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Greenbrier to Marriott: 'Let's Call the Whole Thing Off'

Go To The Hotel's Web Site Where: 300 West Main St. [map], White Sulphur Spring, WV, United States, 24986
August 3, 2009 at 10:16 AM | by | Comments (2)

This year's drama at the Greenbrier in West Virginia unfolded a bit like this: the resort was having some issues, so it shed about half of its staff. Then the rumor goin' around town was something about Marriott coming in to purchase and save the resort (um, and by "rumor" we mean there was a contract involved) — but then another buyer stepped in and snapped it up, and furloughed employees were called back.

But then the new buyer reached a tentative marketing agreement with Marriott, where the chain would receive "a special fee for every Greenbrier guest booked through the hotel chain's marketing network" — and if it didn't work out, the hotel's new owner would have to pay Marriott "a $7 million 'break-up fee'" if he ended Marriott's marketing partnership.

And it looks like that's what just happened.

According to an industry tipster, the new owner of the Greenbrier wired Marriott International $7.5 million "following the expiration of the deadline for the two parties to reach a marketing agreement." The "break up" had to do with the economy and the branding of the resort, as the new owner felt strongly about keeping the historical resort's identity the same as it's always been.

So, in conclusion: Marriott got their money and, presumably, they're peacing out of the whole Greenbrier thing entirely. Hopefully the resort can pull it together and recover from whatever's going on without the help of the hotel giant.

[Photo: Bloomberg News via WSJ]

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Return to » Greenbrier to Marriott: 'Let's Call the Whole Thing Off'


oh boy

hey marriott,

don't even worry about it.  here's $7.5 million; i'll run this all by myself.  i think i'll go ahead and pass on the world's best reservation system.

see, i owned a ton of coal and corn, and that's basically just like running a resort with 700-something rooms and a golf course and (eventually) a tasteful casino.  

seriously, though, $7.5 million is nothing.  before you know if, i'm gonna be losing $25 million a year on this place.

love,

jimmy

bangerang on August 3, 2009 at 12:04 PM #Permalink

Greenbrier

I was really hoping that the Marriott purchase would go through.  When I was a kid this place would command 500 plus a night and that was over 20 years ago.  It really needs a complete restoration to bring it back up to a 5 star hotel.
Travis Tanner on August 3, 2009 at 4:03 PM #Permalink

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