Marriott built its brand on reliability--the same hotel room, regardless of where you were staying. A few years ago, the company finally joined the age of aesthetics with an update that injected a bit more style and personalization into room design. Even so, the chain isn't known for its glamour. Nobody dreams of a vacation at the Marriott. The hotels are merely places to sleep in between meetings or, on occasion, sight-seeing.
Its ads, however, sell Marriott as an escape. On the web, ads like this one (appearing in various versions on The Washington Post's site) pitch not the hotels but their rewards program. The good old Marriott is a means to an end: It will transport you to a tropical paradise. Rewards programs are almost as common as in-room televisions, but that's not the point. This common feature provides an excuse for seductive imagery and, Marriott can hope, some glamour-by-association.
This TV ad for Marriott's Courtyard properties again turns a standard business-hotel feature--free wi-fi--into an image of escape. It's a throwback to the wireless glamour of the late '90s, with all those images of people typing on laptops at the beach. These days, however, no one confuses connection with vacation, which may explain why even as the walls of the hotel disappear, our hero keeps his desk chair. If you want a hammock, you'll have to cash in those reward points.
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