Marriott Hotels, the signature flag of Marriott Bonvoy’s 30 extraordinary hotel brands, furthers its partnership with idea engine TED through its award-winning educational arm TED-Ed, to debut their first-ever immersive experience outside of a TED conference. Aimed at sparking curiosity and enriching the experience of global travelers, the rooms feature interactive, mind-bending activities integrated into the Marriott Hotels guest room design. Recommended for families and friends ages seven and up, reservations for The Curiosity Room by TED can be made now for stays starting July 15 at San Francisco Marriott Marquis. Following the inaugural launch in San Francisco, guests can also book the discovery-based room at Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park and London Marriott Hotel County Hall later this summer with stays starting on August 15 and September 15, respectively. Each room experience will be live for three months at each location.
Recent social listening research conducted on behalf of Marriott saw a significant year-over-year uptick in searches for #themedrooms (+106%) and “hotel rooms” + themed (+65%), suggesting consumers are craving more distinct and inspiring hotel experiences.
Sparking curiosity from the start, guests embark on the adventure immediately upon entry to the room. The entire room is a puzzle box waiting to be solved. Puzzle elements have been seamlessly hidden within the décor; solving them all will lead guests to a grand finale and series of surprises and rewards. The puzzles have also been customized to the three destinations, featuring and celebrating local landmarks, culture, and more. Guests will uncover hidden messages, hunt for puzzle pieces, and experience elements of the room in unexpected and delightful ways. The room’s Curiosity Journal serves as the guide and connection to the one-of-a-kind in-room journey, with hints available in case guests need a helpful hand. When the final challenge has been completed, guests receive a certificate of completion and can celebrate with a complimentary dessert in the hotel’s restaurant.
“Marriott Hotels has always been a place where guests can be inspired at every corner of their experience and we’ve taken that to the next level with TED’s award-winning, educational arm TED-Ed,” said Jason Nuell, Senior Vice President, Premium Brands, Marriott International. “This one-of-a-kind adventure further fosters the notion for our guests to stay curious in their travels, opening their minds beyond a typical overnight stay and propel them to explore the destination with renewed desire to learn something new.”
Awe-inspiring décor elements have been expertly layered onto Marriott Hotels’ modern, residential guest room design to create a blended experience, with everyday hotel items serving as “keys” to unlock clues to help guests progress through the immersive space. Drawing inspiration from the hotel’s respective destination, the rooms feature eye-catching drawings by illustrator and artist Caleb Morris, who founded ‘Welcome to the Neighborhoods’ – an art series focused on creating unique connections between people and cities all over the world. In addition, throughout the room, guests will discover various moments of wonder as well as a guide of local travel recommendations curated by Marriott Hotels and TED, that encourage further exploration beyond the guest room – from the striking architecture of San Francisco to the culture of Bangkok and rich history of London. Guests will be able to take home some mementos, such as the travel guide, to leave a lasting impression of the trip.
Reservations for The Curiosity Room by TED are available now for the stay dates below:
- San Francisco Marriott Marquis: July 15 – October 16, 2022
- Bangkok Marriott Marquis Queen’s Park: August 15 – November 15, 2022
- London Marriott Hotel County Hall: September 15, 2022 – January 2, 2023
“Watching millions of people view and share TED-Ed’s educational animated videos online every day is a profoundly rewarding experience for our team of creators,” said TED-Ed’s founding and executive director, Logan Smalley. “What really excites me about our partnership with Marriott Hotels, though, is that it will enable families throughout the world, for the first time ever, to experience a totally unique version of TED-Ed in person. I think everyone who participates will gain, in the most tantalizingly fun way possible, a deeper understanding and appreciation of TED-Ed and their destination, and I’m grateful to Marriott Hotels for making that possible.”
Marriott Hotels has a longstanding, global partnership with TED. The relationship began in 2016 by distributing TED Talks and TED Fellows Salons, blogs, and original quotes to hotel guests worldwide, and has continued to elevate every year with new elements of the partnership. Travelers staying at Marriott Hotels have access to custom content expertly curated by TED, with selected themes that are topical and relevant to guests including innovation, travel, entrepreneurship, and much more. Specifically, new TED-Ed content will now be available at hotels with video-based lessons that vary by subject and age.
To explore more, please visit TEDRooms.Marriott.com. Starting rates vary by hotel and maximum four guests occupied in room. Be inspired by following along with Marriott Hotels on Facebook, @marriott on Twitter, and @marriotthotels on Instagram as well as via #MarriottxTED.
About Marriott Bonvoy®
Marriott Bonvoy’s extraordinary portfolio offers renowned hospitality in the most memorable destinations in the world, with 30 brands that are tailored to every type of journey. Members can earn points for stays at hotels and resorts, including all-inclusive resorts and premium home rentals, and through everyday purchases with co-branded credit cards. Members can redeem their points for experiences including future stays, Marriott Bonvoy Moments, or through partners for luxurious products from Marriott Bonvoy Boutiques. To enroll for free or for more information about Marriott Bonvoy, visit marriottbonvoy.com.
About TED
TED is a nonprofit organization devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading, often in the form of short talks delivered by leading thinkers and doers. Many of these talks are given at TED conferences, intimate TED Salons and thousands of independently organized TEDx events around the world. Videos of these talks are made available, free, on TED.com and other platforms. Audio versions of TED Talks are published to TED Talks Daily, available on all podcast platforms.
TED’s open and free initiatives for spreading ideas include TED.com, where new TED Talk videos are posted daily; TEDx, which licenses thousands of individuals and groups to host local, self-organized TED-style events around the world; the TED Fellows program, which selects innovators from around the globe to amplify the impact of their remarkable projects and activities; The Audacious Project, which surfaces and funds critical ideas that have the potential to impact millions of lives; TED Translators, which crowdsources the subtitling of TED Talks so that big ideas can spread across languages and borders; and the educational initiative TED-Ed. TED also offers TED@Work, a program that reimagines TED Talks for workplace learning. TED also has a growing library of original podcasts, including The TED Interview with Chris Anderson, WorkLife with Adam Grant, Am I Normal? with Mona Chalabi, and How to Be a Better Human.
Follow TED on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and LinkedIn.
About TED-Ed
TED-Ed is TED’s youth and education initiative. TED-Ed’s mission is to spark and celebrate the ideas of teachers and students around the world. Everything we do supports learning — from producing a growing library of original animated videos, to providing an international platform for teachers to create their own interactive lessons, to helping curious students around the globe bring TED to their schools and gain presentation literacy skills, to celebrating innovative leadership within TED-Ed’s global network of over 850,000 teachers. TED-Ed has grown from an idea worth spreading into an award-winning education platform that serves millions of teachers and students around the world every day.
