The Mayflower Hotel elevates its guest experience with Uber for Business

Known as “Washington’s second best address,” The Mayflower Hotel, Autograph Collection is the place to see and be seen in the nation’s capital. Celebrating their 100th year in 2025, The Mayflower Hotel has been at the heart of Washington, DC‘s history, hosting inaugural balls, society weddings, and iconic figures like the Roosevelts. In fact, Franklin D. Roosevelt famously penned the line, “the only thing we have to fear is fear itself,” the night before his 1933 inaugural address while staying at the Mayflower. While these stories are part of the Mayflower’s rich history, a lot has changed in the last century—including guest expectations. Technology is one of the ways Marriott is elevating their time-honored approach to hospitality. Meredith Goldberg, Director of Marketing at The Mayflower Hotel and Marriott Marquis, Washington, DC, shared her take on how Marriott is working with Uber for Business to help create memorable hospitality moments that fit with the Autograph Collection brand.

To balance its storied history with the needs of today’s guests, The Mayflower team consistently goes above and beyond to make each stay memorable. Initially, the hotel offered museum tickets as a part of the destination fee package, but were finding that some guests didn’t have time to use them during their stay. To provide something guests would really appreciate and use, they introduced credits towards Uber rides, giving guests convenient access to transportation in the city and to the airport.

The Marriott marketing team is data-driven, and likes to see how investments in hospitality pay off. To test how guests would respond to credits towards Uber rides, the Mayflower team launched its "Ride to Pride" promotion. With a simple QR code scan at the front desk, guests could instantly access ride credits in their Uber app and cash them in for Uber rides around town. Guests could travel from the hotel to the Capital Pride Parade, restaurants, and other local attractions, with multiple stops if needed.

The Uber rides test proved hotel guests enjoyed the added value, and appreciated the rides credit even when they didn’t use it. Positive customer reviews and other customer feedback reinforced this. Encouraged by the positive feedback, the team now offers Uber ride credits as a regular perk at both the Marriott Mayflower and Marquis properties.

Managing the Uber vouchers is a snap for the Marriott team. Customizable features like geofencing let the hotel team manage where and how far guests can travel — Uber rides vouchers automatically expire a few hours after checkout, so they can be used for airport trips too, but not after their stay in DC. Marriott can also easily track how many guests redeem the vouchers and analyze total usage and spending through the Uber for Business Dashboard.

With real-time insights into guest engagement, the Marriott team can measure the promotion's impact and make informed decisions about future ones. Goldberg also appreciates Uber’s dedicated support. Thanks to their account manager, Melissa M., the Marriott team was well supported through onboarding and beyond. “Melissa has been great,” Goldberg says. “Uber’s dedicated support has made all the difference in keeping the program running smoothly.”

The Uber rides test proved hotel guests enjoyed the added value, and appreciated the rides credit even when they didn’t use it. Positive customer reviews and other customer feedback reinforced this. Encouraged by the positive feedback, the team now offers Uber ride credits as a regular perk at both the Marriott Mayflower and Marquis properties.