Marriott has launched a large number of high-profile technology-enabled initiatives over the past year. It has also launched a number of less-buzzworthy initiatives that have nonetheless served to enhance the quality of the guest experience. With the acquisition of Starwood Hotels and Resorts, for example, Marriott immediately enabled members of its loyalty programs – Marriott Rewards, The Ritz-Carlton Rewards and Starwood Preferred Guest – to link their accounts, allowing members to have their status matched across all three programs, which was no easy feat from a technology and data integration perspective.