We'd love to hear from you!

If you have any questions about our services, need some help, or just want to chat, we're here for you. Simply fill out the form below, and one of our team members will reach out to you soon.

If you have questions regarding U.S. consumer data privacy, click here.

Contact Epsilon
P.O. Box 1478
Broomfield, CO 80038
Attn: Privacy
(866) 267-3861
privacy@epsilon.com

Privacy Policy

Your Privacy Choices

Thank you!

Select Country
Epsilon Logo

AUTHENTICALLY CONNECTING WITH GUESTS DURING COVID-19

Marketing messages that matter

14.5M

total sends with 99.8% delivery rate

3

bookings from the same period in 2020

20%

increase in booking revenue

You’ve got mail

When the pandemic hit, Marriott had to rethink guest communications. It was critical to efficiently (and empathetically) share updates and evolving health and safety measures with guests. Enter: Email. Communications for Homes & Villas by Marriott International are one strong example of how this hospitality leader used the power of AI-driven email to successfully connect with their guests as individuals and increase bookings.

Reassessing the big picture

Of all the industries impacted by the COVID-19 crisis, the travel industry was one of the hardest hit. The ability to connect with customers in a human way during challenging times required a major shift in messaging. It had to be timely, and it had to be personal—which made email the right channel for the job. Working with long-time partner Epsilon, Marriott leaned more heavily into the channel to meet the changing demands of their guests.

Exploring new territory

Instead of the cross-border, business or air travel messages they would typically serve, Marriott shifted their messaging to:

  • Build confidence among travelers by highlighting new safety and cleanliness protocols
  • Attract the leisure traveler, particularly those often not Marriott loyalists
  • Drive awareness for availability of homes and villas as private options
  • Highlight in-country or drive-market destinations

Pivoting to the leisure traveler

Even as recovery began, business travel was much slower to resume than leisure travel. To reach the leisure audience, they created a program to drive brand awareness and bookings for their luxury private home rental brand, Homes & Villas by Marriott International (HMVI). First, Epsilon curated collections of properties and handpicked destinations based on the individual. Then, using Epsilon PeopleCloud Messaging and its powerful AI engine, Marriott served personalized email communications explaining the benefits and safety of choosing HVMI over other rental options.

Increasing brand recognition through creative

The team was able to build out a flexible, mobile-optimized email architecture for HVMI (as most of their bookings are done on mobile). This allowed them to create visually compelling, brand-compliant messages easily and at scale.

“One of the beauties of email marketing, if it’s done right, is it’s a one-to-one communication. We’re a long way from the batch-and-blast of the early 2000s…email communication should be no different than a conversation you might have with an associate at a Marriott property.”
Marc Sheinkin, senior director, member and guest communications at Marriott International
Next pick for you
McDonalds: igniting appetites & engagement with a star-studded, multichannel campaign