Marriott and Tmall team up to offer customer exclusives

Marriott International is joining Tmall Super Brand Day launched by Tmall's parent company e-commerce giant Alibaba this Saturday, as the first hospitality group to take part in the event.

Tmall is China's largest third-party sales platform for brands and retailers and provides access to more than 500 million active consumers a year. Inaugurated in 2015, the Tmall Super Brand Day campaign showcases select brands, each offering flash sales and unique experiences on their Tmall storefronts.

"We are incredibly excited to partner with Tmall to bring our 30 distinctive brands and global travel experiences to Chinese consumers," said Peggy Fang Roe, chief sales and marketing officer for the Asia-Pacific region at Marriott International.

"Through our joint venture with Alibaba, we have curated special offers, dining benefits and travel experiences just for Tmall members who join Marriott's loyalty program," Roe said.

As one of the highlights of its Tmall Super Brand Day offer, Marriott International has issued eight Black Cards, with the first given to Chinese supermodel Liu Wen.

Holders of these limited-edition cards can enjoy special hotel packages with curated experiences at four out of 10 designated Marriott luxury hotels across five destinations - Thailand, Japan, Maldives, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Involved brands include W Hotels, The Luxury Collection, The Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis and Edition.

Broadway VIP backstage access and cast meet-and-greets, private helicopter tours, personal shopper with skip-the-line services at a trendy shopping locations, and exclusive artisanal chocolate-making workshops are among options prepared for cardholders.

Marriott International, Tmall and their joint venture team collaborated to design an innovative seven-day campaign, including the pre-sale period, inviting Tmall members to experience global travel with Marriott International's portfolio of distinct brands.

The campaign includes innovative engagement opportunities, exclusive benefits, lucky draws and other extraordinary experiences.

"We are pleased to welcome Marriott International for this edition of the Tmall Super Brand Day, which combines the strength of Marriott International's global portfolio of brands and unparalleled hospitality expertise together with Tmall's digital retail leadership," said Liu Bo, president of Tmall's marketing and operations.

The joint venture recently launched a new Marriott International storefront on Fliggy, a travel service platform developed by Alibaba, providing Alibaba and Marriott members access to discounted rates, double points, Post Post Pay functionality for over 1,000 Marriott International hotels, and access to Li Yu certified hotels, those that meet all the needs of Chinese travelers, around the world.

Data from the China Tourism Academy show that about 131 million Chinese people made overseas trips last year, an increase of 6.9 percent from 2016. They spent a total of $115.29 billion on their foreign travels. In China's outbound tourism market, visitor numbers are estimated to reach 700 million between 2017 and 2025.