Marriott on the Move

I'm sure a lot of you have seen that commercial for Apple with the silhouettes dancing around, listening to their iPods. One of the dancing guys is a man named David Elsewhere and he's been quite an Internet sensation.

His style of dance is very unique. It's all very fluid and he moves around in ways I didn't even know were possible for a human. He is very popular on websites like YouTube and MySpace and has even appeared in TV commercials.

His latest dance moves can be seen in an online video he filmed for our TownePlace Suites hotels. These hotels recently . . .

Ernest Hemingway and Graham Greene are two great authors who write often about the ex-pat experience. That's the target for one of our lesser known brands. It's called Marriott Executive Apartments, or MEA, and it's designed for so-called executive ex-patriates. These are people whose companies are relocating them for a long period of time to complete different work assignments. These "super-travelers" are away from home an average of 100-170 nights and some even stay away for years!

With the expanding global economy, we're seeing demand grow rapidly. In the next three years, we'll . . .

By now, I think regular readers of my blog know that I love a good story. I enjoy hearing stories about great service and tales of perseverance and determination. They really inspire me and are a great pick-me-up.

I recently received a compilation of some great stories from the leader of our Residence Inn brand team. Our associates were asked to submit inspiring, moving stories from their properties, and the best ones were packaged into a book we call "We Are INNspiring."

My favorite was about a group of Marines who were displaced from New Orleans by Hurricane Katrina and they were staying in a Residence Inn outside of Atlanta, Georgia. Two of these . . .

While I was in Atlanta to volunteer at the Atlanta Community Food Bank, I also stopped by our newly renovated Atlanta Marriott Marquis hotel. When it opened in 1985, it was the city's largest hotel - and it still is. It was certainly known for its fantastic breakthrough design. Now, they've just completed a huge $140 million renovation and they've recaptured breakthrough design.

This hotel really sparkles. I was so impressed with the wonderful concierge lounge with a great view of the city, and with the new lobby, which really picks up our great room ideas - lots of places to sit and you can work your laptop.

I was impressed with the beautiful new . . .

I'm very happy to tell you about a good friend and business partner, Bruce White and his company, White Lodging. White Lodging just reached a huge milestone and opened its 99th and 100th hotels with Marriott. These new hotels are a Residence Inn and a SpringHill Suites that are housed in the same building in downtown Chicago.

Bruce is the Chairman and CEO of White Lodging. Marriott's been partnering with White Lodging for a long time and our companies have very similar family histories. I remember . . .

As you know from reading my blog, I'm a history buff. While many of our Marriott hotels have played a role in making history, the Renaissance brand, which we acquired in 1997, has some of the most storied and interesting hotels in the world.

The Mayflower hotel in Washington, D.C. was the site of Franklin Delano Roosevelt's inaugural ball back in the early 1930s. Also, J. Edgar Hoover used to have lunch at the Mayflower all during his tenure. Eleanor Roosevelt had afternoon tea there, and there have been many other famous people who have stayed there. What a lot of people don't know is that, in addition to being a famous hotel, the Mayflower is one of more than 140 Renaissance hotels around the world.

We have another Renaissance hotel that has a fascinating past and that's The Blackstone in Chicago. This hotel used to be known . . .