Kevin Nyango
TechInAfrica – Marriott Hotels launched its first TestBED program in Africa and the Middle East in September 2017. A ten-week program is aimed at giving the first impression to the Marriott Hotel customers found in the major cities. There were around 200 applicants who had submitted their applications to be considered in the program, but only six applicants were shortlisted. The six were invited to share their ideas before judges on 14th November where just three were able to meet the threshold required, and they were selected. Beachill, Unified Inbox, and Twistar were the lucky three candidates to spearhead the program.
TestBED program is the brainchild of Marriott Hotel which was first launched in 2016 across European nations. The initiative has been brought to Africa and the Middle East, but the first approach is given to United Arabs. Regional entrepreneurs have been in a position to benefit from the program by turning their innovations into reality. The initiative has also offered them a platform to test out their new products to the customers hence getting first-hand feedback from the customers. Therefore, it gives the entrepreneurs a room to develop and perfect the product.
During the interview, the shortlisted candidates were given a chance to explain to the panel of judges what makes their product unique, what problem or services their product was going to solve, how their products will be of benefit to the Marriott customers and what made them unique from the rest. The judging panel comprised of most of the Marriott Hotel directors, chief staffs and social media blog creators across Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
Creativity, execution of the ideas, how the products could change the market and how they will make the guests to be satisfied by the hotel services was part of the clarifications sought by the panel. Every product had its features and roles in the hotel.
Beachill is a mattress which is built with a solar panel. The mattress gives customers a chance to charge their electronic devices and cool or warm their drinks at their comfort. It’s a portable mattress that can be used either at the beach, campsite or home.
Twistar is an android mobile device that is new on the market. It’s used as an intelligent gadget since it captures the guest’s voice and actions. This helps the business to connect more with the customers. It gathers five times more data for twenty times more customers in a more comfortable and faster way than any other device present in the market currently.
Unified Inbox is an app used in charting both through voice and text. It helps the guests in making communication easier.
The three products are expected to attend a workshop on 27th November which will help them develop their testing strategy. They will be accorded with the support required, and mentorship is scheduled to start at the end of November 2017.
