Middletown Fairfield Hotel Honored by Marriott Chairman David Marriott

Retreat Hotels & Resorts (“Retreat”) announced that the Fairfield Inn & Suites in Middletown, DE, owned by a partnership between Retreat, the Axia Hotel Group, and LNWA, received the “Best Project” award from Marriott International. Retreat received the award from the Chairman of Marriott, David S. Marriott, and other senior leaders at the Marriott hotel owners’ conference in Orlando, FL. The Best Project Award recognizes the top project completed by each Marriott Select Brand, based on design, cooperation, participation, and process.

From Left to Right: Leeny Oberg, Marriott Chief Financial Officer and Executive Vice President, Development; Liam Brown, Marriott Group President, US & Canada; JJ Singh, Retreat Hotels & Resorts President; Stephen Schindel, Retreat Hotels & Resorts Director of Development & Operations; David S. Marriott, Marriott Chairman of the Board; Ty Breland, Marriott Executive Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer; Karen Finberg, Marriott Chief Franchise Officer

The Fairfield brand is Marriott’s second-largest brand, and warmly welcomes guests with friendly service and comfortable spaces—offering them the flexibility to work, rest and maintain their balance while on the road. Signature amenities include complimentary hot breakfast and coffee and lobby market available 24/7. With a heritage from the Marriott family farm, Fairfield delivers the quality and reliability you expect – backed by the Fairfield Guaranty.

  Opened in 2022, the 90-key Fairfield in Middletown includes all signature amenities, while also featuring an indoor pool, large fitness center, and unique outdoor patio that includes seating for dining and a firepit, surrounded by attractive landscaping to create a serene and inviting experience. The hotel is the only Marriott hotel within a 15-mile radius and sits in close proximity to the 301 bypass and Route 1. Guests are able to enjoy numerous amenities surrounding the hotel, with Texas Roadhouse, Metro Diner, Red Robin, Walmart, and the Westown Movie Theatre a short walk away.

  “We are honored to receive this award from Marriott International,” said JJ Singh, president of Retreat Hotels & Resorts. “The award is a testament to the hard work of our team, and an embodiment one of our company’s core values: Excellence in Execution.”

  “Marriott awards the ‘Best Project’ award to truly deserving projects that meet the high standard set by Marriott International. I congratulate the teams at Retreat and Axia on this achievement. Having happily stayed at this hotel multiple times, I can attest that the Fairfield in Middletown is a wonderful property,” said Cameron Read, Marriott Chief Financial Officer, U.S. & Canada.

Courtyard / Residence Inn Construction Progress

The Courtyard / Residence Inn Jekyll Island is set to open summer 2021! Check out an update below.

Courtyard/Residence Inn Debuts Model Rooms

by Rani Bernstein

LNW Hospitality recently celebrated the “topping out” of the Courtyard/Residence Inn Jekyll Island, and now are excited to share another milestone with you: debut of model rooms for each brand!

The purpose of model rooms is to make sure that all furniture is the correct size, everything is placed correctly in the rooms, electrical engineering (outlets, light switches, etc.) are placed in good locations, etc. It gives us a chance to make sure that everything is perfect before continue to do the same in every room. (We wouldn’t want to order 200+ couches and realize they don’t fit in the rooms!).

Because this hotel consists of two different brands, and therefore two different room products, we put together one model room for each brand. Photos are below!

Courtyard by Marriott

With 1,200+ properties, Courtyard by Marriott is typically designed for the modern business traveler. Created over 30 years, this brand has continued to evolve in the upscale category. The brand lives by the motto, “Fueled by Passion,” with the goal being to create opportunities for guests to pursue personal and professional passions while traveling. Courtyards aim to provide modern and open lobby spaces to provide guest with the opportunity to work or relax, as well as fitness centers.

Guest Rooms Offer:

• Wide, comfortable sleeper sofas

• Hospitality cabinets

• Optimally placed outlets

• Television, in-room refrigerators

Residence Inn by Marriott

With 850+ properties, Residence Inn created and defined the extended stay hotel category. Designed for longer stays, this brand offers spacious suites with separate living, working, and sleeping zones. This brand offers complimentary breakfast, outdoor living spaces with fire pits and grills, as well as lobby space to relax. Additionally, there is on-site laundry.

Guest Rooms Offer:

• Zones for working, relaxing, eating, and sleeping

• Fully equipped kitchen with full-sized refrigerator, stove, microwave, dishwasher, and coffeemaker

• Signature desk, located by windows for natural light

• Large bathrooms

Model room photo credits: Stephen Schindel, Development Associate

LNW Hospitality & New Castle Hotels Celebrate the Topping out of the New Courtyard / Residence Inn

by JJ Singh

As seen in Hotel Online, LNW Hospitality and New Castle Hotels celebrated the topping out of the new dual-brand hotel on Jekyll Island. Full announcement below!

