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Any marketer will attest that success rests in consistently giving customers what they want. Following this philosophy for the past 25 years has enabled Marriott International’s Courtyard by Marriott power brand to reach its 800th-hotel milestone, becoming the world’s 12th largest hotel brand with locations in 28 countries.
Courtyard this week celebrates the Grand Opening of its 800th property, the 364-room Courtyard by Marriott Shanghai Xujiahui, with a colorful, festive ceremony featuring a Dragon Dance, contemporary and traditional Chinese music and scores of local officials and performers. It is the seventh Courtyard hotel in China with two additional Courtyard properties under construction.
“From the start, our innovative Courtyard brand revolutionized the business travel experience,” said Brian King, vice president, global brand manager, Courtyard by Marriott, “and has prided itself as a brand that listens to what business travelers want from a hotel – more control and choice with services and amenities that create a healthy balance between working and relaxing.”
According to Geoff Garside, Marriott International’s executive vice president for Asia-Pacific, the company expects to open more than 200 additional Courtyard hotels worldwide over the next three years. “This year alone, 60 Courtyard properties will join our portfolio including five in India and our eighth Courtyard in China which will be located in Hangzhou.”
Key to all Courtyard hotels globally are its tastefully appointed guest rooms which tend to be larger than similar accommodations offered by other hotels in its category. Accommodations offer plush bed and bath linens; distinctly defined rest, work, relaxation and grooming areas; a large work desk with bright lighting and ergonomic chair; flat screen television; high-speed internet and voice mail access; safes; iron and ironing board and a coffee/tea maker.
Courtyard lobbies are contemporary, open and stylish, providing access, control and consistency. Colorful, bright and welcoming spaces – such as an area where guests can check e-mail, meet informally with colleagues or simply relax – allow for multipurpose use throughout the day. Meeting rooms, swimming pools, whirlpools and exercise rooms are available at most locations.
Recognizing that guests’ needs vary by country, however, Courtyard has redefined the upper moderate lodging tier by building on its core heritage – understanding the needs of business travelers – and adapting this understanding to regional customs and lifestyles while consistently delivering hallmark service and customized services.
The Courtyard by Marriott Shanghai Xujiahui reflects the heightened expectations of Asian business travelers. Its 364 guest rooms and suites are located on 23 floors and offer magnificent views of the city. Included are 105 executive rooms and suites and an executive level that provides an array of complimentary amenities such as continental breakfast and all-day refreshments, cocktails and snacks in the early evening, a computer work station with internet access and daily two-hour use of the executive floor meeting room.
For dining, the Courtyard by Marriott Shanghai Xujiahui features Courtyard’s vibrant, new Asian all-day restaurant concept, MoMo Cafe, which combines local cuisine with western favorites. For those in a hurry, the hotel offers MoMo-to-Go, an all-day convenience stand that is fully stocked with pastries, sandwiches and beverages.
Recreational amenities include a fitness center equipped with high-tech cardiovascular work-out equipment and an indoor swimming pool. For small conferences and social events, the Courtyard by Marriott Shanghai Xujiahui offers 8,396 square feet of meeting space, including 13 meeting rooms with the largest accommodating up to 120 people. Silvio Rosenberger is general manager of the hotel.
Among new geographic locations that Courtyard by Marriott will call home over the next 36 months are Ecuador, Suriname, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, Turkey, Barbados, Scotland, Norway, Switzerland, the Philippines and Honduras.
Tatiana is the news co-ordinator for TravelDailyNews Media Network (traveldailynews.gr, traveldailynews.com and traveldailynews.asia). Her role includes to monitor the hundrends of news sources of TravelDailyNews Media Network and skim the most important according to our strategy. She holds a Bachelor degree in Communication & Mass Media from Panteion University of Political & Social Studies of Athens and she has been editor and editor-in-chief in various economic magazines and newspapers.