Sep 01, 2009
Tricia Culpepper Chatham Named Director of Sales for Marriott’s Courtyard And TownePlace Suites
New state-of-the-art, all-suite TownePlace Suites to open in January
Panama City, Fla. – Sept. 1, 2009 – Tricia Culpepper Chatham, a respected fixture in Panama City’s hospitality industry community for 10 years, has been appointed director of sales for both the Courtyard by Marriott and the new TownePlace Suites by Marriott, the latter which is slated to open in January.
Most recently serving as sales and catering manager for the Hilton Garden Inn in Panama City, Chatham was marketing and public relations director at St. Andrew Bay Center and at Gulf World Marine Park. She began her hospitality career as sales manager at the Holiday Inn SunSpree.
Chatham is active in the Bay County Chamber of Commerce, is a 2003 graduate of Leadership Bay, and volunteers as a Bay County Chamber Ambassador. She is also a member of the Emerald Coast Business Women’s Association.
The two hotels, side by side in the 900 block of E. 23rd Place, near Tyndall Credit Union, will offer travelers two Marriott choices. TownePlace Suites has been designed by Marriott for business and leisure travelers seeking a “Real Living” experience (see more, below); Courtyard is targeted primarily to business travelers looking for a more traditional hotel, one with meeting space and more in the food and beverage arena.
“The new TownePlace Suites design supports the routines and needs of real life by giving guests control and choice,” said Chatham. “We’re considered a no-frills hotel, which is another way of saying that we provide exactly what the guest needs – and this is what the guest pays for, instead of paying for extras they don’t use.”
The new hotel will be one of the first in the U.S. to feature TownePlace Suites’ new contemporary, progressive “Real Living” design, defined by Marriott International, Inc., as a place where guests can settle in, keep their routine, and connect easily with the local area.
Instead of a traditional lobby, guests who enter the new TownePlace Suites will find a Welcome Desk, a Connection Center with its TowneMap that designates local places of interest, a grab-and-go snack area called In a Pinch, and an expanded fitness room. A Home Office replaces the typical desk in all suites, which also feature full kitchens.
The hotel has a 24-hour business center and free high-speed and wireless internet throughout the hotel. Complimentary continental breakfast is available daily.
For more information about the hotel or to inquire about group bookings, Chatham can be reached at 850-896-8441 or tricia.chatham@marriott.com.
Larry Blumberg & Associates, a hotel development and management company based in Dothan, Ala., will manage the hotel.
CONTACT: Dee Dee Dochen, for Larry Blumberg & Associates
713-432-7575; ddd@lbaproperties.com