Project Overview
As the UX Designer and Researcher for Marriott's Hotel Experiences project, I led the end-to-end design of a mobile app that helps hotel guests discover and book local activities, attractions, and experiences during their stay. The goal was to enhance the guest experience by making it effortless to explore the destination and book memorable activities.
Problem Statement
Hotel guests often struggle to find enjoyable activities and attractions in unfamiliar destinations. They resort to googling, asking hotel staff, or using multiple disconnected apps—creating friction and missed opportunities for memorable experiences. How might we design an app that seamlessly helps guests discover and book local experiences?
Context & Challenge
Business Context
Marriott wanted to differentiate the guest experience by providing value beyond accommodation. By helping guests discover local experiences, Marriott could:
- Increase guest satisfaction and loyalty
- Create a new revenue stream through booking commissions
- Position Marriott as a travel partner, not just a place to sleep
- Differentiate from competitors like Hilton and Hyatt
User Challenges
Hotel guests face several pain points when trying to find local activities:
- Information overload: Too many options across multiple platforms (TripAdvisor, Yelp, Google, blogs)
- Lack of trust: Uncertainty about which recommendations are reliable
- Time constraints: Limited time to research while traveling
- Booking friction: Multiple apps and websites required to book different experiences
Design Goals
- Create an intuitive discovery experience that reduces decision fatigue
- Build trust through curated, high-quality recommendations
- Enable seamless booking directly within the app
- Serve both business travelers and families with different needs
- Design for both mobile and desktop experiences
Research Process
Understanding Our Users
I conducted comprehensive UX research to understand how hotel guests currently discover and book activities:
User Interviews (n=18)
Interviewed business travelers and families about their trip planning habits, pain points when finding activities, and decision-making criteria. Focused on understanding their needs before, during, and after booking activities.
Contextual Inquiry (n=6)
Observed hotel guests in the lobby and common areas as they researched and discussed activity options. Identified key moments of friction and delight in the discovery process.
Survey (n=120)
Distributed surveys to Marriott guests to quantify preferences, understand booking behaviors, and identify the most desired activity types and features.
Key Research Insights
1. Different Traveler Types Have Different Needs
Business travelers and families had fundamentally different activity preferences and constraints:
- Business travelers: Limited time, prefer activities near hotel, interested in dining and fitness
- Families: Flexible time, willing to travel further, prioritize kid-friendly and educational activities
"I have maybe two hours between my last meeting and dinner. I just want to know what's good within walking distance—a park, a museum, a good coffee shop." — Business Traveler, Frequent Marriott Guest
2. Trust is Critical for Booking Decisions
Users were hesitant to book activities they hadn't personally researched. They wanted:
- Reviews from other hotel guests, not just general public
- Staff recommendations and local expertise
- Clear photos and detailed descriptions
- Transparent pricing with no hidden fees
3. Mobile-First, But Desktop Still Matters
While guests primarily used mobile devices to discover activities during their stay, many did initial research on desktop before traveling:
- 68% researched activities on desktop before trip
- 91% used mobile during trip for on-the-go discovery
- 45% booked on desktop, 55% on mobile
User Personas
Based on research, I developed two primary personas to guide design decisions:
Sarah - The Business Traveler
Age: 35 | Occupation: Marketing Director
Travel Frequency: 2-3 times per month
Goals:
- Find quick activities between meetings
- Discover good local restaurants
- Maintain fitness routine while traveling
Pain Points:
- Limited free time
- Unfamiliar with local areas
- Wants convenience and reliability
David & Emily - The Family Travelers
Ages: 38 & 36 | Occupation: Parents of 2 kids (ages 6 & 9)
Travel Frequency: 3-4 family trips per year
Goals:
- Find kid-friendly activities everyone enjoys
- Create memorable family experiences
- Balance education and entertainment
Pain Points:
- Coordinating activities for different ages
- Ensuring activities are age-appropriate
- Managing budget for family of four
Competitive Analysis
Learning from the Market
I analyzed leading experience booking platforms to understand best practices and identify opportunities for differentiation:
Expedia Experiences
Strengths: Comprehensive inventory, integrated with hotel booking, trusted brand
Weaknesses: Overwhelming options, generic recommendations, not location-aware
Key Takeaway: Too many choices create decision paralysis—curation is valuable
Airbnb Experiences
Strengths: Unique local experiences, strong storytelling, beautiful imagery
Weaknesses: Limited availability, inconsistent quality, not hotel-centric
Key Takeaway: Focus on unique, curated experiences over generic tours
TripAdvisor
Strengths: Extensive reviews, comprehensive coverage, trusted source
Weaknesses: Cluttered interface, ad-heavy, discovery is difficult
Key Takeaway: Clean, focused UI beats feature bloat
Competitive Advantages We Identified
- Hotel integration: Leverage proximity and existing trust relationship
- Personalization: Use hotel data to recommend based on traveler type
- Staff curation: Feature local hotel staff recommendations
- Simplified booking: One-tap booking tied to room charges
Design Solutions
Design Principles
I established core design principles to guide all decisions:
- Effortless Discovery: Make finding the right activity intuitive and fast
- Trustworthy Recommendations: Leverage hotel expertise and guest reviews
- Contextual Awareness: Show activities relevant to time, location, and traveler type
- Seamless Booking: Minimize steps from discovery to confirmation
Key Features
1. Smart Home Screen
Personalized home screen that adapts based on:
- Time of day (breakfast spots in morning, evening entertainment at night)
- Length of stay (day trips for longer stays, quick activities for short visits)
- Traveler type (business vs. family, detected from booking data)
- Weather conditions (indoor alternatives when raining)
Context-aware home screen showing personalized activity recommendations
2. Staff Picks Feature
Highlighted local hotel staff recommendations with personal stories and tips, building trust through authentic local expertise.
