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Architects with Michael Graves as interior designer. We have a legitimate presidential suite that is over 3,000 square feet and can be broken up into three bedrooms, four executive suites and then also we have 14 junior suites. In addition to that, JW Marriott started a new program around wellness and mindfulness, so we are the first JW to offer what are referred to as mindful rooms, which are larger than our normal rooms and come with a dedicated space for yoga and meditation and amenities like Theraguns and weighted eye masks. They’ re all on the same floor as our fitness center. The hotel also has the largest executive lounge in North America. We also offer 24 / 7, in-room delivery, meaning we have a chef overnight cooking.
HOTELS: Isn’ t room service becoming obsolete? Wright: Not for us. We are close to the airport so 20 % of our guests check in outside the normal check-in time— as late as 11 p. m. It’ s either keep the restaurant open with more
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labor or give an offering. We also make the menu more inviting than using Uber Eats. If you’ re going to be a true luxury property, you’ re offering an experience. How did it make me feel when I checked in late and was able to get a great meal.
HOTELS: A hotel’ s tech stack is central. How does JW Marriott Reston Station put it all together? Wright: Two of the most underappreciated things are the infrastructure and technology inside of a new building. We didn’ t hold out. Thirty percent of our guests use mobile checkin. Once checked in, whether via
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mobile key or at the front desk, by the time a guest makes it up to the room, the connection between the PMS and the POS is set and the HVAC or heater will kick in. We also have mobile in-room dining, which allows guests to order directly online. [ Marriott hotels use a system called GXP, an allencompassing centralized guest satisfaction system to track in-person guest activities in various departments.]
HOTELS: Are you using AI in any fashion? Wright: The only thing that we encourage our teams to use is ChatGPT for certain things.
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Mindful Rooms have dedicated areas for yoga and meditation.
For example, if a guest were to come in and say,‘ I’ m looking for the top three places to go in terms of a specific type of show.’ We encourage our team to get a quick response from ChatGPT.
HOTELS: There’ s a sculpture outside the hotel called“ Building Bridges.” What does it mean to you? Wright: It’ s a bronze sculpture of five pairs of hands that ties in with the hotel. Our goal is to make sure that our service and experience match the overall aesthetics of the hotel. And it’ s not just about the hotel— it’ s about what’ s around the hotel.
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The lobby of the hotel includes a market area. |
The Simon is the hotel’ s ground-level flagship restaurant helmed by Executive Chef Anthony DiGregorio. |
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60 hotelsmag. com Mar / Apr 2026 |