ALIBABA Group Holding Ltd. and Marriott International announced Monday evening that they will establish a joint venture to tap into the growing number of Chinese outbound travelers and to elevate travel experiences for hundreds of millions of Chinese consumers traveling abroad and domestically every year.

Leveraging the E-commerce giant’s role as a leader in digital retail and the world’s largest hotel chain’s global portfolio of brands and unparalleled hospitality expertise, the joint venture will manage and operate Marriott’s storefronts on Fliggy as well as the hotel chain’s Chinese-language digital channels including Marriott.com and Starwoodhotels.com and its corresponding mobile apps.

The two will link their loyalty programs and provide Chinese travelers a host of VIP travel packages and benefits as well as personalized trip-planning services, they said in a joint statement.

As a result, Chinese travelers will be able to book rooms at Marriott hotels via Fliggy, Alibaba’s travel service platform, and get customized recommendations including shopping, dining and sightseeing. What’s more, Chinese consumers can use Alipay, Alibaba’s digital payment platform when they stay at Marriott hotels outside of China to enjoy wallet-free travels.

“We are proud to join forces with Marriott International — combining our large-scale consumer base, leading-edge technology and consumer insights with their unparalleled hospitality expertise,” said Daniel Zhang, CEO of Alibaba Group. “Together, we are elevating and redefining the travel experience for Chinese consumers to be more seamless and personalized as they embark on adventures to discover the world.”

“With the growing number of Chinese consumers exploring new destinations, this venture will introduce our hotels worldwide to this new and growing traveling class,” said Arne Sorenson, Marriott president and CEO, in a statement.

As incomes rise, China’s middle class is looking for higher quality products and travel experiences. This new venture is designed to satisfy consumers’ expectations for seamless, integrated, personalized and convenient travel solutions that connect travelers directly to Marriott’s portfolio of international hotel brands. The travel industry is an important growth opportunity as China’s travelers are expected to take an estimated 700 million trips over the next five years.

(Yang Mei)