Brian's Blog: My Visit to the World's Largest Courtyard Hotel
July 29th, 2008In my last blog, I told you about my summer vacation to France. Shortly after I returned from France, I took another quick trip to a great city, Toronto, Canada, for the weekend to celebrate a close friend’s birthday.
I had a terrific time there. It was wonderful to see old friends and celebrate a special occasion with them. I always enjoy going to Canada and got to see some of Toronto’s most exciting sights, like the CN Tower, and enjoyed the energetic city center and the dynamic Metro Square.
I also had the chance to stay in the Courtyard Toronto, which is the largest Courtyard hotel in world. This Courtyard is actually even bigger than many of our full service Marriott Hotels & Resorts properties. It has 575 guest rooms and suites on 17 floors! As many of you seasoned business travelers know, that’s huge for a Courtyard! This hotel’s lobby hasn’t been renovated just yet, but it does offer many of the same features as a completely renovated lobby like a 24-hour Market and Wi-Fi.
Have any of you ever been to this hotel or wonderful city or hotel? If so, what did you think?
Thanks for helping me keep Courtyard on the go.
Brian
Brian's Blog: Traveling Through France, Visiting a Courtyard Hotel
July 16th, 2008I was bitten by the “travel bug” at a very young age. I grew up on a small dairy farm in Brownsville, Wisconsin, which my family still runs today, and getting away from chores was always a most welcomed treat. My parents would pack up the family station wagon and we would drive all night to arrive 14 hours later at my grandparents’ home in Rogers, Arkansas. As an adult, I still love summer vacations just as much as I did as kid. I thought I would share a few thoughts on my recent trip to Europe.
I took a ten day vacation to France which included a few days in Paris, the “City of Light,” and then stayed in the country with a group of friends at a wonderful château in Bordeaux. We had a marvelous time enjoying the country and doing a fair share of wine tasting! As much as I enjoy the French countryside, I love Paris. It is an amazing city, steeped in culture, home to thousands of sidewalk cafes, and priceless architectural wonders like Notre Dame and the Louvre.
In Paris I stayed at our terrific Courtyard by Marriott Paris Neuilly. Neuilly is an upscale, gorgeous tree-lined neighborhood and the hotel sits in the heart of it all. The property recently underwent a full lobby renovation and it’s a real show stopper. It features a stylish international bar called 58 Bar and Lounge and a delightful restaurant called Brasserie Victor Hugo, named after the world-renowned French author. The wallpaper in the brasserie is Victor Hugo’s actual hand writing that was blown up to poster size and fills all sides of the room. I really enjoyed staying at this hotel, because it is tucked away in a residential part of the city, still close enough to the sites, but far enough away that you get a real sense of everyday life for your typical Parisian.
I’ll be traveling a little more throughout the summer and am looking forward to sharing my experiences from those trips with you as well. Until then, I’d love to hear from you about any summer trips you have planned for the summer or that you may have already taken – especially if they were in a Courtyard!
Thanks for helping me keep Courtyard on the go.
Brian
Brian's Blog: Brand New Courtyard Jackson, Tennessee Features New Lobby!
July 3rd, 2008
I’m very happy to announce that, last week, a brand new Courtyard hotel featuring the new lobby design opened in Jackson, Tennessee. Right now, the only other Courtyard hotel to feature the new lobby is the one you see above, which is at the Fair Oaks Courtyard in Fairfax, Virginia.
This wonderful new hotel features all of our new design elements. I don’t want to repeat myself, but if you want to see more about the design elements and hear from our guests you can watch the videos above. What I really like about this hotel is the terrific outdoor space and fire pit. There are even some rocking chairs out there too. That’s the picture I’ve posted.
And just like our Fair Oaks Courtyard, the reaction of the guests at the Jackson Courtyard has been overwhelmingly positive. Kim Collins, the director of sales at the hotel says, “People are coming to see the new lobby design and they have all been amazed! It’s really great to see guests hanging out and having a good time in the lobby and outdoors! It really is a new stay!”
I haven’t had a chance to see this hotel in person just yet, but I’m heading down there in two weeks. While the Fair Oaks Courtyard was the first Courtyard to offer the new lobby concept, it was a renovation of an existing hotel. This is our first brand new hotel to open with the new lobby, so it is very exciting. I can’t wait to see it and will be sure to blog about my experience there.
Thanks for helping me keep Courtyard on the go.
Brian
