The very first JW Marriott hotel opened right here in Washington, D.C. way back in 1984. And this year marks our 25th anniversary of the JW Marriott brand. We never envisioned making it a separate brand. We really just wanted to honor my dad who started the company in 1927.
It was a terrific opening. My dad was so touched as he quoted from the old cowboy song, "It's a Long, Long Way Awinding" from his early boyhood days in Utah herding sheep. He couldn't believe he was standing in such a beautiful hotel that still today remains one of the brand's flagship hotels.
Since this D.C. hotel first opened its doors in February of 1984, the JW Marriott brand has . . .
Today I'm blogging from the great city of New Orleans. I'm here attending a conference we hold every year for General Managers from our Courtyard, SpringHill Suites and Fairfield Inn brands. We held this meeting to promote leadership, teamwork and to drive revenue. When it's over, our GMs will have an advantage over their competition. They'll learn and share best practices in seminars about how to create sales opportunities in the downturn, improve communications skills that cross generations, as well as reinforce our industry leading corporate culture to General Managers who are new to Marriott.
Hosting corporate meetings is a core business for hotel companies like Marriott. Unfortunately, they have recently been the subject of a lot of criticism in the media and from political leaders in the administration. There is no doubt that times are very tough and many companies, including ours, have had to cut back on travel and to reassess corporate meetings to cut their costs. But the belt tightening that is going on right now is more than just . . .
Today we're celebrating the 20th anniversary of the opening of our JW Marriott Hotel in Hong Kong. It was our very first hotel in Asia and has been one of our flagship hotels there for the past two decades. It has always been a beautiful hotel, but now that it has completed its latest renovation, it is more stunning than ever before.
When we selected the site, I was always impressed with the harbor views. Hong Kong has an amazing harbor. The activity in the harbor and the skyline on the other side is something that is unforgettable. It's always been a big thrill to visit . . .
Today I'm blogging from our headquarters in Bethesda, Maryland, where we are holding a huge celebration to welcome our Spirit of Aloha Tour. Anyone who has been to one of the Hawaiian Islands falls in love with the beautiful scenery and the wonderful Aloha hospitality.
Unfortunately, during these difficult times, travel to Hawaii has dropped off. That's why our team in Hawaii put on their thinking caps and decided to embark on the Spirit of Aloha Tour in the continental United States. It is a fantastic, grassroots effort to generate awareness and encourage people to come visit these beautiful islands.
The bus tour began on January 12 in San Diego, California, and they originally planned to stop in eight cities along the west coast, but the tour proved so successful and popular, it was extended across the Midwest and east coast. It ended here today with . . .
Today, in China, we celebrated a very special milestone - the opening of the 800th Courtyard by Marriott hotel in Shanghai. It was a wonderful event and featured a dragon dance and was attended by VIPs from all over the country. Back here in the United States, the associates at our headquarters in Bethesda, Maryland, are joining in on the festivities, too, and will be participating in their own lion dance.
It's a very special day for our company, the 25th anniversary of Marriott Rewards, our guest loyalty program. With 30 million members, it's one of the largest hotel loyalty programs in the world. I know many of you are Marriott Rewards members and I thank you very much.
I remember when Marriott Rewards began as a grassroots effort by some of our hotels. They wanted to recognize their most loyal customers. When we first started the program, we had a lot of critics and non-believers, but we were onto something good.
Other hotel companies soon joined us. Back then, the industry loyalty programs were divided by brand. Guests could only redeem points for the same brand where they had been earned. In 1997, we became the first loyalty program to change that, so guests earning points at Courtyard or Fairfield Inn could redeem them for stays at full service Marriott hotels or any other brand in our system.
Now, one out of every two guests that stay with us is a Marriott Rewards member. They consider themselves . . .
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