News

Marriott announces 2017 Testbed winners

17 Sep 2017 by Mark Caswell
Marriott Testbed

Marriott Hotels has announced the three winners of its annual European Testbed accelerator programme, which aims to find cutting edge technologies which can transform the guest experience.

Eight start-ups were shortlisted from over 150 submissions, with final pitches and judging taking place last month, and three winning ideas have now been given the chance to pilot their solutions at Marriott properties.

MyManu, a UK start-up that has developed Click wireless earbuds offering live voice translation to 37 languages, is being piloted at Madrid Marriott Auditorium Hotel & Conference Center, while Portuguese-based Optishower is piloting its water and electricity smart meters at Amsterdam Marriott.

Finally Portuguese start-up HiJiffy is piloting its AI-powered Chatbot technology at the London Marriott Hotel Park Lane.

HiJiffy

The winners will pilot their concepts for a ten-week period at the properties above, as well as receiving expert mentoring and global exposure through Marriott Hotels marketing and media.

Marriott said that a third of all applications for this year’s programme were for travel apps or concierge services, with 20 per cent for wearble tech and IOT (Internet of Things) – up from just 3 per cent last year.

The focus now turns to the Middle East and Africa, where applications for the region’s Testbed programme are now open.

marriotttestbed.com

Loading comments...

Search Flight

See a whole year of Reward Seat Availability on one page at SeatSpy.com

Business Traveller March 2024 edition
Business Traveller March 2024 edition
Be up-to-date
Magazine Subscription
To see our latest subscription offers for Business Traveller editions worldwide, click on the Subscribe & Save link below
Polls