LNW Hospitality and New Castle Hotels, the developers of the new dual-branded Courtyard/Residence Inn coming to Jekyll Island, announced the formal topping out of the building.  This important construction milestone, the completion of the support structure of the roof, was marked by a ceremony on site. 

The 209-key property, scheduled to open in the spring of 2021, features 120 Courtyard by Marriott rooms and 89 Residence Inn by Marriott rooms.  Sitting on 5.8 acres of oceanfront land, this hotel will provide an exceptional guest experience.  Amenities include the largest pool on Jekyll Island, a large hot tub, a splash pad for children, fire pits, a Bistro restaurant, an indoor/outdoor bar and restaurant, a fitness center, and 2,600 square feet of meeting space.

The hotel is being constructed by Kellogg & Kimsey, Inc. with construction management services performed by McKibbon Places.  Chamberlain Architect Services serves as the architect. 

“We’re excited about the progress of our new hotel,” said JJ Singh, Director of Hospitality for LNW Hospitality.  “We’ve got a fantastic team that has been working so hard to keep us on track and we look forward to opening our doors next spring to welcome travelers from all over the world.”

"Starting my career with Marriott over 23 years ago, this project is of significant importance to me as we welcome the Marriott Courtyard and Residence Inn brands to Jekyll Island, a community that has been my home for the past 10 years," said Trevor Stratton of New Castle Hotels, who is the incoming General Manager of the property.

"I am thrilled to see how far construction has come since the groundbreaking just last summer,” said Jones Hooks, Executive Director of the Jekyll Island Authority.  “We look forward to welcoming new business travelers and families, while remaining committed to conservation and stewardship of the island's delicate balance.”

“In over 4 million square feet of hotel construction by Kellogg & Kimsey, with a significant portion being Marriott brands, this is one of our favorite projects,” said Charles Kimsey, Executive Vice-President of Kellogg & Kimsey, Inc. “From the unique building design to accommodate the two brands and the remarkable coastal location, to the elaborate guest amenities, to the high quality professionals involved in the project with LNW, New Castle, McKibbon, and Chamberlain, it is a pleasure for our experienced team to build.”

Courtyard / Residence Inn Construction Progress!

Our Courtyard / Residence Inn on Jekyll Island is coming along! Check out our latest construction progress video. The hotel is opening in the spring of 2021!

LNW Hospitality and Axia bring a Fairfield to Middletown!

by: JJ Singh

Fairfield by Marriott coming to Middletown, 2021

As reported by WDEL, LNW Hospitality and Axia Hotel Group announced a collaboration to bring the first Marriott hotel to Middletown, DE.  The joint venture signed a franchise agreement with Marriott and is expected to break ground on a new Fairfield by Marriott in 2020, with an opening scheduled in 2021. 

The development team has had a long-term presence in Delaware and in hospitality.  LNW Hospitality develops, owns, and manages hotel assets on the east coast, with three Marriott brands in its portfolio.  Its parent company, Leon N. Weiner & Associates, Inc. (LNWA), has been in Delaware for more than 70 years, with over 35 years in Middletown itself, through its ownership of Middletown Trace Apartments and Fairfield Commons Apartments.  “We see tremendous opportunity in Middletown,” said Kevin Kelly, Chairman of LNWA.  “The town is thriving, Fairfield by Marriott is a great brand, and our partner, Axia, has a strong track record in town as well.”

Axia Hotel Group has been in the hotel business in Delaware since the 1960s and has developed eight hotels in that time.  In 2006, Axia brought the first branded hotel to Middletown, with the development of its Hampton Inn & Suites on Sandhill Drive, which was recently renovated.  “Our Hampton has performed well, and we see an opportunity to grow our presence,” said Axia President Tom Kramedas.  “We’ve got a great site, partner in LNW Hospitality, and brand in Fairfield by Marriott.” 

Middletown, an historic town established in 1861, is a thriving community.  In the last 20 years, the population has more than tripled, while multinational corporations have built large presences in town.   The hotel site sits close to the entrance into Middletown from the newly constructed mainline U.S. Route 301, surrounded by numerous dining and entertainment amenities.  At the intersection of Warwick Road and Merrimac Avenue, the hotel will be visible to all cars that pass through town.  “Middletown has had a successful track record of attracting employers,” said Mayor Kenneth Branner, Jr.  “I’m pleased that LNW Hospitality and Axia Hotel Group wish to bring a Marriott property to town.  The two companies have been good corporate citizens and I look forward to our continued work together.”

Fairfield by Marriott is the second largest brand in Marriott’s portfolio, with over 1,000 properties and more than 400 more, worldwide, in its pipeline.  Fairfield welcomes guests with its friendly service and comfortable spaces, offering flexibility to work, rest, and maintain balance on the road.  Amenities include a complementary hot breakfast and coffee, as well as a fitness center and lobby market.  

