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Marriott hotels to offer Netflix for guests with subscriptions

Marriott International, Inc. announced that they are partnering with Netflix and plan on making the service available at nearly all of its 300 US locations by the end of 2016. Will other hotels follow? 

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Paul Sakuma/AP/file
This March 2012 file photo shows Netfilx headquarters in Los Gatos, Calif.

Netflix may be streaming at a Marriott hotel near you.

According to the hotel chain's online statement, a new partnership will allow guests to access Netflix's streaming video service from televisions connected to the Internet, allowing them to enjoy signature shows like "House of Cards" and "Orange is the New Black."

But there's a catch.

In order to use Netflix in your room, you must either have a preexisting account or sign up for the service, which costs $7.99 a month for a basic subscription.

In 2014, Marriott received a lot of backlash for blocking personal Wi-Fi hot spots in parts of its hotels, forcing guests to pay hundreds of dollars for their internet service. Mariott eventually appealed to the US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to allow them to block these signals, but the FCC rejected their petition and fined the corporation $600,000.  

Netflix is currently available at six Marriott hotels, with six more launching this summer and a goal of 100 locations by the end of 2015. If all goes well, most of the 300 Marriott US properties will have the service by December 2016. 

The video-streaming company has been investing in improvements to its service, recently updating its web interface and announcing that Brad Pitt's next movie will be distributed on the site. 

So what are the chances that similar video-streaming services will be available in all hotels boasting a three-star rating or above? 

Pretty high, at least if hotels are aiming to meet evolving customer preferences. 

The 9th edition of Deloitte's Digital Democracy Survey says that 56% of those polled used video-streaming services monthly, compared to 35% who said they rented physical DVDs or Blue-Rays on a monthly basis.

Marriott said they wanted their guests' needs to be reflected in their services

“Our collaboration with Netflix responds to changing consumer preferences in the way our guests access and watch content, while recognizing the leading role Netflix is playing in driving this transformation. Because consumers are choosing to take their streaming content with them when they travel, Marriott Hotels is making the industry’s first rollout of Netflix a priority,” said Matthew Carroll, vice president of brand management at Marriott Hotels. 

Marriott is currently the only hotel chain to offer Netflix on TVs, but other hotels will likely jump on the bandwagon soon.

Michael Dail, the vice president for global brand marketing for Marriott Hotels at Mariott International, agreed.

"We fully expect this to be standard in the hotel industry very soon, and we wanted to be ahead of the curve," he told FastCompany.com. 

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