Welcome to the New GoCourtyard.com!

It’s been a while since the last blog was posted on this site, and surely you’ve noticed that it looks quite different now. That’s because we’ve been hard at work to consolidate our tourcourtyard.com and gocourtyard.com sites into this completely redesigned website that is now your source for anything and everything Courtyard.

This new site features photos and videos of the many different elements and amenities found in Courtyard hotels around the world, just as tourcourtyard.com did. And now that is combined with the interactive and social media components of gocourtyard.com like this blog and the videos of guest reactions to the new lobby features now found here, under the “Buzz” tab. A new feature on this part of the site is a Twitter feed that automatically pulls in content from our CourtyardHotels Twitter page that ranges from brand news to deals and promotions to local area information and fun facts.

The format of this blog is changing, too. From now on, it will no longer be “Brian’s Blog” but a source for all Courtyard news. You’ll still be hearing from Brian King, the brand VP, but you’ll also see posts by guest bloggers from within the brand, throughout Marriott and hopefully some of our guests, as well as frequent news updates.

We’re really excited about the new site and the fact that this new format allows us to communicate so much more openly with our guests and that they can respond. This is a very important time for the brand as it is experiencing rapid growth and many changes with the implementation of the new lobby and guest room designs. And now, we can update you frequently on what’s new, a well as respond to any questions or feedback you, our loyal guests, may have.

We hope you like the new site as much as we do and will come back often to keep up to date with the latest from Courtyard. And be sure to leave us comments and let us know what you like and don’t like. Thanks for your support and all of us on the Courtyard team look forward to continuing to share updates and interact with you.

Thanks for helping us keep Courtyard on the go.

Brian’s Blog: Courtyard Lobby Unfolds in New TV Spot

I’m excited to share with you the latest TV spot featuring the new Courtyard lobby. It premiered this past Monday on cable channels like ESPN, Comedy Central, The History Channel, CNN, FX, USA, Investigative Discovery, Spike and Bravo.

It shows guests using the lobby space as many of the new elements unfold before them. I really love the unfolding effect – it makes it interesting to watch and reminds me of origami!

I’ve posted it below, so please take a look and leave a comment to let us know what you think!

Thanks for helping me keep Courtyard on the go.

Brian

Brian's Blog: Blogging with USA Today

Almost exactly a year ago, a reporter for USA Today, Barbara DeLollis, wrote a fantastic story about the new Courtyard lobby.

A lot has changed for Courtyard and for Barbara over the past year, too. She just joined the social media revolution . Today Barbara launched her Hotel Check-In blog for USA right from the lobby of our Courtyard at BWI Airport in Baltimore, Maryland, where she wrote her first posts.

She set up shop, plugging in her laptop at The Bistro counter and using the free Wi-Fi we offer. Barbara made me laugh when she described the breakfast buzz in the lobby as “Starbucks on steroids.”.

I chatted with her for about 90 minutes and answered questions about the brand, the new lobby roll-out and even our Starbucks coffee offerings. But the heart of our conversation revolved around how both customers and our associates have responded to the new design. The lobby of the past was “transaction focused” space. Today the lobby stands on its own as a unique and refreshing “space to experience.” The lobby fully supports our guests’ needs for both business and personal travel. It was great to sit down with Barbara today and I was so thrilled to be able to take part in the launch of her new blog all about the hotel industry.

Thanks to you, the readers, and to Barbara for helping me keep Courtyard on the go.

Brian

Brian's Blog: 'It's A New Stay' at Courtyard Hotels

By now, I’m sure many of you have seen the new Courtyard commercial on TV. It seems to be everywhere! Our brilliant marketing team put a lot of hard work into it and I’m really proud and happy about how it turned out.

This new ad campaign signals a different approach for Courtyard because we’re using a new tagline – “It’s a new stay.” This is the first time that slogan hasn’t referred to “business travelers.” In the past, the phrase that was most commonly associated with Courtyard was “The first hotel designed for the business traveler, by the business traveler.”

Our new tagline couldn’t be more accurate. It really is a new stay for our guests at Courtyard. They get to experience the newly redefined lobby, a new guest room design, more appealing outdoor spaces and enhanced technological capabilities like free WiFi in our public spaces.

And all of this is shown in the new TV commercial. It begins with a man working on his lap top his room which features the new design package. As the background changes behind him, it shows him continuing to work in the new lobby and even outdoors. The commercial really does a great job of showing the new design elements of the Courtyard brand, while also demonstrating how guests can get out their room and still work wirelessly.

It shows that we’ve taken notice and learned from our research how guests have changed and what they want from a hotel. They want flexibility, choice, and a nice atmosphere to work and play. At Courtyard, they get all of that. They have the flexibility to choose where they want to work now that we feature free WiFi in our public spaces. They can sit in one of our media booths inside while grabbing a quick bite, or they can even take their work outside with them while enjoying a drink.

If you haven’t seen the commercial yet, I’ve posted it below, so please take a look.

Thanks for helping me keep Courtyard on the go.

