Marriott targets millennials through social‐media game

Abstract

PurposeThe aim is to describe an employee‐engagement social‐media game that is helping to make Marriott Group a less forbidding place for local people from developing countries to apply to work.Design/methodology/approachThe article explains the background to the development of the game, the form the game takes and the results it is designed to achieve.FindingsIt is found that that players of the My Marriott Hotel game run a successful kitchen that services an invisible but implied dining room. This entails balancing such elements as hiring staff, equipment acquisition, ingredient sourcing, customer satisfaction and quality control.Practical implicationsThe article explains how the tool is helping Marriott to attract more millennials – those between the ages 18 and 27 – to its workforce, by showcasing the opportunities and growth potential attainable in hospitality careers, especially in cultures where the service industry might be less established or prestigious. It highlights a tool that could help to make multinational companies a less forbidding place for people from developing countries to apply to work in.Originality/valueThe article describes what is believed to be the first branded game on a social medium.