Courtyard Marriott Ahmedabad Celebrates International Women's Day

AHMEDABAD, INDIA--(Marketwire - Mar 18, 2013) - On occasion of International Women's Day celebrated globally on 8^th March 2013, Courtyard Ahmedabad pulled out all the stops to celebrate the salient spirit of womanhood.

The lady associates of the hotel were pleasantly surprised on the morning of 8^th March when they were personally escorted from the entrance of the hotel by their own designated 'butlers,' a role played to perfection by their fellow male colleagues. They were further pampered with complimentary beverages all day from MoMo 2 Go, the deli, and an exclusive lunch at the Shakahari vegetarian restaurant with the General Manager.

Seizing the day to invoke Marriott's long standing culture of 'Spirit to Serve,' the hotel invited female students of local catering colleges to showcase their talent through a cooking competition. The competition, envisaged by Executive Chef Satej Saigaonkar, required the participants to choose five ingredients out of a list of 10 to work with. With assistance from the Ahmedabad hotel kitchen team, these young girls got the opportunity to flex their culinary skills in a real, working hotel kitchen.

The afternoon was spent with a group of women who work at an 'aanganwadi' or courtyard shelter, an initiative by the government of India that provides for basic health care and nutrition for young children and nursing mothers in villages. The property, being one of the few Ahmedabad hotels with an outdoor pool, hosted a healthy hi tea by the poolside for these women who come from underprivileged families. The stories they shared about their daily lives were truly inspiring for the associates who also arranged for a property tour of the Ahmedabad hotel and spa.

The evening was dedicated to a fun guest activity at MoMo Café. All male guests who visited the restaurant for dinner were given the opportunity to decorate a cake for the special women in their lives. MoMo Café was transformed into one of the liveliest restaurants in Ahmedabad as participating guests conjured fabulous cakes using cream, candies, chocolates and the works.

Commenting on the success of the activities planned for the day, General Manager of the hotel Prashanth Kumar said, "A woman is constantly fulfilling endless responsibilities of being a mother, daughter, sister or wife among many others. With the state of affairs in our country, we need to see change in the attitude towards women in general and thus we should seize every such opportunity to honour women and their roles in our life. The line-up of activities planned today was just our way of thanking these remarkable women for all that they do."

About Courtyard
Courtyard by Marriott offers a refreshing environment that helps guests stay connected, productive and balanced. Intuitive services and design accommodate guests' needs for choice and control. With more than 860 locations in 30 countries, Courtyard is Marriott's largest brand. All Courtyard by Marriott hotels participate in the award-winning Marriott Rewards frequent travel program that allows members to earn hotel points or airline miles for every dollar spent during each stay. For more information, including guest guided video tours of the new lobby and the latest brand information, visit www.courtyard.com. For reservations, go to www.courtyard.com or contact a travel professional.

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