MIAMI— In a city that is well known for having hotels with long and storied histories, the Doral Golf Resort & Spa, A Marriott Resort, is celebrating its 45th anniversary this year with its unique “Pieces of the Past” promotion. The resort, which opened in 1962 as the Doral Hotel and Country Club, is best known for the “Blue Monster,” one of the resort’s five golf courses and a yearly stop on the PGA Tour. However, over the years, the property’s guests have changed, according to director of sales and marketing, Chris Bielski. “When it first opened, it was a family-owned leisure resort. Now we are primarily a convention hotel with a lot of group business.” However, the Doral Golf Resort & Spa is hoping to bring back some of its guests with its new Pieces of the Past promotion. The hotel has launched a search for old memorabilia from the property and is turning to former guests for help. Guests who send in materials such as old room keys, menus, golf scorecards, slippers, and towels that are dated prior to 1970 will receive 15% off room rates at the hotel. “We’ve had hundreds of thousands of guests come through our doors. We’re hoping they have saved things from their stays with us,” said Bielski, who noted guests submitting memorabilia are encouraged to also provide a description and their memories of the hotel at the time. Bielski noted that the promotion aims to celebrate its past, as well as its future. Over the last year, the hotel has added a $25 million Legends Ballroom and has also upgraded its 693 guestrooms, meeting space and spa. “We are still in contact with the original owners’ family so we already have some memorabilia like the original program from the first PGA event here and brochures from when the resort first opened,” he said. With the hotel memorabilia it collects, a display will be created in the lobby of the Doral Golf Resort & Spa. “We’ll be able to showcase the changes in not just resort itself but in the people themselves and how they dressed,” said Bielski, noting that the anniversary promotion will hopefully bring back some of the Doral Resort’s loyal customers. “As a leisure destination in years past, the resort used to see the same families visiting every year. What was once dining space has now become meeting space and 65% to 70% of our business now comes from group and convention business,” he said. “Plus, the way families vacation has changed— for the most part, people do not usually go to the same place each year anymore so we see less repeat guests. This promotion is a great way to reach out to guests who may have come here with their parents or their grandparents.” Although the actual memorabilia display that is collected by the Doral Golf Resort & Spa may not end up being a permanent fixture in the hotel’s lobby, Bielski noted the property is creating an area that shows a timeline of changes that have taken place over the last 45 years. “It will be a construction timeline that shows the significant milestones in the hotel’s history,” he said. “We’ve grown to 10 buildings, a main clubhouse and a destination spa so this in opportunity to show all the changes at the resort. In this day and age when there are so many new hotels being built, it’s good to celebrate our history.” Bielski added that the resort is also working on additional special packages and promotions to celebrate the 45th anniversary of the property.
