I don't know how else to reach you with this comment so I apologize for the format interruption. I want to compliment one of your employees. My husband has been a platinium member for many, many years. We have stayed in numerous hotels and had good service almost everywhere we go. I am celebrating my 40th birthday with 15 girlfriends in Savannah GA this weekend, and your employee concierge Sally ****** at the Spinghill Suites has gone above and beyond to assure our stay is perfect. I have never, in my travels and experience as a Director of Marketing experienced an employee so willing to go way above and beyond. Emailing on her days off, making sure our everything it dotted and crossed. I just so appreciate the fact that she is making my birthday special... and to me that means Marriott is making my birthday special. I can not thank you enough for investing in people like Sally, please reach out to her to offer her gratitude. I was a Marriott fan before, now my 15 guests and I are raving fans and it is all because of Sally. Warmest Regards,

Great F&B will put the service back in "full service".

Mr. Bill Marriott,
I'm a timeshare holder of Marriott Vacation Club. I would to write you an email or letter of Request. Can you please tell me your email address or mailing address? Thank you very much!
Respectfully,
Alma Cruz

Dear Bill -

Whatever the fare, offering the entire menu in the lounge is appreciated. During our recent stay at the Marriot Longwharf in Boston, Peggy and I loved the freedom of sitting in the soft light of the lounge, splitting our bottle of wine, ordering a hamburger or gourmet dinner entre as the mood struck, while relaxing in jeans!

Be well.

While hotel restaurants may be "in" again, I still feel that per se, hotel restaurants don't make much sense as a hotelier. They are very labour intensive and require far more attention than hotel rooms.
Instead, I think guests should be encouraged to eat outside the hotel and get an idea of the local flavour of the city.
Cheers!
Mihir

When I was traveling around the country in the early 1980's, our company allowed us to stay at any major hotel we desired. It didn't take long to discover I liked Marriott the best. A clean room is a clean room, but what made the difference then was the hotel restaurant. I traveled alone most of the time, and hated going to restaurants alone. At Marriott, I always found a great meal at a good price, and the staff always attended to me as if they knew my needs. I don't travel much anymore, but this April I'm getting married to the love of my life. It took 30 years and a trip across the country for me to find her again, and many of our guests are coming in from out of town. Naturally, we want the best for them, so we're putting them up at the closest Marriott hotel. Thanks for caring about your clients as you do.

Hello Mr. Marriott
Great post... As someone who has worked very hard to finally have the ability to enjoy themselves after seeing one child through undergraduate school and off to medical school and another half way there, I'm beginning to see whom the "Class of the Race" is in travel stay. It's you and your entire firm's effort to be # 1. Kudos to all. See you soon.

Brian D. Lombardo

PS: Sushi and a California Zin will keep us in your place all night.
Ciao!

Good Thai cooking is always welcome. A well-made Penang curry, probably with chicken or shrimp, using peanuts, coconut milk and lemongrass together with the curry in the sauce, makes a fine main dish for lunch or for supper.

I am very Happy to see that Mr Marriott is standing behind this culinary effort.
Culinary exellence in hotels is not only good for buissnes it is as well a great Marketing Tool.
It gives pride to the Assosiates in all areas of the hotel .
An as we know proud assosiates take beter care of Guests and each other
Hanspeter Bachofner
Retierd Exec Chef and Gm for Marriott

Bill, thanks for all your good work. My sister, a former employee of yours, passed away recently. Below is a brief obituary, and a link to a more complete one is below.

Joanna Salmen, 49, formerly of Georgetown, Washington DC, died January 3, 2010 in Cape Canaveral FL after a brief illness. She came to the metro area in the mid-90's, joining Marriott’s corporate office as Brand Executive, Sales and Marketing for Residence Inn By Marriott. After leaving Marriott, she became Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Studio Plus and then established a successful consulting business.