Brian

Brian's Blog: Found Time

As I’ve talked to people outside of Marriott, particularly some reporters, they ask why Courtyard is focusing on lobbies and why now? Or they ask why we don’t just build a bar if we want to give guests a place to hang out? If it was that simple, I’d be out of a job.

When we did our research – and we did a lot of it – we learned just how much technology is changing the business traveler. Most business travelers never leave home without their PDAs, like a BlackBerry. While that’s not new or interesting, how these devices have changed business travel in unexpected ways is. One of these ways has led to what we’ve coined ‘found time.’

Let’s go back in time first and let me introduce you to ‘key and latch’ guests, who might seem familiar to some of you. Their flight lands, they hop into a taxi to the hotel and maybe they call into their office for phone messages or read a company report. When they check-in, they get their room key and then latch the door shut until the next morning when they sneak out the side exit, as if they were hardly there. That’s because after settling into their room, they’d jumped online and downloaded and then uploaded email messages for hours, and high speed was not as quick then.

Now fast forward and the same traveler today has already read their emails and responded on their BlackBerry during the taxi ride. They suddenly have found time. They want to get out their room and they want the hotel to provide an invitation and that’s what our new lobby is all about.

While we are incorporating beer and wine service in the evening – our bar so to speak – we also offer guests flexibility to belly up to the bar, gather with colleagues around a communal table, sneak off to a media booth or secluded lounge to watch HDTV, or wander outside to the patio and fire pit.

That’s a start but the lobby needs to be inviting all the time. During the day, those same flexible seating options are a great way to perch with your laptop to work, download pictures of your kids, watch sports highlights or grab a quick snack and read the newspaper or see how the stock market is doing on CNBC. It’s your choice. Plus free WiFi inside and out and electrical outlets everywhere only enhance the invitation.

The GoBoardTM plays a big part too in filling up found time. I really like watching people gather around it in the evening using the touch screen to find restaurants or local attractions to visit.

We’ve really taken a holistic approach to the new lobby. Thanks for helping me keep Courtyard on the go.

Brian

Brian's Blog: A Brand in 'High Def'

I got back last week from Anaheim, California, where I helped host our annual Courtyard General Manager’s conference. Seven hundred General Managers from around the world attended. It’s not often that you can get that many people together, but we manage to do it every year and we always have a great time. I look forward to this meeting every year for two primary reasons:

First, it gives me the opportunity to spend time with a group of very seasoned, diverse hospitality leaders from around the globe and hear firsthand what they are doing to meet the needs of our guests. And second, I have the privilege to celebrate the best of the best from our global Courtyard team at our annual awards dinner.

The theme of this year’s meeting was “high def,” short for high definition. It was designed to sharpen our team’s focus on several enhancements we will be making for our guests this year in areas like communications, product and service. These enhancements are not only high tech, but high touch too.

At the conference, General Mangers got to see the new lobby for the first time and it was met with rave reviews. We unveiled our new advertising campaign, “It’s a New Stay™”, the GoCourytard.com site and a terrific service strategy called “Our Refreshing Service.” I spoke to a lot of General Managers during the conference who are really excited to begin these programs at their hotels because they’re committed to providing the highest quality service for their guests.

While we spent a lot of time looking ahead at the year to come, we also took a look back on the past year and honored some of our top achievers. I’ll tell you more about that next time.

I am sure you will see the continued sharp focus in “high def” at Courtyard the next time we are fortunate enough to have you stay with us.

That’s it for now. Thanks for helping me keep Courtyard on the Go.

Brian

Flexible Technology

Anywhere you go, we have a place for you to log on

The new Courtyard lobby was designed with the business traveler in mind. And that means it’s wired for your success. With free Wi-Fi throughout. Ample electrical outlets. Printers and fax machines within reach. Complimentary computers placed at seating level, so you can sit down to work and check email. And quick print stations that’ll let you print your boarding pass on the go.

Places to Connect

Feel free to roam.

When you come to Courtyard, we want you to know you have plenty of options for how to work or relax comfortably. So we’ve created flexible workspaces throughout the lounge, with infinite places to plug in your laptop. There’s also a new home theater area with a 50-inch television so you can catch the game, and a library with books you’re free to browse. Our media pods will let you enjoy a little privacy for meetings — or enjoy a little television over breakfast.

The Bistro

Hot picks. Refreshing choices. And plenty of healthy options.

Finding time to eat is serious business to business travelers. So we designed our Central Bistro to give you what you want, when you want it, so you can stay energized. You can grab anything from a cup of gourmet coffee and eggs cooked to order in the morning, to a full lunch in the afternoon. Or relax over a glass of wine with colleagues in the evening. But don’t take it from us. Listen to what Marian has to say.

Welcome Podiums

Flexible check in.

What’s one of the first things you see when you walk into a hotel? A big, granite front desk. It’s one of the first things we looked at when we started the lobby redesign. And it was one of the first things to go.

Instead, we created individual, flexible welcome podiums that make check in less “you and me” and a little more “us.” So guests and employees can have private, one-on-one conversations. And there are no barriers preventing us from stepping out and helping you with anything you may need, from getting directions to carrying your luggage.