Several years ago, Marriott executives determined they were letting revenue walk out the front doors of
their Courtyard hotels, which are tailored to frequent business travelers, or “FBTs.†At the time, Courtyard’s breakfast offering was the full-service buffet, familiar to almost anyone who has ever stayed in an American hotel, and their lunch and dinner offerings were negligible.
“For 25 years, we had just the standard buffet along the lobby wall, and it didn’t really give a lot of choice or control to the customer,†says Lon Southerland, director of food and beverage operations for Marriott International. Read more.