A Chef's Garden

It was around six years ago when I first saw chef Melissa Kelly's garden just outside her Primo restaurant at the JW Marriott Orlando Grande Lakes. The garden is chef Melissa's tribute to her grandfather who was a butcher. This commitment to local farming is evident in the freshness of food served at Primo. It was this project that inspired me to create our own chef's garden at the JW Marriott Grand Rapids.

JW Marriott Chicago Shines in the Spotlight

If hosting an event for hotel general managers is scary, try hosting one for JW Marriott, Ritz Carlton, Edition, Renaissance and Marriott hotels and resorts GM's. Well, the JW Marriott Chicago had no problem with that task by putting on quite a reception to open the three-day conference. Elaborate food action stations, cozy lounge seating, booming music and dramatic lighting set the stage for what is already a successful conference. More WOW moments are expected as each meal and breakouts garner accolades from this discriminating group of hoteliers.

JW Marriott Grand Rapids Honored for Best Customer Service

JW Marriott General Manager, George Aquino, receives the award for the hotel.

The JW Marriott Grand Rapids collected its 2010 Marriott International excellence in customer service award today at the Marriott Western Region's General Manager's conference in Chicago. Marriott's Guest Satisfaction Survey or GSS, measures the overall performance of each hotel in every area of operations from arrival & departure, check-in, food and beverage, amenities, room cleanliness and service execution. Only the top 2.5% of all full service JW Marriott, Renaissance and full service Marriott's make up this elite group of hotels in the United States and Canada. Five hotels out

JW Marriott Hong Kong: The Best Noodle Bar in Asia

A JW Marriott Hong Kong chef cooks fresh noodles in steaming pots of broth

I love noodle bars. Usually the dive-types where one has to trek through an obstacle of narrow alleys, rows of mom and pop stores and walking past a herd of men smoking the local cigarettes while peering residents observe the strangers through cubby hole windows. Not exactly the most elegant of passageways, but the experience certainly creates a build up for the most amazing bowls of hot stock with fresh cut noodles.

And then, there's the Noodle Bar at the JW Marriott Hong Kong. A striking contrast from the standard fare nestled in the lobby of the JW, with striking views of Central. My sister Haj, a resident of Hong Kong, is responsible for

In a New York State of Mind

View from the 35th floor Lobby Lounge of the Mandarin Oriental new York

Read my article in the Grand Rapids Press Travel Section today by clicking here.

Pachanga Latina Lights Up Grand Rapids

There are several things that make these Pachanga events at the JW so addicting. First, you can guarantee a great turnout with several hundred on hand last night inside the International Ballroom. Second, the music by Grupo Aye, arguably the best latin band in the midwest, is electrifying. On this evening, another local latin band, Akaray, opened for Grupo Aye to show support of latin music in the area. The JW also added DJ Angel Gee to the mix to help spice things

W Hotel: The Best Views in Washington, DC

I have to admit that W Hotels know how to create a vibe. The W Washington, DC adds an exclamation point to the word "cool." 

My friend Frank raves about this place so our group of four couples didn't hesitate when he suggested that we visit this DC hotel late last Saturday night. I am not used to waiting in line to get inside a hotel, but when the DC fire marshall is inside the hotel, one must wait patiently. Twenty minutes or so later, we settled in a comfortable sofa area next to the Jewel Bar in the hotel Living Room.

An Epic Night in Washington, DC! Osama Bin Laden is dead!

I was in Washington, DC, with my family and a contingent of about 200 students and supporters of the State of Michigan "We The People" champions from East Grand Rapids high school on this epic evening in American history. We were in a celebratory mood as we just found out that the team made the Top Ten finals slated for Monday morning in one of the historic hearing rooms in Capitol Hill. A goal that has been in the minds of the team members since September when they embarked on this journey.

Elena and I were at Clyde's in Georgetown with close friends and fellow "We The People" parents, Frank and Susan Merlotti and Dick and Deb VanderZyden, when the news of Osama Bin Laden's death captured the emotions of many Americans glued to the tube and cell phones upon receiving word of his demise.