It’s a big day here at the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Resort & Spa.   Starting this morning, over 90 tractor trailers will be arriving full of all the supplies and equipment needed to operate the Resort (over 12 million dollars of supplies).  This includes all the china and dishes for the restaurants and banquets, silverware, glass and crystal, the plush bed linens, over-sized towels, and much more.  We have a great team of people working hard off loading all these supplies into our Grand Oaks and Cibolo Canyons Ballrooms.  From there, the guest room supplies are repacked into 1002 boxes…one box for each guest room in the Resort.  All of the food and beverage supplies are taken directly to the kitchens and restaurants.  It’s a massive undertaking and is yet another milestone accomplished as we approach our January 22, 2010 opening.

Speaking of opening dates, I hope that many of you will be able to take advantage of a very special promotion we’re offering during our first weeks of opening.  We have an introductory rate of $149 per room, per night.   For $288 per night, our “stay and play” package offers a guest room, breakfast daily, and a round of golf at the spectacular TPC San Antonio.  I hope that many of you will be able to take advantage of these once in-a-lifetime specials.

It’s off to the Resort, I’m getting ready to meet you at the Front Door in 53 days!

Remember …   Warm Heart and Authentic Culture is what San Antonio Hill Country is all about.

It’s hard to believe that summer will soon be over.  If you’re like me, you’re thinking about getting the kids ready for school.  My twin 13 year olds go back to school on Wednesday.  While summer has certainly flown by, it’s been a very productive few months.

We recently brought our Hotel Manager on board, just in time for him and his wife to enroll their six year old son in a local school.  Derek Ellis was most recently the General Manager of the Renaissance Club Sport hotel in Aliso Viejo, California.  Derek brings a wealth of experience to our Resort. Prior to being the opening General Manager for the Renaissance Club Sport, he was the opening Resident Manager of the JW Marriott Starr Pass Resort in Tucson, Arizona.  Immediately before that role, he was the opening Director of Operations at the JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort in Phoenix, Arizona.  Derek will be responsible for all service related departments at the JW Marriott San Antonio.  It’s a significant responsibility and one that I know Derek will embrace with enthusiasm and passion.

In my last blog, I noted that our Food and Beverage Director, Scott Siebert was on board. I’m glad to share that he has hired our Executive Chef, Ryan Littman.  This is Ryan’s second time as the opening Executive Chef as at a JW Marriott Resort.  The 2007 recipient of Marriott’s Executive Chef of the Year, Ryan has already been busy at work meeting with local vendors, growers, and purveyors.  Together, Scott and Ryan and creating a world class food and beverage experience for our future guests.  I’ve already seen there first take at menus for our Cibolo Moon Restaurant.  Our goal is to have fresh food that is so flavorful that our guests won’t want to dine anywhere else!

I’m excited about the next few months as we approach our January, 2010 opening.  The Resort finishes; from the carpeting in Ballroom, to the lighting in the Golf Clubhouse, to the landscaping throughout the property; are being installed on a daily basis.  I’ll be updating my blog more frequently as the pace has picked up as we approach our opening day.

San Antonio: It’s all about Warm Heart…Authentic Culture

I love walking the site of the JW Marriott San Antonio Hill Country Spa & Resort. There is so much going on and each day brings amazing change. Over 1,200 construction workers are quickly putting all the pieces in place that will enable us to open this fantastic facility in February of 2010.

The casual observer might wonder how we plan to accomplish everything that must be done in the next 11 months. From outside the building it looks daunting. But what can’t be seen is the tremendous amount of work taking place inside the building.

Much of the public space is still dominated by the gray of unfinished concrete, but upstairs the rooms are taking shape. Guestrooms are being finished out with wall treatments, beautiful stained wood doors, ceramic tile entryways, custom designed carpeting, and walls painted in beautiful colors of yellow and red. Wall coverings are being put up throughout the guestroom hallways.

One of the most exciting areas to see is the sports bar. If you’ve seen our computer animated design video, you’ve seen the significant amount of audio visual equipment that will be there – including that spectacular wall-to-wall screen. The framing for this equipment has already been put in place and the wallboard and electrical are now being installed. I think this will be one of our guests’ favorite areas of the resort.

Make no mistake, there is still so much to do, but we’re making incredible progress. I look forward to sharing more information in the months to come. I invite you to leave a comment – we love to share our story and hear your thoughts!

San Antonio is all about Warm Heart…Authentic Culture!