It’s ironic but I began working for Marriott the same year we launched Courtyard. I hate to date myself but that was 1983. The brand broke new ground. Some of you might remember the line, “The first hotel brand built for business travelers by business travelers.”
A lot has changed since then and what was one hotel 25 years ago will surpass 800 hotels in 2008. What was once confined to the United States is now a global brand in 27 countries and growing.
Our first Courtyard hotel outside North America was in the United Kingdom, the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel Slough/Windsor, which opened in 1992. The brand has great name recognition in North America and now it’s gaining traction on other continents. In some cases, Courtyard is leading Marriott’s expansion into new locations, like Northern Ireland. In the past year or so, we’ve also announced Courtyard’s expansion into Japan, Hungary, Thailand, El Salvador, Norway and Sweden.
Courtyard hotels outside the U.S. reflect the local flavor and culture of the country in which they are located, but still offer business travelers the amenities that have made Courtyard so great. Most importantly, Marriott’s culture of service and care for its guests transcends all borders. No matter where in the world you may find yourself, you can always count on the quality that is synonymous with the Courtyard name.
I actually experienced this firsthand when I visited our new Courtyard hotel in Bangkok, Thailand, while it was still under construction. The entire pre-opening staff at that hotel was so warm and caring as they unloaded boxes and began to prepare to welcome our first guests. True to the Marriott culture, they made me feel welcome as soon as I walked through the door. But they added their own local flair to their welcome and presented me with a “puang maa-lai,” a garland of flowers that is placed around your hands as part of a local welcome gesture called “yin-dee dtôn ráp.” I was really impressed because not only did I feel welcome at their hotel, I felt like they were welcoming me into their culture as well. Since the hotel has opened its doors, the response from customers has been terrific!
Thailand is just one of the many places in Asia that will open a new Courtyard hotel in the next few years. And because the brand is expanding so rapidly in this region, I will be doing more traveling to this enchanting part of the world. I plan to share with you my experiences from my travels there in future blog posts.
That’s it for now. Thanks for keeping Courtyard on the go.
Brian
