Marriott Courtyard is rolling out new re-designed lobbies to appeal especially to business travelers, and they reached out to me to see if I’d be willing to share it with my readers. The offer? I could give away 2 free nights at any Marriott Courtyard in the Continental U.S., and they’d give me free nights for myself as well.
As regular visitors to View from the Wing know, when I get offers like these my first question is, “Do you mind if I just give away those nights to my readers as well?” And the answer is almost universally yes. I’ll wind up checking out the new lobbies in the normal course of my travels, I don’t need the free nights, I much enjoy giving them away to readers instead.
So that’s the offer — I have 2 sets of 2 free nights at any Marriott Courtyard in the Continental U.S. to give away! (With apologies to my international readers with no plans to visit the United States.)
I’m not a Marriott Rewards elite member, but Marriott more than anything else is known for its consistency. They’re everywhere. Many towns, a Marriott Courtyard or similar is the top option in town which makes it really useful and sometimes you just need a reliable place to sleep near a meeting. It’s great to see them being thoughtful about how to be more than just a room while maintaining a mid-level price point (though indeed, in some cities like New York one could hardly consider the price point mid-level, but then it ought to be compared to most other options!).
Here’s Marriott’s 30 second spot promoting their new lobby:
They’re holding events through December 16 at BWI, Houston Intercontinental, and Phoenix airports to promote the lobbies… couches for relaxation, luggage tags to give away.
They’ve renovated about 500 properties with better lobbies to allow groups to congregate, prepare for meetings, etc. Here’s the list of properties that have the new lobbies They have more stations with powerports, and a touch screen information TV. They’ve adopted a standard Bistro coffee/sandwhich place that’s apparently doing well with double digit percentage gains in sales.
Here’s how to enter to win:
- Leave a comment in this post naming something you especially value in a hotel when on business travel.
- Normally I say “one entry per person” and more than one will disqualify you. This time we’ll try something new. You may enter as many times as you like, however you may not enter twice in a row meaning that you have to have at least one other person comment after you before adding another comment/entry.
- The contest will last until 12pm Eastern on December 12. I will draw two winners who will each receive the two free nights with the help of Random.org. Winners will be put in touch with Marriott’s representative to claim their prize.
All interpretations are mine and final and I have no liability in this, all rules imposed by Marriott and their representatives will apply. I’m passing along an opportunity and making this available to my readers, I’ve not taken any compensation for doing so, let’s all treat this in this spirit with which it’s intended. By entering you indicate your agreement. Thanks!
Any questions, ask away!
coffee in the morning.
free breakfast
Extra blanket in room.
comfy bed
Decent breakfast
printer access
A comfortable bed!
XM/Sirius
Easy access to stores.
Speaking of in-room coffee makers, I like the ones that will keep your coffee or hot water hot for an hour or so and make 4 cups at a time. Now I am seeing them being replaced with one-cup at a time that deliver your lukewarm coffee directly into a paper cup (the warming surface is gone on these coffee makers of course) – methinks that whoever came of with the idea to make this systemwide change (Courtyards and other Marriott brands) needs to work on their customer preference research techniques.
solar panels on the roof
5-7 happy hour beer and wings
I like a hotel that feels like “home”
I value healthy food the most. Low carbs and lots of veggies.
I like nice bed
I value healthy food the most. Low carbs and lots of veggies. Most of the time it’s just ober processed food that has long shelf life.
robes
Balcony
overhead lights
Free, fast wifi and a fitness center open 24 hours a day.
clean carpet.
a master switch by the bed to turn off all lights in the entire room
free parking and wifi
A nice host!
heated bathroom floor
marble bathroom counter.
Just became a Marriott member. Love to try their new lobbies. Kudos to their free wifi. Wondering if they have club lounges like Hyatt and Sheraton. Love the free drinks and h’orderves.
A comfortable bed.
When on business, the most important thing is a quiet room allowing for a good night’s rest. You just can’t be at your best unless you’re well rested!
High-speed wireless is the top thing for me — unlike at the lousy and ancient Fairfield Inn I’m in the at the moment where I need to sit at my desk to plug into the ethernet to write an email.
Good water pressure.
Breafast
Easy-to-use shower.
consistent quality amongst all hotels in the chain (including staff, linens, tp, ac/heat controls to moderate room temp, free water/coffee/tea available, high-speed internet, tv channels, water pressure… etc)
Non-smelly hallways.
fast free wifi but i wouldn’t turn down a free breakfast
A kitchenette would be nice.
Complimentary bottled water
corkscrews and wine glasses
Wi-fi that works faster than my phone’s 3G.
very very cool of course, I’m liking the free bottle of the bubaly.!!
plentiful power outlets!
Working air conditioning
cheesecake waiting in the fridge upon arrival
plush towels that absorb water
A nice gym helps
The shower cap is extremely important to me.
not having someone like joel in my room waiting
I’m going to 2nd (or hundrendth) free wifi as being incredibly important.
Free bottled water