Mystic Marriott Turns Ten

Over the last decade, the busy Mystic Marriott hotel and spa has received over 1 million guests, served nearly 2.5 million meals, and treated more than 400,000 patrons at its Elizabeth Arden spa.

Employees under its domain have amassed 2,000 years of service collectively, catering to the demands of dignitaries, including former presidents, governors, and even the King of Tonga.

Its impressive dossier is not one to be discounted, and so the Eastern Connecticut Chamber of Commerce and guests gathered to celebrate the 10-year anniversary of the 285-room hotel and spa in a lavish Tuesday night reception.

The Mystic Marriott opened June 28, 2001 and, at the time, was touted as Connecticut’s first new full-service hotel outside Native American reservations. The Marriott was the first endeavor of its size for the foundling Waterford Group, headed by brothers Len and Mark Wolman.

“When the Wolmans came to eastern Connecticut, in many respects our lives changed,” said Tony Sheridan, President of the Eastern Connecticut Chamber of Conference. “They raised the benchmark for all developers and the hoteliers to live up to. When they built the Mystic Marriott, we really had, for the first time in eastern Connecticut, a superb, superb [facility].”  

The Wolmans collaborated with city, town, and community officials over a vision for construction. “They invited the neighbors to their hotel, a Holiday Inn at the time, I think,” said Sheridan, “to have some coffee, dessert, and present draft plans for the concept.”

Early collaboration with the community set a precedent for future integration. The Wolmans not only set up residence, but established the Waterford Charitable Foundation, which continues to support health and well-being, youth, arts and cultural activities, and other community initiatives. 

 “We’ve been very much welcomed by the town,” said Mark Wolman. “We’ve never had an issue here and we’ve been very well supported. It’s been terrific. The economy’s been the one thing that’s been a common issue that’s challenged everybody. But for the town and the local community, we couldn’t be happier. They’ve been supportive from the first day we started the process.”

The Mystic Marriott led to other opportunities for the Waterford Group, including construction on the Hartford Marriott, the Hartford Hilton and the Hartford Convention Center. In many ways, the Marriott’s ascension, and its coming to prominence within the community, reflects a twin growth in its parent company. The group is now working to preserve and protect its assets—given the current economic climate—with a few new projects in Pennsylvania and Massachusetts (Amherst College).

“We’ve been through unprecedented economic times in the last ten years and we’ve been working through it,” said Len Wolman. “This property is a prime example of where we looked at our assets, we have invested significantly—millions of dollars here just redoing the property—to make sure that it feels, looks, and is fresh and new. And, it’s the same if not better in today’s market than it was when it opened.”

Festivities included a margarita-themed pool party, wine tasting in the hotel’s famed Octagon restaurant, and a pizza party in a displayed guest room. Balloons, confetti, a contortionist, aerial ballet dancers, and African Penguins adorned the celebration.

“It’s a nice opportunity for everyone to get together,” said Emily Plourde, Associate Sales Executive at Ocean Blue Catering (Mystic Aquarium), on the event, “to just visit and go over how everything is going.”

“It’s nice to see a business with staying power, especially in today’s economy,” Plourde added. “It’s comforting.”

 “The Town of Groton is delighted to have the Mystic Marriott in our community,” wrote Barbara Strother, Economic Development Specialist for the Town of Groton. “They offer a wonderful facility…They are one of the top taxpayers and employers in the community. We wish them many more years of success and are proud that they call Groton home.”

The secret to the Marriott’s success, wisdom beyond its years, is in how the Wolmans choose to acknowledge community partners and express their appreciation.

“It’s a beautiful building, but the building’s personality and experience really gets created by the people,” said Len Wolman, later opting to recognize a large showing of Marriott staff to reception attendees. “The team of people we’ve been able to attract, with a lot of experience that they’ve been able to deliver over a consistent basis over the last ten years, has just been pretty incredible.”

 “I cannot think of a better way to celebrate our tenth birthday,” Wolman said to a crowd of event-goers gathered in the Marriott ballroom, “with you, members of the community, who have had such a profound impact on the hotel. We look forward to serving you for many years to come.”