From DAN'S DESK

Area General Manager, Daniel Nadeau

There’s a distinct feeling you won’t experience anywhere else.

You’ll feel it when you first walk through the spacious, modern lobby, touch the button for your elevator and step in. You’ll look through the iconic glass elevators and see the New York Marriott Marquis’ expansive atrium for the first time.

And you’ll feel the same thing every visitor’s felt since we first opened our doors in 1985. A potent combination of wonder, excitement, and hope.

“I think it resonates with people,” said Daniel Nadeau, Area General Manager and General Manager of the New York Marriott Marquis. “People come to New York because of these experiences. And this hotel compliments the whole reason why they’re coming here.”

He’d know best. Nadeau was with the hotel on day one, when Times Square was far from the vibrant, bustling, business center it is today, and people would leave right after curtain call.

At that point in time, Nadeau was the hotel’s Director of Corporate Sales . He’s seen Times Square transform into the world’s most famous neighborhood first-hand.

“Mr. Marriott [Bill Marriott, Executive Chairman of Marriott International, Retired] and the original architect, John Portman, had a vision. They saw that Times Square could be more than what it was and what it should be, Nadeau said. “They really just felt that a hotel… could be more than a hotel. It could bring in a sense of community and bring people to this area, who had never considered staying here..”

Mr. Bill Marriott (L-R) & New York Marriott Marquis architect, John Portman

Observing the hotel model during the construction phase circa 1984

Early Successes

They were right. Nadeau first saw it when six months after opening he’d visit the top floor of the hotel and point out to customers the multiple development projects underway.

The New York Marriott Marquis quickly developed domestic demand from leisure travel, business travel and large groups and conventions. International travel soon followed.

The hotel quickly became synonymous with New York City’s world-famous ball drop on New Year’s Eve. “We're right in the middle of it, we're right in the center of Times Square Between West 45th and West 46th Streets,” Nadeau said. “We have a lot of rooms with ball drop views. It has been sort of an unofficial headquarters." A hospitality experience for the neighborhood’s biggest draw. A perfect fit.

The Secret Sauce

As the saying goes, success is not an accident. So what helped make the New York Marriott Marquis into what it is today?

“The Marriott culture,” Nadeau said. “Taking care of our customers existed then. And it exists today. That value remains strong. I think that’s the secret sauce, so to speak, in our company. A culture that focuses on customers, employees and on consistency and fairness.

Care for people is core to the New York Marriott Marquis’ values. In a neighborhood that attracts more than 50 million visitors per year, hospitality is what sparked its incredible growth.

“That hasn’t changed at all,” Nadeau said.

So, what has changed?