USA

– Name , Position – Stéphane Masson , Senior VP of Global

Procurement at Marriott International

to get for the benefit of improved efficiency across the organisation .”

Marriott began using a centralised procurement structure , then moved to a decentralised one to make US-international business simpler , and now it uses a hybrid system which allows a much more flexible approach to procurement . The business centralises what makes sense to be centralised globally , and localises what makes sense to be procured locally from a business point of view . “ We do not contract everything centrally ,” says Masson . “ We have different layers of contracting support , so there is no overlap between deals . It ’ s whatever makes sense for a specific commodity . There is always a contract in place , but it must be in the best interest of the needs of the property . We take the best of both centralised and decentralised systems to form a workable hybrid .”

A hybrid process This hybrid system , Marriott ’ s procurement vision , and the e-procurement process will all contribute to Marriott ’ s ambitious goal of reducing costs by $ 100mn . According to Masson , improved visibility , efficiencies , and contracting are helping the hotels to buy the right products , and the combination of this is allowing “ synergy savings ” to come through . “ The merger with Starwood has accelerated these opportunities ,” adds Masson .

The Starwood acquisition has also meant Marriott must step up its game with regard to sustainability , something the business is always

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