JW Mariott Grand Rapids Set To Open

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed)
Sep 18th 2007 at 8:05AM

The Detroit Free Press has an interesting article on the JW Marriott Grand Rapids, a $100 million, 24-story luxury hotel set to open this week. The hotel has 337 rooms including the Founders Suite which rents for $2,500 a night. it is hoped that the new hotel will help the city compete for convention and meetings business. The Free Press resorts that the hotel had orginally planned to turn the 19th floor into a women-only enclave. The idea was shelved after criticism and the 19th floor rooms which include amenities such as a shaving stool in the bathtub for legs, ionic hair dryers and soft chenille bedspreads will now be open to both sexes. All rooms include a Steelcase office chair and a technology pack so that the 37-inch flat screen TV in the room can be used as a computer monitor or gaming screen.

The main theme of the hotel relates the the five cities of Grand Rapids: Omihachiman, Japan; Perugia, Italy; Bielsko-Biala, Poland; Ga District, Ghana, and Zapopan, Mexico. The rooms and public areas feature photographic images of these cities as well as artwork created by artists from these cities. The Mixology lounge on the 23rd floor which will feature an iPod DJ some nights and the Six One Six restaurant offers gourmet fare. Other amenities include a fitness facility with a heated pool, a helipad,a ballroom, board rooms and a business center. Rooms start at $229 per night with rooms on the concierge floors going for $40 to $50 more.

Tags: grand rapids, hotel, luxury hotel, marriott, michigan