Marriott's Outdoor Collection debuts with cabins, Trailborn, and a new booking hub

Published on Oct 2, 2025, 11:16 am CDT

6 min read

Marriott International launched the Outdoor Collection by Marriott Bonvoy alongside Marriott Bonvoy Outdoors, a search-and-book platform focused on nature-driven stays and activities. The collection opens with more than 1,200 Postcard Cabins across 29 U.S. locations and several Trailborn properties in destinations such as the Blue Ridge Mountains, the Grand Canyon, and Wrightsville Beach. Marriott is commemorating the rollout with a "Drop Pin Challenge," a treasure hunt in 20 outdoor spots across the U.S. and Canada that rewards the first 50 finders at each location with 10,000 Bonvoy points.

Key points

Why it matters: Marriott adds scale to outdoor hospitality with a branded collection and discovery platform.
Travel impact: Travelers can earn and redeem points on cabins, boutique outdoor hotels, and curated activities.
What's next: More Trailborn locations and cabin markets are expected to onboard through 2025.
Postcard Cabins supply tops 1,200 units across 29 U.S. sites at launch.
Drop Pin Challenge dangles 10,000 points for early scanners at 20 destinations.

Snapshot

The Outdoor Collection by Marriott Bonvoy formalizes Marriott's push into design-forward, outdoorsy stays with two anchor brands: Postcard Cabins and Trailborn Hotels. Postcard Cabins, acquired in 2024, contributes a sizable cabin inventory positioned within roughly two hours of major cities, with private fire pits, hot running water, and dedicated restrooms. Trailborn arrives as a boutique, nature-adjacent hotel partner in mountain towns, beach communities, and gateway parks, including Wrightsville Beach and the Grand Canyon corridor. In parallel, the Marriott Bonvoy Outdoors hub aggregates more than 450 hotels, 50,000 Homes & Villas listings, and bookable tours and activities tied to hiking, skiing, surfing, paddling, diving, and more. A launch campaign with TV personality Dylan Efron sends travelers on a points hunt from Banff and Whistler to Maui, Yellowstone, and the Catskills.

Background

Marriott disclosed its outdoor strategy in December 2024 by acquiring Postcard Cabins, the rebranded Getaway Outposts, and by entering a long-term agreement with Trailborn. Those deals set the stage for a soft-branded Outdoor Collection and today's broader booking layer under Marriott Bonvoy Outdoors. The move follows industry momentum into outdoor hospitality. Hyatt formed an alliance with Under Canvas in 2024 to integrate glamping into World of Hyatt. Earlier that year, Hilton partnered with AutoCamp, bringing Airstream suites and safari-style tents into Hilton's distribution. For loyalty members, these tie-ups bring points economics to cabins, tents, and boutique basecamps near parks and coasts, while giving hotel groups fresh growth vectors beyond traditional urban and resort footprints.

Latest developments

Marriott Bonvoy Outdoors centralizes nature-first trip planning

Marriott's new platform lets travelers filter by outdoor pursuits such as skiing, hiking and glamping, surfing, paddling, fishing, and scuba. It blends over 450 Marriott hotels with 50,000 Homes & Villas properties and a catalog of tours and experiences, allowing members to earn or redeem points across a wider swath of adventure-led stays. The interface surfaces flagship options like W Verbier for skiing, Moxy Banff for budget-friendly alpine access, and Grand Bohemian Lodge Asheville, Autograph Collection, for trail-adjacent luxury. For travelers who prize brand familiarity, the platform organizes discovery while preserving standards like digital check-in and elite benefits, tightening the link between outdoor exploration and the Bonvoy ecosystem.

Outdoor Collection by Marriott Bonvoy launches with cabins and Trailborn

At brand level, the Outdoor Collection curates nature-immersed stays while promising modern comforts, from hot showers and dedicated restrooms to thoughtful F&B and gear-friendly spaces. Postcard Cabins anchors supply with more than 1,200 units across 29 U.S. locations, typically within a short drive of major metros. Trailborn contributes boutique hotels near national parks, beaches, and mountain towns, such as Trailborn Grand Canyon in Williams, Arizona, and Trailborn Surf & Sound in Wrightsville Beach, North Carolina. Both brands are integrated with Marriott Bonvoy for points earning and redemption, extending loyalty utility to cabin stays and design-led, outdoor-forward boutique properties.

Drop Pin Challenge adds a gamified points hook

To mark the launch, Marriott deployed physical "drop pins" at 20 outdoor sites across the U.S. and Canada, with clues hosted online. The first 50 eligible people to find and scan each pin receive 10,000 Marriott Bonvoy points, with 10 million total points available. The campaign, fronted by TV personality and outdoorsman Dylan Efron, aims to nudge members outside while spotlighting the new discovery tools and inventory. Terms specify eligibility for U.S. and Canadian residents, excluding Quebec, and an end date of October 31, 2025, or while supplies last. Expect social buzz and limited-time redemptions as winners test the new platform on shoulder-season mountain and desert escapes.

Analysis

Marriott's dual-track launch pairs brand architecture with a discovery layer, solving two pain points in outdoor travel: trust and search. On trust, a soft-branded collection signals vetted standards for cabins and boutique basecamps that can vary widely in quality. On search, Marriott Bonvoy Outdoors reframes trip planning around activities rather than just destinations or brands, which better mirrors how hikers, skiers, and surfers actually choose trips. Strategically, this builds defensibility against OTAs and niche aggregators by keeping members discovering, booking, and redeeming within Bonvoy. Operationally, Trailborn's independent positioning and Postcard's standardized cabin product give Marriott range, from weekend micro-escapes to park gateway stays. Competitive pressure will intensify; Hyatt's Under Canvas and Hilton's AutoCamp integrations already taught loyalty members to expect points with their s'mores. Success will hinge on onboarding speed, consistent guest experience across third-party partners, and how well Marriott merchandises shoulder-season and midweek demand using points promotions and Moments tie-ins.

Final thoughts

For travelers, the takeaway is a simpler way to match outdoor ambitions with points-enabled lodging, whether that means a minimalist cabin under dark skies or a boutique base near a national park. If Marriott continues to scale Trailborn markets and add cabin outposts close to major cities, weekend warriors and families will find more options that feel adventurous without sacrificing familiarity. With a gamified launch and a clear value proposition for Bonvoy members, the Outdoor Collection by Marriott Bonvoy is positioned to make outdoor hospitality feel mainstream, accessible, and rewarding. Expect more destinations to join the Outdoor Collection by Marriott Bonvoy.