Is Marriott Planning a Move Into Airport Lounges?

When you’re traveling to a distant city, whether for business or pleasure, you might find yourself staying in a hotel that’s part of Marriott International’s network of properties. Based on comments the company’s CEO recently made, you might well have another opportunity to visit a Marriott-run space in the midst of your journey; the main difference here would be that this one would be located in an airport.

In a recent interview with Sean O’Neill of Skift, Marriott CEO Anthony Capuano offered some hints as to Marriott’s expansion plans. Capuano described the concept as “it was one of the topics that came up as really interesting” and noted that it had been discussed at a recent leadership retreat.

“Shame on us if folks think about their interaction with us only during that window when they walk through the front door of the hotel until they leave at the end of their stay. There’s an opportunity to have more touch points throughout the travel journey,” he added.

Capuano also addressed the lounge-sized elephant in the room, which is to say the question of whether we’ve reached peak airport lounge as a society. In a widely discussed New York Times opinion piece this August, David Mack grew existential about the nature of airport lounges. “There have never been more airport lounges,” Mack wrote. “Yet there also have never seemed to be more lounges that are not worth the hassle.”

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As O’Neill reported, Capuano cited some of the current issues with lounges as something Marriott was monitoring. It doesn’t sound as though Marriott has determined the next step, which could involve standalone lounges or working with partners. But with Marriott’s recent strategy emphasizing expansions and teaming up with other hospitality companies, it isn’t shocking to hear that they are exploring other places to grow.