Jul. 7, 2003 - JW MARRIOTT GETS A LITTLE RITZIER: The new Grande Lakes Resort in south Orlando is the first project in the country to combine a JW Marriott and a Ritz-Carlton and that raises some interesting challenges, according to industry experts. 

With the upscale Ritz literally linked to the JW Marriott -- connected by a 120-foot-long walkway and meeting space -- will standards at the respective hotels be affected one way or the other? 

Will visitors to the Ritz sniff at its slightly less upscale neighbor, or will the Marriott raise its own standards because of the proximity? The service may be extra special at the JW Marriott, for example, simply because it is on the same property. 

"It remains to be seen what will happen," said Peter Ricci, an assistant professor at the University of Central Florida's Rosen School of Hospitality Management. "It does raise some questions." 

Ricci said that, in general, Ritz-Carlton caters to the "very, very high-end traveler," who is accustomed to an "obsequious, almost fawning type of service." Marriott is close behind, but still clearly a less upscale facility. 

Many Marriott guests undoubtedly will stroll to the adjacent hotel and perhaps make comparisons, fairly or unfairly. Many may see a Ritz for the first time, and some Ritz clientele may rub shoulders with Marriott guests for the first time. 

Grande Lakes officials, who are jointly marketing the Ritz and Marriott properties, say they expect no problem in merging the facilities in some respects -- 30 percent of groups book rooms in both hotels, for example -- yet allowing each to maintain its personality. 

The Ritz-Carlton, for example, has a slightly more "residential" feel and look in terms of interior decor, says Bruce Seigel, Grande Lakes' sales and marketing director. Ritz-Carlton employees carry the chain's customary work title -- ladies and gentlemen -- while the Marriott's employees are known as associates. 

Seigel also notes that employees of both hotels -- solicited during a joint job hiring process -- are the "best of the best" because only about 3 percent of 16,584 applicants were hired. Hospitality workers see the upscale property as the prime spot to work, resulting in applicants from across the nation, and as openings in the Ritz-Carlton arise, Marriott workers next door figure they may have handy "advancement" opportunities. 

Ricci, who teaches future hotel managers at the Rosen School, said he has been impressed with the extensive two-year "pre-opening" effort of Grande Lakes to become a part of the community through close association with cultural groups, nonprofits, schools and other organizations. "Compared to other properties I've seen, they've done a very professional job with their presale effort," Ricci said. 

AIRTRAN HITS 1 MILLION MARK: AirTran Airways recently reached a milestone: surpassing 1 million passengers in a single month. 

The Orlando-based airline said that on the final day of June, passenger Mike Burdine was the lucky 1 millionth passenger. The vice president of engineering for National Linen Service was en route from his office in Atlanta to Orlando and was pulled aside for a brief recognition ceremony as he boarded flight 739. To remember the occasion, he was given a scale model of a Boeing 717. 

UCF SIGNS UP ARUBA STUDENTS: UCF's Rosen School of Hospitality Management recently signed an agreement with the Caribbean island of Aruba and its government-sponsored Aruba Hotel School. The agreement allows students who obtain a two-year degree at the island school to come to Orlando to finish their studies for a four-year bachelor's degree in hospitality management, said Christopher Fletcher, UCF assistant director of academic relations. 

UCF generally signs 10 to 15 so-called articulation agreements with various schools each year, but this is the first international agreement. 

Mark Poisel, assistant vice president for first-year transitions, said other international agreements are expected. 

Jerry W. Jackson can be reached at [email protected] or 407-420-5721. Todd Pack can be reached at [email protected] or 407-420-5407. 

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(c) 2003. Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News. MAR, AAI,