On the one hand, this is so minor. On the other hand…
Yesterday some major changes were announced to the Marriott Bonvoy program, including overwhelmingly negative award redemption category shifts for hotels, as well as the introduction of capacity controls for award redemptions at legacy Starwood properties.
Marriott Bonvoy hasn’t emailed members about these changes yet, though instead they’re emailing members to market them… thongs.
Marriott is sending some Bonvoy members “Love Is In The Air” emails, encouraging them to “Discover Valentine’s Day gifts for the one you love.”
They are promoting the EDITION online store, which sells everything from Le Labo toiletries, to faux fur throws, to bowling balls, to… thongs. And these are even explicitly called out in this marketing material.
“A black lace thong makes the perfect cheeky gift,” they say.
Going to the EDITION shop website, the thong is described as follows:
The Valentine NYC Thong, exclusively created for EDITION Hotels, is just the essential you need for life’s unexpected turns. Featured in our minibars, this luxuriously soft and stretchy mid-rise lingerie was designed to feel like a second skin. A wide stretch lace waistband and mesh and cotton body gently adorns the body for ultimate comfort.
I’ll admit I’m not their target demographic here, though I’m not sure I understand how a thong makes a “perfect cheeky gift,” or how it’s “the essential you need for life’s unexpected turns.”
Not only do I not understand either description, but aren’t “cheeky” and “essential” on opposite ends of the necessity spectrum? Well, unless “cheeky” is in fact a play on words.
Of course many will point out Marriott’s Mormon roots, though this is an area in which the company has become more progressive over the years. While they still have bibles in the rooms of most of their hotels, they’ve been openly supporting the LGBT community for years, and for a long time they also had pay per view porn on their TVs (not that supporting the LGBT community and offering in-room porn are comparable, in my opinion).
Still, there’s something about that email that just seems a bit… off.
(Tip of the hat to LoyaltyLobby)
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