Marriott and Alibaba joint online flagship store

 Marriott International Inc and Alibaba Group's online travel booking platform, Alitrip, have tied up to let Chinese travelers book hotel rooms online and on their mobile phones through a directly operated online flagship store.

The agreement comes two months after a partnership deal between Marriott and Ant Financial Services Group, a related-party of Alibaba, to roll out Alipay to Marriott hotels and resorts, Marriott said in a statement.

Overseas spending by Chinese tourists is expected to rise 23 percent this year to $229 billion, and will nearly double to $422 billion by 2020, according to a report by consultancies China Luxury Advisors and the Fung Business Intelligence Centre. <http://bit.ly/1H4r6t4>