Marriott Jr.
Marriott recently celebrated its 80th anniversary in Paris with the
ribbon-cutting and rebranding of their Paris Rive Gauche Hotel and
Conference Center, where TAW got a chance to talk with JW Marriott
Jr., chairman and chief executive officer of Marriott
International.
Q: With over 2,800 hotels in 67 countries, you have a good
balance of hotel brands: Marriott, JW, Renaissance, Courtyard by
Marriott, Ritz-Carlton, Fairfield Inn and Springhill Suites. Would
you like to have a JW in Paris or other parts of Europe?
A: We are excited to announce the Renaissance Arc de Triomphe
hotel will open in 2009. The stylish property will have 118 rooms.
We would love to have a JW Marriott in Paris the city has never
been better, and business is strong and vigorous. We hope to be
able to announce something exciting in the next year or so. We are
looking at Marseilles, Toulouse, two more in Paris and possibly
Lyon for the rest of France.
In addition to the Rive Gauche in Paris and the Shelbourne in
Dublin, we have 15 other hotels being refurbished in Vienna,
Zurich, Amsterdam, Budapest, Hamburg, Moscow, Leipzig, Heidelberg,
Cologne and Prague.
Q: Right now, the trend seems to be upscale, boutique hotels.
What are your thoughts on designer properties?
A:Boutique hotels are evolving, and we are assessing that
segment. It’s a viable concept hotels with less than 200 rooms are
positioned on the luxury tier. We are very happy with our
Renaissance Vendome featuring 97 stylish rooms, a spa, pool and a
designer restaurant by a starred Michelin chef. The hotel is a
market leader in its segment it was running at 45 percent occupancy
when we took it over; now it runs at 85 percent.
Q:What is the Great Room concept that is being incorporated into
some of the new properties?
A: Most hotel lobbies are empty; the Great Room is designed to
turn the lobby into a social and business experience. There will be
entertainment, TV areas, a place to work on your laptop and light
snacks and beverages. The entire area has wireless Internet and is
open 24 hours a day. We want our people to enjoy our lobby and
interact.
Q: Guests are very loyal to your brands and so are your
employees. Marriott was ranked one of the best places to work by
Fortune magazine, why is this?
A: Consistency of product. Our guests know that they are going
to have a good experience each time they stay in a Marriott no
matter where it is in the world. And the people are even more
important. My mother and father always said: “Take good care of
your employees, and they will take good care of our guests.” We run
a tight operation employees are cross-trained and often promoted
from within. We really work hard to foster the best service
possible, and we provide our employees with opportunities for
growth.
