Marriott Looks to Strategic Innovation for Future Gains

Companies are always looking for ways to grow, and Marriott International (NASDAQ: MAR) hasn't hesitated to make key strategic moves when the time was right. After acquiring Starwood Hotels & Resorts in late 2016, Marriott has now moved forward again with a joint venture with Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba (NYSE: BABA) that it hopes will make even its impressive financial results from the second quarter pale in comparison to its future growth prospects.

Coming into Monday's second-quarter financial report, Marriott investors were ready to keep seeing the benefits from the Starwood merger, and the company didn't disappoint on that front. Yet the Alibaba announcement raised some other issues that will need to play out in the months to come. Let's take a closer look at Marriott and what its two announcements today mean for its future.

Image source: Marriott.

Source: Fool.com