Marriott’s Rajeev Menon and Mandarin Oriental’s Alex Schellenberger at Skift Asia Forum 2026
Scorecard: Asia Hotels — Where the Sector Is Leading, and Where It’s Lagging
Rajeev Menon, President, Asia Pacific, Marriott International, and Alex Schellenberger, Global Chief Brand & Marketing Officer, Mandarin Oriental
Moderated by Sarah Kopit, Skift
THE ARGUMENT
The latest counts of loyalty members, brands, and AI tools all look impressive on slide decks. But profit per available room is what truly moves the needle. These leaders from Marriott and Mandarin Oriental said profitability requires tighter relationships with guests. To compete in an AI-first world, Marriott is now spending hundreds of millions of dollars a year to overhaul its property management, reservations, and loyalty systems. One goal was to provide more personalization. Mandarin Oriental is taking a different path toward a similar aspiration: Last year, it created a non-points-based “guest recognition program.”
THE EVIDENCE
- Rajeev Menon noted that Marriott’s loyalty program, Bonvoy, typically fills 75% of occupied rooms across the group’s 750 Asia-Pacific hotels (excluding China).
- Alex Schellenberger said that Mandarin Oriental’s Fans of M.O. program has “2.5 to 3 million members.” The top 0.5% of members produce 20% of total revenue.
- Marriott is transforming its tech systems. The goal is to capitalize on AI opportunities to deliver more personalized service and encourage more direct bookings through future AI support.
- Menon described Marriott’s relationship with the OTAs as “frenemies.”
- Schellenberger: “OTAs are great at conversion and driving business, but we don’t want to outsource the relationship and the intimacy with our most loyal guests.”
THE SO WHAT
For most operators, neither playbook transfers cleanly, given the size of Marriott and the high-net-worth clientele at Mandarin Oriental. But a few moves do translate. Mandarin Oriental went through a three-year data cleanup. Smaller operators with clean guest data have a head start and should take advantage of it. Can you say who your top 100 guests are, what they care most about, and what you’re doing to serve them better? And finally, if personalization is a tech problem for large hotel groups, it’s a staffing problem for smaller ones. Heed Menon’s advice and don’t be complacent about seeking productivity improvements just because Asia Pacific has a plentiful labor supply.
