Marriott International Adds Enhanced Vicinity Location Services to Web Site to Provide Greater Information to Customers
Marriott Continues Long-Standing Relationship with Vicinity
SUNNYVALE, Vicinity Corporation
One of the early-adopters of location services, Marriott has been a Vicinity customer since 1997, and recently upgraded its Vicinity Location Server (VLS). As Vicinity's platform independent server application, VLS technology meets the needs of large corporations by enhancing the end-user customer experience through easy-to-use web, wireless or speech-based location services. The VLS suite of services includes data management functionality, implementation support, reporting, and comprehensive maps and driving directions.
Marriott recently added LineDrive(SM) directions and support in 13 languages to its existing maps and driving directions from Vicinity.
"As an early customer of Vicinity, we've had the advantage of being able to upgrade and augment our location services as Vicinity has grown the product line," said Debbie McGrath, vice president, eCommerce operations and sales at Marriott International. "The new features we added provide an even higher level of detail, and that translates into happier customers and repeat visitors. The services we get from Vicinity are critical -- they are a requirement for our business, not a 'nice to have.'"
LineDrive, an exclusive patented feature from Vicinity, provides customers with a turn-by-turn "path" of the driving route. LineDrive directions feature a single map that clearly shows every turn and street, complete with driving distances and full street names.
For non-English speaking customers, Marriott offers support in 13 languages -- English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Dutch, Danish, Portuguese, Norwegian, Swedish, Finnish, Turkish, and Greek -- enabling customers to receive driving directions to Marriott locations in any of these languages.
"Location-based services are important to all of our Global 2000 customers, but the need is perhaps greatest in the hospitality industry," said Dan Shaver, senior vice president of worldwide sales at Vicinity Corporation. "We have a long-standing relationship with Marriott, and are pleased to provide these added functionalities to further increase their level of customer care."
Marriott International, Inc., a leading worldwide hospitality company celebrating its 75th Anniversary in 2002, has nearly 2,600 operating units in the United States and 65 other countries and territories. Marriott International operates and franchises hotels under the Marriott, JW Marriott, The Ritz-Carlton, Renaissance, Residence Inn, Courtyard, TownePlace Suites, Fairfield Inn, SpringHill Suites and Ramada International brand names; develops and operates vacation ownership resorts under the Marriott Vacation Club, Horizons, The Ritz-Carlton Club and Marriott Grand Residence Club brands; operates Marriott Executive Apartments; provides furnished corporate housing through its Marriott ExecuStay division; and operates conference centers. Other Marriott businesses include senior living communities and services, and wholesale food distribution. The company is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and has approximately 140,500 employees. In fiscal year 2001, Marriott International reported systemwide sales of $20 billion. For more information or reservations, please visit our web site at
About Vicinity Corporation
Vicinity Corporation provides technology-based solutions that enable businesses, governments and agencies to market the local availability of their products and services. Using Web, wireless and speech platforms, Vicinity offers a comprehensive portfolio of application services and application programming interfaces (APIs) that allow enterprises to direct their customers to a brick-and-mortar store, branch or outlet near them that offers the specific product or service they are seeking. Vicinity's customers include Bank of America, Delta Dental, FedEx, Hewlett-Packard, Hilton Hotels Corporation, John Deere, Lexus, McDonald's, Ritz-Carlton, and The Home Depot. Vicinity was established in 1995 and is headquartered in Sunnyvale, California.
NOTE: Vicinity(TM) is a trademark and Vicinity Location Server(SM) and LineDrive are service marks of Vicinity Corporation. All other names or product names are trademarks or service marks of their respective companies.