In 1998 Joanna, along with two other partners, formed Capital Hospitality of Alexandria VA for the purpose of owning and managing extended-stay properties, including the purchase and renovation of the former Towers Hotel in Alexandria and the subsequent purchase of the Hyatt Summerfield Suites of Herndon VA. She was also a partner in Madison Hospitality, and in Temporary Quarters LLC / Temporary Housing Solutions, LLC, with the Temporary corporations being acquired in 2008 by BridgeStreet Worldwide, a leading international provider of corporate housing. Joanna is survived by a large extended family and many, many friends.

http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/charlotte/obituary.aspx?n=joanna-s-salmen&pid=138628502

If this is true sir than why the horrendous transition to the B&B menu concepts in some hotels? The menus are dated and not very likely to keep people in the hotel to eat at these restaurants. Taking the creativity from the chef is like taking the pen away from the writer.

Hello Bill,

Thank you for renewing my Silver Level. I have been a member since the program inception and have enjoyed the quality product Marriott has provided. Now that I am retired at 69 I will make every effort to continue using Marriott properties for my traveling needs.

I heard many praises about the food at Rive Gauche Marriott Restaurant. Is it on St Jacques? I wish to go there this year.
Usually in Paris, I frequent Le Boeuf sur le Toit Restaurant.
Does anybody knows the origin of this name "the Cow on the Roof" besides the famous French Opera of the same title?
For curiosity and influenced by the first scene of the movie "O Brother Where Art Thou?" I wish to ask for help on this.

We have enjoyed many fine dinners at numerous Marriotts around the world.
Our favorite thing to do after long flights and equally long days work?
Room Service and a great Marriott Hamburger
Jean Gambrell,Lake Forest Ca.
Member since 1983

Dear Mr. Marriott
Until Christmas 2009, my family has eaten Christmas Brunch at the Camelback Inn, except for the year when it was closed for remodelling. Due to a poor experience in 2008 we skipped 2009, but hope to return in 2010. My thoughts about trends are to "keep it simple". By that I mean that your chefs should try to use locally grown ingredients whenever, and wherever possible. Even here in Arizona we have excellent local availability of almost every kind of meat, fruit and vegetable, with only seafood needing to be "imported".
Thank you for an always interesting blog.

Lionel Eras, Scottsdale, AZ

Please add the downtown Marriott in Charlotte NC with it's restaurant "Red" to the list of outstanding. At least it was 2 years ago when we were there for a convention. he Chef was superb as was the wait staff.

Civic Center Oakland, CA is offering one of my favorite snacks. French Fried Sweet Potatoes with Honey Dejon mustard sauce. It is FABULOUS and affordable in my new downsized economic condition.

Bill
Seems like I should get the credit for your creative food concepts since we hired Robin Uler when I opened the Chicago Downtown Marriott. Robin was a hostess in Allie's Bakery. During the opening your mother told me that if I did not improve the food in Allie's Bakery that she was going to take her name off of that restaurant.She was a lady of clarity.

Next day the Salesman came back and ordered a toasted egg sandwich - "and I want you to burn the toast so it is black and under cook the eggs so that they are soft and when I bite on it ,the egg runs out and all over my trousers."
"We couldn't make a sandwich like that!" the waitress exclaimed.
"Well you did yesterday" replied the customer.
Respectfully
Dr. Peter J. Shield PhD.

I would love to see some allergy friendly menu options in hotel restaurants. Traveling with food allergies right now requires a lot of planning and research ahead of time. I have a gluten allergy and there would be so much comfort in knowing that I could trust the hotel where I stay to offer safe food options for me.

Bill
The hottest trend in dining in Frederick Maryland is the Volt Restaurant and in Annapolis, Maryland it's the Level Restaurant. Small plates seem to be the trend in both establishments. You should have your people at the Marriott in Annapolis etc check it out.
Thanks, Manny Karos

I like the sliders now served at Westend Bistro and some Marriott Suites.

When I was a kid (in the 60's) my folks would take the family (seven children) for breakfast every Sunday in California. My Mother liked the bigger hotels because of the variety of plates offered. I remember fireplaces blazing and the sound of water dripping off a fountain while eating. Sometimes we would stay past our welcome to enjoy the atmosphere of the restaurant. I would like to see the ambiance come back to dining. TotalAmbianceVideos.com does just that. I play one of their videos in the background on my Sony HDTV. There is nothing quite like it.