Marriott Pilots Home Sharing Services

Marriott International is dipping its toes into the booming home sharing industry pool.

The hotel giant has launched a six-month home sharing trial in London through a partnership with homestay property-management company, Hostmaker.

Marriott selected as many as 200 homes throughout the U.K.'s largest city that exude similarities to its Tribute Portfolio brand. The properties will be branded as Tribute Portfolio Homes and can be searched and booked at TributePortfolioHomes.com.

Each of the homes will feature one or more bedrooms, a full kitchen, in-unit laundry, bath amenities and Wi-Fi.

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Other perks include pre-arrival housekeeping, interim cleaning in certain situations and a unique check-in process led by Marriott team members known as "Welcome Wizards." An added touch of hospitality, Welcome Wizards will ensure guests find their homestay and settle in. These team members will also be able to make helpful recommendations throughout London.

Meanwhile, Hostmaker will provide round-the-clock customer support and also make sure each of the Tribute Portfolio Homes complies with the city's short-term rental laws.

During the pilot phase, guests will be able to earn points through both the Marriott Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) loyalty programs. Beginning next month, members will be also able to redeem points for homestays.

"The pilot is aimed at making sure that Marriott provides our guests the best possible experience for all their various travel needs and this latest offering will be complementary to our current portfolio of accommodations," stated Marriott. "We understand that our guests—at times—may need a little more room and some of the amenities of home while traveling with family or in groups—and Tribute Portfolio Homes will have options designed to meet those needs."

While there's been tremendous tension between the hotel industry and the home sharing sector of late, Marriott isn't alone in its venture into the growing business. Last month, Hyatt Hotels extended its World of Hyatt loyalty program to more than 2,000 Oasis rental properties.

Still, Resonance Consultancy's 2018 Future of Millennial Travel Report found that millennial travelers prefer full-service hotels to homestays, with only 23 percent listing short-term rentals as their preferred accommodation type.

It's worth pointing out that Airbnb recently reached a whopping four million listings worldwide, which is significantly more than the combined inventory of the top five hotel companies, including Marriott.