What Does PlacePass Do?

Total employees75
HeadquartersCambridge
Founded2015

PlacePass is a travel technology company that set out to transform the way people discover and book in-destination experiences, offering a wide selection of tours, activities, and attractions worldwide. Founded in 2015, PlacePass developed a platform to aggregate and provide seamless booking for these experiences. In October 2017, PlacePass was acquired by Marriott International, and its technology now powers Marriott Bonvoy Activities. This integration enables Marriott guests and Bonvoy members to easily book unique experiences during their travels, enhancing the overall travel journey by providing curated and memorable activities.

Where Is PlacePass's Headquarters?

HQ Function

Served as the main center for product development, software engineering, business operations, marketing, and partner relationship management for the PlacePass platform.

Notable Features:

Located within the Kendall Square area, known for its high concentration of tech startups and biotech companies, likely offering a dynamic and collaborative co-working or office environment. Specific architectural details of their direct office space are not widely publicized.

Work Culture:

As a venture-backed startup, PlacePass likely fostered an innovative, agile, and fast-paced work culture. Emphasis would have been on technological excellence, user experience, and disrupting the traditional tours and activities market.

HQ Significance:

The Cambridge location provided PlacePass with access to a rich talent pool from nearby universities like MIT and Harvard, proximity to venture capital, and a vibrant tech ecosystem, which were crucial for its growth and development as a travel technology innovator.

Values Reflected in HQ: The choice of a dynamic and leading tech hub like Cambridge reflected PlacePass's values of innovation, cutting-edge technology, agility, and a forward-thinking approach to revolutionizing travel experiences.

Location:

While PlacePass as an independent company was US-based, its platform and technology were designed from the outset to support a global inventory of tours and activities. Now, as the technological backbone of Marriott Bonvoy Activities, its reach is truly global. The service offers bookable experiences in thousands of destinations across numerous countries where Marriott International has a presence, providing a worldwide selection to travelers. This includes supporting customers and integrating with activity partners on an international scale.

Street Address:

One Main Street

City:

Cambridge

State/Province:

Massachusetts

Country:

USA

Where Else Does PlacePass Operate Around the World?

Information on distinct, publicly listed other offices for PlacePass as a standalone entity is limited.

Address: N/A

N/A

Buying Intent Signals for PlacePass

Highperformr Signals uncover buying intent and give you clear insights to target the right accounts at the right time — helping your sales, marketing, and GTM teams close more deals, faster.

Notable news
Hiring actively
Corporate Finance
Corporate Finance
Corporate Finance
Corporate Finance
Corporate Finance
*Example signal, not calculated in real time

Who's Leading PlacePass? Meet the Executive Team

As of April 2025, PlacePass' leadership includes:

Ethan Hawkes - Co-founder & Former CEO, PlacePass
Emily Bernard - Co-founder & Former Chief Brand Officer, PlacePass
Gavin Landry - Current SVP & GM, Marriott Bonvoy Activities (overseeing the integrated service powered by PlacePass technology)

Who's Investing in PlacePass?

PlacePass has been backed by several prominent investors over the years, including:

Accomplice
Causeway Media Partners
OpenAir Equity Partners
General Catalyst
Correlation Ventures
Pritzker Group Venture Capital
PAR Capital Management
Bessemer Venture Partners
Ascend Ventures
Scott Cook (Founder of Intuit)

What Leadership Changes Has PlacePass Seen Recently?

Hire0
Exits0

No specific public announcements regarding executive hires or exits for a standalone 'PlacePass' entity have been made in the last 12 months. Since its acquisition by Marriott International in 2017, PlacePass has been fully integrated, and leadership roles related to its technology are within Marriott's structure. Major leadership transitions occurred around the time of the acquisition.

What Technology (Tech Stack) Is Used byPlacePass?

Discover the tools PlacePass uses. Highperformr reveals the technologies powering your target accounts — helping your sales, marketing, and GTM teams prioritize smarter and close faster.

PlacePass Email Formats and Examples

Prior to its acquisition by Marriott, PlacePass likely utilized common startup email address formats. After the acquisition, official communications related to the technology would transition to Marriott's corporate email system (e.g., @marriott.com). The formats listed below are based on typical patterns for companies like PlacePass during its independent operation. The placepass.com domain may no longer be active for email.

[first].[last]@placepass.com or [first_initial][last]@placepass.com

Format

john.doe@placepass.com or jdoe@placepass.com

Example

60%

Success rate

What's the Latest News About PlacePass?

PhocusWire • January 10, 2023

PlacePass technology continues to drive growth for Marriott Bonvoy's tours and activities business

Marriott International highlighted the ongoing success and expansion of its tours and activities segment offered through Marriott Bonvoy, which is significantly powered by the technology platform acquired from PlacePass. This growth underscores increasing traveler demand for unique local experiences and the effective integration of PlacePass's capabilities....more

Marriott News Center • October 26, 2017

Marriott International to Acquire PlacePass, A Pioneering Provider of Tours and Activities Technology

Marriott International announced its agreement to acquire PlacePass, a leading technology and meta-search platform for in-destination tours and activities. The acquisition aimed to provide Marriott guests with a comprehensive selection of curated experiences and enhance its loyalty offerings by integrating seamless booking of attractions and activities....more

TechCrunch • October 26, 2017

Marriott acquires tours and activities meta-search platform PlacePass

TechCrunch reported on Marriott's acquisition of PlacePass, detailing how the move positions Marriott to compete in the rapidly growing market for tours and activities by leveraging PlacePass's technology to offer a wide array of bookable experiences to its customers....more

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