Marriott Partners With Alibaba For Joint Chinese Travel Site

The world’s largest hotel chain inked a deal designed to attract more of the booming Asia market.   

Marriott International has entered into a joint venture with China’s largest e-commerce operator, Alibaba Group Holding, to sell online travel bookings.  

Marriott will expand the number of its properties available on Alibaba’s online travel booking site, Fliggy, and link loyalty programs, allowing Alibaba’s 500 million monthly users to sign up for Marriott’s program. Marriott will also offer members access to special events, such as concerts and court-side seats at sporting events.

Alibaba will manage Marriott’s websites and mobile apps in Chinese, and Alibaba’s online payment service, Alipay, will be accepted at Marriott hotels.

Marriott estimates China’s travelers will make about 700 million trips in the next five years.