Marriott built its own ‘Airbnb’ before coronavirus crashed business travel. Did it help?

Marriott Hotels launched its Homes & Villas alternative lodging service a few years ago. It has grown to 10,000 listings and has become popular with Marriott Bonvoy rewards members, but remains only a minor bright spot in the Covid-19 crash.
Getty Images
Marriott International began its push back against the success of Airbnb in Spring 2019 with Marriott Homes & Villas, a luxury property lodging service that offered customers a private residence alternative to hotel rooms. Bookings are up, by a lot, during Covid-19, as more travelers flock to individual properties. That’s made the Airbnb rival a rare bright spot in business results for the hotel giant, which like its peers, has seen a massive falloff in traditional room bookings as business travel, travel to urban centers, and international vacation travel dwindled during the pandemic.
From May to August, …continued .
[Source: CNBC News]