marriotthawaii's blog

Here we are at the Hope & Will Garden at Children's Healthcare of Atlanta at Scottish Rite where Shave Ice melted the hearts of the Children's Miracle Network patients -- and most especially 10-year-old JC Robbins.

It's 30 degrees here in Atlanta and there's no better way to rise and shine than with CBS' Better Mornings Atlanta! Better Mornings Anchor Mike Brooks interviewed Wailea Beach Marriott Resort & Spa General Manager Bill Countryman outdoor with the Polynesian Cultural Center entertainers.

After having a wonderful time in the Lone Star State, we were off to Atlanta. Here's our awesome bus driver Leon Blue of Houston with Shave Ice!

Learning to dance the hula is as easy as 1-2-3. In Hawaii the hula is an integral part of the Hawaiian culture. It is beloved by all and studied in the most serious fashion by students in a hula halau (school). Marriott's Spirit of Aloha tour team, along with Houston's own KHOU news anchor Lucy Noland, visited the Children's Miracle Network children, families and staff at Texas Children's Hospital today. Here we are with adorable three-year-old Diamond Williams and eight-year-old Caleb Copeland.

Today we received such a warm welcome from the travel agents, staff and Roaming Gnome at Travelocity in San Antonio!

The Spirit of Aloha Tour is now in San Antonio, visiting with agents at Marriott's call center. They set us up in their break room with island decorations to set the mood and colorful lei for everyone.

On Saturday, January 23, we hosted "Hula with Hawaii" day for agents at Hotels.com in Dallas. We set the mood with Hawaii-themed decorations, Hawaiian pizzas and the Polynesian Cultural Center dancers and musicians. Approximately 50 Hotels.com agents stopped by during our visit and some even got a hula lesson!

One of the goals of our Spirit of Aloha Tour is to re-connect with customers and partners on the U.S. mainland. Friday night in Dallas, we were fortunate to have more than a dozen friends stop by for a reception at the Renaissance Dallas Hotel.

After two days of traveling, here we are in beautiful Dallas, Texas, the next stop of Marriott's Spirit of Aloha Tour. We received a warm welcome by the children, families and staff at the Dallas Children's Miracle Center.

Here's JW Marriott Ihilani Resort & Spa General Manager Dan Banchiu, CMN Dallas Director of Child Life Renee Hunte, CMN Dallas Child Life Specialist Susan Lakey, CMN Dallas Director of Corporate Relations and Cause Marketing, Polynesian Cultural Center performers Travis and Milton Kaka, CMN Dallas Sponsor Relations Angela Bynum, and Polynesian Cultural Center Account Manager Nephi Setoki. They took a moment to take pictures with our tour mascot, Shave Ice (SI)!

We continued Marriott's Spirit of Aloha tour in Phoenix with two special events. First, we went to Phoenix Children's Hospital, bringing a bit of the Hawaiian islands to the Phoenix Children's Miracle Network children and families. For the past 26 years, Marriott International has partnered with Children's Miracle Network, raising more than $66 million for U.S. children who need hospitalization or specialized care in local communities. Marriott's Spirit of Aloha Tour team donated to Phoenix Children's Miracle Network two vacation packages of a five-night stay at Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa and JW Marriott Ihilani Resort & Spa on Oahu, respectively, with roundtrip airfare on Hawaiian Airlines.

The children enjoyed beautiful performances by Former American Idol Finalist Jasmine Trias and the talented Polynesian Cultural Center performers. Here's their performance of the song, "These Islands."