Marriott Bonvoy Turns NFL Players Into Travel Guides for 37 Host Cities
Marriott Bonvoy has launched 37 player-curated city guides, giving NFL fans insider recommendations for destinations hosting games during the 2026 season.
Marriott Bonvoy is turning NFL fandom into a travel-planning tool with the launch of 37 player-curated City Guides covering every U.S. and international destination hosting an NFL game during the 2026 season. The guides invite traveling fans to explore beyond the stadium through recommendations from current and former players who have developed personal connections to the cities where they play or have played.
The collection includes major international game destinations such as Melbourne, Rio de Janeiro, Mexico City, London, Paris and Madrid, alongside U.S. football markets. Players including Cooper Kupp, Jordan Mailata, Fred Warner, Todd Gurley and others contribute local recommendations covering favorite places, traditions and lesser-known spots.
The guides are designed by social media artist Jeff Cole and are intended to make NFL travel feel more personal. Rather than simply pointing fans toward stadiums and official attractions, the concept uses players as local insiders, offering travelers a perspective shaped by their own experiences in each destination.
The first guides feature Cooper Kupp in Seattle, Jordan Mailata in Philadelphia, Jerry Rice in Mexico City, Mark Ingram II in Rio de Janeiro and Todd Gurley in Melbourne. Additional guides featuring players such as Fred Warner in San Francisco and Kyle Hamilton in Baltimore will be released during the season.
From Game Day to Full-Destination Travel
Marriott Bonvoy is extending the campaign beyond digital guides with a series of travel experiences and content built around NFL destinations. A new 10-episode series will feature selected players in their home cities, while Marriott Bonvoy Moments will offer fans opportunities to use loyalty points for sports and travel experiences.
In select markets, travelers will also be able to book curated City Guide packages combining hotel stays, game tickets and local experiences. That creates a direct connection between inspiration and booking, allowing fans to build a trip around an NFL game rather than treating the match as an isolated event.
The strategy reflects the growing overlap between sports and tourism. Major sporting events can motivate fans to travel across countries and continents, with hotel stays, restaurants, attractions and transportation becoming part of the overall experience. For hotel companies, sports partnerships can therefore generate demand not only around stadiums but across entire destinations.
Marriott is reinforcing that connection through its broader “Where Gameday Checks In” platform and a new advertising campaign called “Long-Distance NFL Relationships,” which focuses on fans supporting teams from outside their home cities. The company emphasizes its proximity to nearly every NFL stadium as part of its value proposition for traveling supporters.
The campaign will also bring back Marriott Bonvoy’s Super Bowl Sleepover Suite, giving one winner the opportunity to spend a night inside a luxury suite converted into a hotel room at SoFi Stadium before the Super Bowl. The sweepstakes runs through December 15, 2026.
For Marriott Bonvoy, the NFL partnership is about more than putting a hotel brand near a stadium. By combining player recommendations, loyalty rewards, hotel stays, game access and destination experiences, the company is positioning football travel as a broader lifestyle journey.
For fans, the appeal is straightforward: the next NFL trip can include the game, but it can also reveal where the players eat, what neighborhoods they know and which local experiences are worth adding to the itinerary.
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