Courtyard® Marriott

I have exciting news to share – another Courtyard hotel has unveiled its newly reinvented lobby. This time, it’s the Courtyard at BWI Airport in Baltimore, Maryland. This lobby is laid out a little differently than the one at the Fair Oaks Courtyard you see above, but it has all the same features and it really looks fantastic. Mr. Marriott, our chairman and CEO went to see it for himself yesterday. He was really ‘wowed’ and said the new lobby is a “homerun!” But instead of me telling you, I’ll let the big guy share his own thoughts on his blog.

To read Mr. Marriott’s blog entry on the new lobby at the BWI Courtyard, copy and paste the following link into your browswer - http://www.blogs.marriott.com/default.asp?item=2254374.

Continue reading "Brian’s Blog: The Courtyard Baltimore BWI Airport Unveils Its Brand New Lobby!"

Recently, I was traveling on business to New Orleans in preparation for our 2009 General Managers meeting. Each year we gather our Courtyard leaders from around the globe to discuss business issues, celebrate some “best-in-class” hotels and associates, and have a bit of teambuilding fun. Our GMs have been to New Orleans several times, but they will be returning for the first time since Hurricane Katrina.

As you are probably aware, it was almost three years ago on August 29, 2005 that Hurricane Katrina’s ferocious attack destroyed major Gulf Coast cities and 150 miles of southern coastline. In one of my past roles with Marriott, I oversaw several of our hotels in the New Orleans market for six years so I came to know the city and our associates on a very personal level. Frankly, I have always been very fond of the Big Easy. I can clearly recall sitting in my west coast home watching the TV news coverage as the storm beat down on the coast and New Orleans. When the storm passed and the devastation unfolded, the Marriott team went into immediate action to help those in need and each other. Now that time has passed since that horrific day, the city is rebounding and is as energetic as ever.

Continue reading "Brian’s Blog: It’s Easy to be in the Big Easy…"

In my last blog, I told you about my summer vacation to France. Shortly after I returned from France, I took another quick trip to a great city, Toronto, Canada, for the weekend to celebrate a close friend’s birthday.

I had a terrific time there. It was wonderful to see old friends and celebrate a special occasion with them. I always enjoy going to Canada and got to see some of Toronto’s most exciting sights, like the CN Tower, and enjoyed the energetic city center and the dynamic Metro Square.

I also had the chance to stay in the Courtyard Toronto, which is the largest Courtyard hotel in world. This Courtyard is . . .

Continue reading "Brian’s Blog: My Visit to the World’s Largest Courtyard Hotel"

I was bitten by the “travel bug” at a very young age. I grew up on a small dairy farm in Brownsville, Wisconsin, which my family still runs today, and getting away from chores was always a most welcomed treat. My parents would pack up the family station wagon and we would drive all night to arrive 14 hours later at my grandparents’ home in Rogers, Arkansas. As an adult, I still love summer vacations just as much as I did as kid. I thought I would share a few thoughts on my recent trip to Europe.

I took a ten day vacation to France which included a few days in Paris, the “City of Light,” and then stayed in the country with a group of friends at a wonderful château in Bordeaux. We had a marvelous time enjoying the country and doing . . .

Continue reading "Brian’s Blog: Traveling Through France, Visiting a Courtyard Hotel"

I’m very happy to announce that, last week, a brand new Courtyard hotel featuring the new lobby design opened in Jackson, Tennessee. Right now, the only other Courtyard hotel to feature the new lobby is the one you see above, which is at the Fair Oaks Courtyard in Fairfax, Virginia.

This wonderful new hotel features all our new design elements. I don’t want to repeat myself, but if you want to see more about the design elements and hear from our guests you can watch the videos above. What I really like about this hotel . . .

Continue reading "Brian’s Blog: Brand New Courtyard Jackson, Tennessee Features New Lobby!"