In an effort to thwart the growing problem of scam hotel booking websites, Marriott is talking radical action by moving its online presence to custom .marriott domain names.
The hotel group will move all its .com web addresses to the new .marriott domain to improve trust and transparency for customers booking direct.
The company has secured the domain names from registrar Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) which allows certain businesses to create custom domain names.
"Marriott is helping to pioneer how businesses use this new type of top-level domain as an opportunity to evolve, innovate and simplify your online journeys," a Marriott statement said.
"Whenever you see .marriott, you’ll have even more assurance that it’s from a trusted Marriott affiliation, including our 4,000+ destinations spanning 18 hotel brands in 78 countries, Marriott Rewards, and corporate and franchise information."
The American Hotel and Lodging Association recently claimed up to 2.5 million fake or misleading bookings a year catch out unsuspecting travelers by tacking on undisclosed additional fees, and many others take payment for bookings that simply don’t exist.
The AHLA says it costs customers a combined $220 million a year.
