The curious case of Marriott and the untold impact of web performance on revenue

In a world where attention spans are shorter than a TikTok, the last thing a company needs is a sluggish website. 53% of people will leave a mobile page if it takes longer than 3 seconds to load.

Yet, despite this, many businesses—hotels included—are still sleeping on the importance of web performance.

Marriott, one of the biggest names in hospitality, might just be learning this lesson the hard way. Could their lagging website be contributing to their recent stock stumble? Spoiler alert: It might be.

Why web performance matters more than you think

Website performance can make or break a user's experience.

Slow load times, delayed content, and shifting layouts don’t just frustrate—they actively drive customers away. 25% of Gen Z consumers will transition to a competitor in response to slow or unreliable digital services. And in the cutthroat hotel industry, where every second counts, that’s a big problem.

Catchpoint’s Hotel Website Performance Benchmark Report assessed key metrics like DNS Lookup Time, Time to First Byte (TTFB), Document Complete Time, Largest Contentful Paint (LCP), Cumulative Layout Shift (CLS), and overall page load time — metrics that can make or break the user experience.

The findings revealed that many hotel websites, including Marriott’s, perform below industry standards in several areas.

For instance, every hotel website analyzed had DNS lookup times slower than the recommended 50ms, a critical factor in determining how fast content starts loading. If users experience delays at this stage, they might abandon the site altogether. In a world where user patience is razor-thin, such technical shortcomings translate directly to lost revenue opportunities.

Marriott’s web performance: Key areas for improvement

Marriott’s website showed room for improvement across several key metrics.

Its DNS lookup time, while not the worst, exceeded the recommended threshold, leading to longer page load times. Document Complete Time was another area where Marriott lagged. At nearly three times the recommended threshold, Marriott's website took much longer than its competitors to become fully interactive. This delay can significantly harm user engagement, leading to higher bounce rates and lower customer satisfaction.

In an industry where direct online bookings are crucial, optimizing performance can play a significant role in boosting revenue.

LCP and CLS were additional areas of concern. Marriott’s LCP time was the slowest in our tests, meaning that the main content of the page took longer to load, making users wait. In terms of CLS, which measures visual stability, Marriott scored below expectations, suggesting that users experienced unexpected shifts while the page loaded. These issues not only frustrate users but also hurt Marriott’s search engine ranking, compounding the problem by reducing organic traffic.

Perhaps the most critical concern was Marriott’s page load time.

This metric measures the time from initial navigation to receiving the last byte of the final element on the page. Various factors influence page load time, such as the number of requests on the page, the total amount of data downloaded, the quantity and quality of DNS connections, the loading of third-party requests, and the asynchronous loading of JavaScript.  

Marriott's page load time was the highest recorded, suggesting inefficiencies in multiple areas that could profoundly affect user experience and conversion rates. Research shows that even a one-second delay in page load time can lead to a 7% reduction in conversions.

For a company like Marriott, this could translate into substantial revenue loss, particularly during peak periods.  

Is there a correlation with stock performance?

Now, let's address the elephant in the room: Could Marriott’s poor web performance have contributed to its recent stock decline? While it's difficult to establish a direct causal relationship, the correlation is worth exploring. Marriott recently announced lower-than-expected third-quarter profit projections, causing its stock to drop by 4.4%. While several factors likely contributed to this decline, Marriott's website's underperformance cannot be ignored.

When consumers make snap decisions based on their online experience, a slow, unresponsive website can erode trust and tarnish brand loyalty. Missed bookings and frustrated users? That’s a recipe for lost revenue. For Marriott, these issues may be compounding, potentially contributing to a dip in confidence from both customers and investors alike.

And don’t forget SEO. Google weighs performance metrics like LCP and CLS when ranking websites. If Marriott’s site struggles, it could rank lower in search results, reducing its visibility to potential customers. Fewer visitors? Fewer bookings. Add declining traffic, and you’re looking at a revenue hit that could easily shake investor sentiment.

Why the metrics matter

The metrics in the Catchpoint report aren’t just technical jargon—they’re the heartbeat of web performance. DNS Lookup Time, TTFB, LCP, CLS, and Document Complete Time directly influence user experience and satisfaction. For example, a delay in DNS resolution means users are left waiting before the page even begins to load. A sluggish TTFB? That’s the time your customers spend staring at a blank screen, wondering why your site is taking so long. Poor LCP and CLS scores? Those cause frustrating delays and layout shifts that make navigation a nightmare.

When these metrics aren’t optimized, they create friction at every point in the user journey. Individually, they can hurt customer satisfaction, but together, they can wreak havoc on conversion rates, loyalty, and brand perception. For hotel websites, where users are often booking high-value transactions, every millisecond matters. A slow website isn’t just losing a visitor—it could be losing hundreds of dollars per abandoned session.

Marriott's stock decline may not be entirely due to its website performance, but it’s undeniable that poor web performance impacts how customers perceive a brand and, ultimately, how they engage with it. In today’s digital-first world, web performance is no longer a nice-to-have; it’s a must-have. Companies need to invest in Internet Performance Monitoring (IPM), or risk losing ground to the competition. A fast, stable, and reliable website could be the difference between keeping a loyal customer—or losing them to the next faster click.

Read the full Catchpoint Hotel Website Performance Benchmark Report to learn how top hotel brands perform and what you can do to stay ahead.