GlobeSt.com UPDATE: Marriott Tours, Opens Hotel

"You can only repent," Marriott told Alter, head of California-based Sunstone Hotels. But Alter had nothing to repent about his latest work, one of the flagship hotels in his portfolio.

At least not according to Marriott, chairman and chief executive of Marriott International. "I think it is terrific," Marriott tells GlobeSt.com, as he is sitting in an over-stuffed chair in the lobby of the 11-story, 196 room hotel.

Marriott says he is impressed by how the hotel is trendy yet traditional. He likes the colors, the art and the attention to details.

"The guest rooms have a lot of little touches," Marriott tells GlobeSt.com, after spending his first night in the hotel, before several hundred people attended a ceremony attended by him, Gov. Bill Owens, and other political and business leaders. Marriott says Cherry Creek has arguably the best retail between Chicago and San Francisco, and now it has a hotel. It's the first J.W. Marriott in the state, and the first hotel in Cherry Creek, about three miles east of Downtown.

Marriott also discussed a wide number of other topics with GlobeSt.com.After a tough time following the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, the hotel industry is bouncing back smartly, says the 72-year-old CEO, who started in the business founded by his father 47 year ago. Marriott was 25 at the time.

"Business travel is picking up and leisure travel is coming back," Marriott says. He says that rising gasoline prices won't deter vacationers this summer.

"People think they are entitled to a vacation," Marriott tells GlobeSt.com. "Some people think they don't need a vacation. But the truth is, everyone needs to take a vacation. Things have been tough, and people need to take some time off."

Timeshares, he predicts, will become even a bigger part of people's vacation plans in the future. He notes that Marriott has timeshare hotels in the ski resorts of Aspen and Vail in Colorado.

"Timeshares are a wonderful way for a family vacation," Marriott says. "And the great thing is that you can trade the time. So if you have a timeshare in Orlando, and you want to go someplace else, you can trade it for a week in Cancun." Experts say that timeshares disreputable image of the past has largely been cleaned up, as operators such as Marriott, Hyatt Regency, Disney and others have entered the market.

Marriott says the industry also is watching these "vacation clubs," where companies buy or lease properties and then they are used by members who often pay a six-figure fee to join. "I don't know as much about that as timeshares, so I can't say too much about it," Marriott tells GlobeSt.com. "But it's interesting. It is a new concept. Everyone is looking at it and seeing how it is going to work."

Marriott also says he is concerned there will be another terrorist attack on US shores. "We're all concerned about that," Marriott tells GlobeSt.com. But he says it's impossible to tell what impact another attack would have on the travel and hotel industries. "It all depends on what happens and where it happens. It's impossible to predict."