Hotel staff recommendations with personal insights and local tips
3. Simplified Booking Flow
Streamlined three-step booking process:
- Select activity and time
- Choose number of guests
- Confirm (charged to room or saved card)
4. Distance and Duration Filters
Quick filters to show only activities within desired travel time from hotel—critical for time-constrained business travelers.
Design Iterations
I created and tested three distinct prototype versions with users:
Category-First Design
Users selected categories (Dining, Entertainment, Fitness) before seeing activities
Feedback: Too many taps to find activities; users didn't always know what category they wanted
Map-Based Discovery
Activities displayed on interactive map with pins and clustering
Feedback: Overwhelming for users unfamiliar with area; worked better for planning than discovery
Curated Feed Design
Personalized feed of recommended activities with smart filtering
Feedback: Most intuitive and easiest to use; users appreciated curation
User Testing & Validation
Testing Methodology
Conducted moderated usability testing with 12 participants (6 business travelers, 6 families) testing all three prototypes:
Testing Scenarios
- Task 1: Find a restaurant within walking distance for tonight
- Task 2: Book a family-friendly activity for tomorrow afternoon
- Task 3: Discover something unique recommended by hotel staff
- Task 4: Modify or cancel a booking
Key Testing Insights
Prototype C (Curated Feed) Won Decisively
"This is exactly what I want when I'm at a hotel—just show me the good stuff nearby. I don't want to wade through 50 options." — Testing Participant, Business Traveler
"I love that the hotel staff can tell me their favorites. That's way more trustworthy than random internet reviews." — Testing Participant, Family Traveler
Iterations Based on Testing
- Added "Save for Later" feature after users expressed wanting to bookmark activities
- Increased photo sizes after users said imagery was most important for decision-making
- Made distance/duration more prominent after users missed this information
- Added "Similar Activities" suggestions after noticing comparison shopping behavior
Impact & Results
Business Metrics
User Satisfaction
Post-launch surveys showed strong user satisfaction:
- 89% of users found the app "easy to use"
- 78% said it improved their hotel stay experience
- 71% said they'd use it again on future Marriott stays
- Average rating for activity recommendations: 4.4/5
Most Popular Features
- Staff Picks (used by 84% of users)
- Distance filters (used by 76% of users)
- Personalized recommendations (used by 68% of users)
- One-tap booking (used by 91% of bookers)
Business Impact
- Generated new revenue stream through booking commissions
- Increased guest satisfaction scores at pilot hotels
- Differentiated Marriott from competitors
- Strengthened guest loyalty and repeat bookings
Reflection & Learnings
What Went Well
- User-centered approach: Deep research and persona development ensured we designed for real needs, not assumptions
- Testing multiple concepts: Creating three distinct prototypes revealed which approach truly resonated with users
- Cross-functional collaboration: Working closely with PM, engineers, and data science led to a technically feasible, data-informed design
- Iteration based on feedback: Usability testing insights directly improved the final design
What I'd Do Differently
- Earlier technical constraints discussion: Some initial design ideas had to be scaled back due to API limitations
- International traveler testing: We focused on US travelers; international guests may have different needs
- Accessibility considerations: Should have conducted accessibility testing earlier in the process
- Post-booking experience: Could have spent more time on the post-activity review and sharing features
Skills Developed
- Deepened expertise in hospitality and travel UX design
- Learned to balance personalization with privacy concerns
- Improved ability to synthesize competitive analysis into actionable insights
- Strengthened skills in creating and testing multiple design directions
Key Takeaways
On curation vs. choice: Users appreciated a curated selection of high-quality options over comprehensive but overwhelming inventories. Less can truly be more when options are well-chosen.
On trust signals: Hotel staff recommendations and guest-specific reviews were more influential than generic ratings. Local expertise and authentic voices build trust faster than algorithms.
On mobile design: For travel apps, mobile-first doesn't mean mobile-only. Desktop research informed mobile discovery, and both experiences needed to work seamlessly together.
On testing: The prototype that performed best in testing (curated feed) wasn't my initial preference—a reminder to trust user data over designer intuition.