Marriott Increases Employee Listening Survey Participation While Cutting Survey Completion Time in Half

The Opportunity

Marriott's scale — 9,100 properties, nearly one million employees, and operations in 142 countries using 60 languages — presented unique possibilities for enhancing their employee listening strategy. Previously, their traditional annual survey process had limited real-time insights and placed massive administrative burdens on HR teams.

The Solution

Marriott launched a three-phase pulse survey pilot program, starting with 280 properties and their above-property associates. The pilot program balanced frequency and depth, shifting from four to three annual pulses with 10-12 weeks between surveys based on pilot participant feedback.

The new approach integrated feedback at key moments:

• Reduced survey windows from six to four weeks
• Introduced QR code access via mobile devices
• Streamlined question sets for faster completion
• Connected survey data with onboarding, quality of hire, and exit touchpoints

The Impact

The pilot program's participation rates told a clear story: 82% response for Pulse 1, climbing to 85% for Pulse 2, and sustaining 83% for Pulse 3. These numbers aligned with the 88% response rate from the 1,800 properties that participated in the annual survey format.

The operational benefits proved substantial. Previously, HR leaders spent up to a week organizing survey logistics — renting computers, converting ballrooms into survey spaces, and manually tracking responses. The new mobile-friendly format, featuring QR code access, cut completion time from 7.5 to 3 minutes while maintaining comparable engagement scores (90) to properties still surveying on an annual basis (91). Leadership index scores for pulse properties rose to 88, as against 87 for annual survey locations. Both surpassing Perceptyx global benchmarks for leadership index 86. Exit surveys saw notable gains, too: Management response rates jumped from 4.8% to 22%, while non-management responses increased from 11% to 13%.

Based on these results, Marriott plans to expand the program globally in 2025 to all managed properties. This expansion will provide a comprehensive view of the employee experience, equipping leaders with valuable data on key moments that matter and actionable insights to maximize their results.