Make Use of Marriott Hotels

Jasbina Ahluwalia asks Apoorva Gandhi, VP, Multicultural Affairs, Marriott International: I’m switching from the perspective of the owners back to the consumers.

What are some of the ways in which Indian Americans can utilize Marriott facilities for professional, social, cultural or personal reasons apart from weddings?

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Apoorva Gandhi

If any of you were at the last NetIP Conference in Atlanta, perhaps we met. I was one of the judges at the competition.

If you were there, we showed a quick video and gave out coupon codes for something that we’re pretty psyched about.

Make Use of Marriott Hotels: Workspace on Demand

It is something called Workspace on Demand. We know that there are a lot of entrepreneurs in our community.

Many work out of the house. Many work in somewhat cramped offices. Some work in their basements or garages.

We know that, at times, you may want to have more of a professional setting or you want to impress a client. You might just want to have a nice, quiet meeting somewhere.

With Workspace on Demand, you can get online and reserve a table in one of our lobbies or a private conference room in one of our hotels.

Make Use of Marriott Hotels: No Contract Use

There is no contract involved.

Let’s say that tomorrow at 10:00 AM you said, “I want to book an afternoon meeting retreat with my team.” You can get online, search where you want to meet and, at 2:00 PM, book a table.

You get to that hotel. I think our hotels are nice, have nice lobbies and are very professional. When you get there, the table will have a sign that says, “Reserved for Workspace on Demand Client.” It will probably have your name on it.

You will have a nice, professional setting with Wi-Fi and supplies if you need them.

Make Use of Marriott Hotels: Hospitality

Depending on the hotel, someone will come around to take a lunch order or get you a round of drinks. It’s a nice way to get that professional environment office look and feel when you need it. We don’t want to pay for stuff if we don’t need it. But we will pay for it if we do need it. It’s a way of giving that storefront image.

Make Use of Marriott Hotels: Weddings and Celebrations

We talked a bit about Indian weddings and celebrations. That’s certainly something that we can work with you on.

Also, you can have other general events at our hotels. For instance, I was in Mexico recently in Puerto Vallarta for a meeting. When I walked in the door, they were celebrating Tastes of India week.

Make Use of Marriott Hotels: Authentic Experience

They brought in the chef from the Renaissance in Mumbai. They draped one of their restaurants in Indian imagery, played Bollywood music and served Indian food just because.

I talked to the general manager. He said, “We’ve been doing this for two weeks. Everyone absolutely loves it.” You never know when you’re going to stumble on some surprises like that.