot Bonvoy points offer, where planners who book an event or meeting before December 31, 2025, for events held by December 31, 2026 can earn double points. Yet another is Marriott’s “Connect Responsibly” sustainability program. Offered by Marriott Bonvoy Events and available at participating Marriott properties, it provides tools like detailed Meeting Impact Reports to track carbon and water footprints, access to carbon offset projects via a partnership with South Pole, and resources on sustainably sourcing ingredients, reducing single-use items and minimizing food waste. It’s now going to automatically be included for groups of 200 or more, she said. Basic Wi-Fi, with some limits, also going to be included as part of the basic package.
The company also now has an interactive PDF sourcing guide to those 125 CRN properties, complemented by an interactive map with search-and-sort features, on the CRN website.
Also under development is an Event Experience Playbook, Braniff added. The playbook, once finalized, will provide signature group experiences available in CRN hotel and resort destinations. What sorts of experiences are we talking about? One example Braniff mentioned was a Pantone Dinner Party at the JW Marriott Marco Island Beach Resort Florida, where the colors of each course are synchronized with those of the sunset. Another she mentioned was the “salt experience” offered by the Waikoloa Beach Marriott, where attendees learn where salt comes from and do salt tastings.
“Experiences can range from basic cooking classes all the way up to really enriching, once-in-a-lifetime moments,” she said. This also will pull in other local partnerships, along with activities available on property, to bring in the power of play. “These pillars of experience will be showcased in the Experience Playbook so you can easily navigate some really cool, inspiring things.”
“This isn’t just discounting. This is adding value,” said Harrington-Caravello. “These hotels have access to things that meeting players may not have access to because you don’t live in that city. It’s easy to give a discount; it’s a lot harder to create experiences and share relationships to help elevate your event.”
They’re also looking at how to use AI to help drive a deeper level of personalization for planners booking across multiple properties. “We’ll be able to personalize the journey a lot more for you, which is incredibly important,” said Harrington-Caravello. Marriott, through its AV partner Encore, also is leveraging AI to make meetings more inclusive by offering closed-captioning and instant translation by Wordly. Also available now through Encore is Snapsight, an AI-powered real-time content summarization product that can analyze audio, presentations, surveys and other content and provide a digestible summary.
Speaking of AV — the cost of AV is always a hot button, and one of the biggest cost centers for planners. While costs will vary from region to region and season to season, “We have some new tools and resources to understand prior history so before they engage with you, whether it’s on a site visit or the first conversation, they have that history up to 10 years they can use as a starting point to help with that conversation and provide options for you to help stay within your budget goal,” said Andrew Ellis, Strategic Partner, Sales Director, Encore Global.
Encore also is offering options-based selling, he added, to make it easier to scale up or down as needed, he added. “Another item is our proposal tool, which uses that history with a dash of AI to summarize that 50-page quote down to just a few pages. “That makes it easier to read it and digest, so you don’t have to sift through all of those pages and itemized details.”
Learn more about Marriott’s CRN at conventionresortnetwork.com.
You May Also Be Interested In…
