Desert Ridge Sets The Bar For J.W. Brand

PHOENIX— The J.W. Marriott brand is steadily morphing into a separate entity within the Marriott International family with the introduction of each new property to the system. And its latest addition, the J.W. Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa here, is a prime example of where the upscale chain is headed. In fact, the $300 million, 950-room Desert Ridge property, which debuted late last year, was cited by Marriott executives during a celebratory event held here last month as a model for the brand going forward. The event, which was hosted by J.W. Marriott Jr. and attended by local officials and hundreds of Marriott employees, served dual purposes in that it commemorated the opening of Marriott’s 2,500th property and the newest jewel added to the J.W. Marriott brand. The luxury hotel is owned by CNL Hospitality and operated by Marriott International. An expansive resort by any standards, the J.W. Marriott Desert Ridge Resort is the largest hotel in Arizona with the most meeting space in the state— more than 100,000 square feet. Since its opening in December, the property has been a rousing success, said Marriott during the ceremony. Even prior to its debut, the property had 450,000 room nights on the books. It hosted 20,000 group room nights during its first month of operation at which time it boasted 80% occupancy. The resort is currently running at 100% occupancy and has groups booked through 2009, said Steve Hart, gm of the property. With its large conference facilities, the resort will house a business mix this year of 80% group, 20% leisure. “This hotel probably opened stronger than any other [Marriott] hotel,” said Marriott. “We did a lot of research to come up with this location. No one in Arizona could take the big groups. This property makes a point that there are still markets where if you build the right hotel, you can create business.” The property, while large in size, has not cannibalized business from local hotels in the state, according to Marriott. In fact, it has done the opposite, bringing in new, large group business as a result of the expansive size of its meeting space and accommodations capabilities, he said. “The big groups were passing Arizona by for markets like Las Vegas. Now that has changed,” Marriott said. “It’s like a dream come true,” Marriott said during the dedication ceremony, noting that the celebration marks more than 30 years since Marriott’s first resort hotel in Camelback, AZ back in 1967. And it also marks nearly 20 years since the first J.W. Marriott hotel debuted in Washington, D.C. The first J.W. property, which opened in 1984, was a tribute to the founder of the company, J. Willard Marriott, from his son. Since that time, the J.W. Marriott brand has grown to encompass 27 hotels in 15 countries. Julie Moll, J.W. Marriott brand president, described the chain as “a special collection of distinctive hotels,” and said the company “will be working hard to solidify the unique identity of this brand over the next several years.” The J.W. Marriott Desert Ridge Resort and Spa represents where the brand is going in terms of its service level and amenities— positioned above Marriott Hotels, but below Ritz-Carlton Hotels, she said. “J.W. represents a different type of luxury. There’s a large segment of customers looking for approachable luxury. Our target customer is the sophisticated, affluent, success-oriented individual interested in creating their own luxury stories,” Moll said. The executive team at Marriott International has identified four hallmarks of the J.W. Marriott brand, which, going forward, will help define and position the chain and its properties in the global marketplace, Moll said. The hallmarks include: approachable luxury; a unique environment; warm service; and exceptional food and beverage outlets. All of these hallmarks are evident in the J.W. Marriott Desert Ridge Resort and Spa. While larger than most J.W. properties, the resort exemplifies the