The future of hospitality is here. Marriottopia.
A Vision of Tomorrow’s Guest Experience
In March 2024, Marriott returned to the EMEA Consumer Operations stage with Marriottopia, its first major conference in six years—welcoming 800+ senior leaders to chart the future of hospitality.
Introducing the Digital Human
To showcase emerging guest expectations, Coherence created an AI-powered, voice-enabled digital human representing the “Customer of the Future.” Trained on Marriott-specific content, the avatar delivered real-time, contextual dialogue in a live panel format.
Technology Integration and Innovation
The project combined LLM integration, natural language processing, and custom middleware to shape tone, personality, and brand alignment. Latency was reduced from 20 seconds to real-time performance, while AV systems were fine-tuned to ensure speech clarity and visual fidelity across a 20x5 metre stage.
Human-Machine Interaction
Interviewers received tailored training to ensure seamless conversation with the digital character, unlocking natural, unscripted moments that resonated with the audience.
Conference-Wide AI Hosting
A second avatar, Obaya, served as the event’s digital MC—introducing sessions, guiding participants, and managing housekeeping tasks with charm and consistency.
Impact
Marriottopia didn’t just predict future trends—it personified them. Through collaboration and creative tech, the event delivered lasting insight, excitement, and genuine audience connection.
