Coca-Cola just landed one of the biggest beverage wins in the long-running Coke vs. Pepsi battle, and hotel guests are now starting to see the change.
Marriott International announced in April that it was switching to Coca-Cola as its global beverage partner, ending a decades-long Pepsi relationship that dated back to 1992. The customer-facing rollout began July 1, with Coca-Cola products set to appear across Marriott properties in phases over the coming months.
The deal comes as both soda giants are fighting for consumer attention, retail shelf space and away-from-home customers at the same time that major Coca-Cola bottling plant closures — including recent shutdowns in Massachusetts and California — continue reshaping parts of the company’s U.S. footprint.
Under the new agreement, guests will begin seeing Coke brands in guestrooms, restaurants, lounges, meetings and events. That means travelers who were used to seeing Pepsi products at Marriott properties may increasingly find Coca-Cola, Sprite, Fanta, Dasani, Powerade, smartwater, Topo Chico, BODYARMOR, Minute Maid, Simply, fairlife and other Coke-owned brands instead.
Pepsi had Marriott for more than 30 years
This is not just another beverage contract.
PepsiCo’s relationship with Marriott stretched back more than three decades. In 2018, PepsiCo said it had been Marriott’s carbonated beverage provider since 1992, serving lobby markets, restaurants, bars and in-room dining across thousands of hotels.
Now, that relationship is ending.
Nation’s Restaurant News reported in April that Marriott had confirmed Coca-Cola would replace PepsiCo as its exclusive global beverage provider, with the change beginning in the summer.
Marriott says guests preferred Coke
The switch appears to come down partly to customer preference.
According to reporting on the change, Marriott told hotel owners that Coca-Cola products were preferred globally by a margin of 2-to-1 and favored by more than 70% of Marriott guests.
Marriott CEO Anthony Capuano said the agreement is meant to deliver products guests and Marriott Bonvoy members “know and love” while also creating economic benefits for hotel owners and franchise operators. Coca-Cola CEO Henrique Braun called it a major opportunity to provide travelers with more of the brands they love, from sparkling beverages to juices, hydration and dairy.
For its part, PepsiCo took the loss gracefully. The company said it was proud of its 35-year partnership with Marriott and said it looks forward to potentially working with the hotel giant again in the future.
For Pepsi, the loss is symbolic as well as practical. Marriott is one of the world’s largest hotel companies, and hotel beverage deals put brands in front of business travelers, vacationers, conference attendees and loyalty-program members every day.
Pepsi did win a major food-service victory when Subway began switching from Coca-Cola to Pepsi products in U.S. restaurants in 2025. But Marriott’s move gives Coke a global hotel-stage win at Pepsi’s expense.
The cola war is not just happening in grocery aisles anymore. It is happening in hotel lobbies, mini-markets, meeting rooms and guest rooms around the world.
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