The FINANCIAL — Marriott International has launched XplorSM, a groundbreaking mobile travel game celebrating bold adventure, according to Marriott International, Inc.
A first in the hotel industry, Xplor engages people of all ages to virtually see the world by visiting five gateway cities and accomplishing varied sightseeing challenges along the way. Xplorers find clues, solve puzzles, answer trivia questions, and compete to win Marriott Rewards points redeemable stays at more than 3,700 hotels across the globe, according to Marriott International, Inc.
As an incentive for Xplor gamers, Marriott will give away 1 million Marriott Rewards points. For each Xplor city completed, contestants will be entered to win 100,000 Marriott Rewards points (a total of 500,000 will be awarded). Those who complete the entire game will be entered to win one of three prizes: one lucky Grand Prize Winner will collect 200,000 Marriott Rewards points and an airline ticket for a trip around the world, and two Runners-Up will receive 150,000 Marriott Rewards points each, according to Marriott International, Inc.
“Social gaming is part of our innovation strategy to engage customers and attract the next generation of social, mobile travelers and employees to Marriott,” said David Rodriguez, Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer, Marriott International. “With more than half a billion people playing social games globally—this is an exciting new channel for our company to promote travel and engage with people,” he added.
Available for free in the App Store, Xplor lets virtual adventurers hone travel skills while visiting New York City, Paris, Beijing, Dubai, and São Paulo. To begin, Xplor gamers select an identity from five different traveler types, ranging from backpacker to jetsetter, and can individualize avatars from a variety of different interchangeable physical and style attributes, resulting in millions of possible character combinations. From there, players travel to top tourist destinations where they collect items and get their passports stamped. Players can friend one another, chat live and closely collaborate to solve Xplor’s many challenges.
“We see guests effortlessly blending work and play in a global, mobile world,” said Stephanie Linnartz, Executive Vice President & Chief Marketing and Commercial Officer, Marriott International. “They embrace technology as a central part of their lifestyle.”
“I applaud the entrepreneurial spirit behind this game, which was conceived by a group of employees from various departments, age groups and levels across the company,” said David Grissen, Group President, Marriott International. “They observed guests playing games to decompress between meetings, while waiting to board a flight, or even lounging by the pool, and convinced us to test a new way of engaging with guests,” he added.
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