LNW Hospitality Breaks Ground on its New Courtyard / Residence Inn

Dave Curtis, Managing Partner of LNW Hospitality; Julian Buffam, Principal of New Castle Hotels & Resorts; Jones Hooks, Executive Director of the Jekyll Island Authority

by: JJ Singh

Yesterday, LNW Hospitality and its partner, New Castle Hotels & Resorts, broke ground on a new Courtyard / Residence Inn Jekyll Island, slated to open by the summer of 2021. The hotel features 209 rooms, the largest pool in Jekyll island, a large hot tub, a splash pad for children, fire pits, a Bistro restaurant, an indoor/outdoor bar and restaurant, a fitness center, and 2,600 square feet of meeting space.

“We’ve carefully designed the hotel to provide a seamless, unforgettable guest experience,” said Dave Curtis Managing Partner of LNW Hospitality. “LNW Hospitality has a 35-year track record of success on Jekyll Island, first in restoring the Jekyll Island Club Hotel, as well as developing the Hampton Inn, Westin, and Jekyll Ocean Club. We’re pleased to partner again with New Castle Hotels and Resorts, Marriott International, and the Jekyll Island Authority, to create this stunning new getaway.”

East Elevation, Courtyard / Residence Inn Jekyll Island

“A dual-brand gives guests more choice in accommodation but minimizes overhead through shared resources, which is especially advantageous in a seasonal resort,” noted Julian Buffam, principal, New Castle Hotels and Resorts, which will operate the hotel upon completion. “The rich amenity package offered by Residence Inn and Courtyard by Marriott make both brands particularly popular with leisure travelers and convention goers. These brands will be exactly the right addition to Jekyll’s family-friendly product mix.”

Construction Crew

A barrier island off the coast of Georgia, Jekyll Island became a tourist destination for the richest families in America in the late 1800s. Over the last 15 years, over $200 million in public and private investment has been made on the island. Today, Jekyll Island is home to eight hotels, a world-class convention center, and numerous amenities to support tourism on the island. Ranked as the number one place to go for a vacation by Money Magazine in 2019, Jekyll Island is a celebrated destination. Over the last five years, the number of visitors to the island has grown by six percent per year.

“Responsible development is always at the core of our decision making, to ensure we do not overdevelop for the sake of additional lodging,” said C. Jones Hooks, Executive Director of the Jekyll Island Authority. “It’s important to understand that even with these additional 209 rooms from the new Courtyard and Residence Inn by Marriott, we' will still be 100 rooms below historic ‘peak hotel room’ capacity numbers for the island, ensuring we continue to maintain the island’s natural character. This project embodies our goal of welcoming new and different kinds of visitors, including business travelers and families, while remaining committed to conservation and stewardship of the island’s delicate balance.”

Au Revoir Marriott Rewards, Bienvenue Bonvoy

by Elska Vuong

If you watched the Academy Awards last month, you might have noticed something… aside from Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga, that is. Marriott has finally unified all of its rewards programs into a new loyalty program called Bonvoy. During the show, Marriott featured a splashy 60-second commercial directed by Oscar-nominated director Jean-Pierre Jeunet as a part of its effort to introduce Bonvoy. The campaign will include activities across 22 countries throughout the year and leverage major cultural events to further highlight the new travel program, according to Marriott.

The new program, which merges together Marriott Rewards, Ritz-Carlton Rewards, and Starwood Preferred Guest, comes after years of keeping the Marriott and Starwood loyalty programs separate, following Marriott’s acquisition of the smaller company in 2016. The acquisition made Marriott the largest hotel company in the world. Bonvoy has an estimated 120 million members, in turn making it the largest loyalty program for a single hotel company globally.  

With the ad campaign and its associated tagline, “Rewards Reimagined,” Marriott hopes to raise Bonvoy’s brand recognition, along with the profile of its 30 hotel brands. “It’s about the emotional part of what good travel means,” said Karin Timpone, global marketing officer for Marriott International. “That’s what the campaign is all about — people experiencing the joy of good travel and they have one word to describe it, and that one word is ‘Bonvoy.’ The more people hear that, the more they connect that idea of good travel to our portfolio and that program.” The company reportedly spent extensive time researching, before deciding on Bonvoy, shorthand for ‘bon voyage,’ including investigating how the name would be pronounced by foreign language speakers.

Part of the new tagline also reflects a shift in focus from a loyalty program that is exclusively points and in-hotel-perks-driven. The new program and campaign emphasizes customized, special experiences you can have as a Marriott Bonvoy member, including musical performances, sporting events and culinary collaborations. “We think [Bonvoy is] good because it relates to travel, and relates to Marriott, and also points to something new — that the loyalty program is now the richest set of benefits, and much more than what it was in pieces,” said Timpone.