WALL OF CHAMPIONS’ UNVEILED AT THE BOSTON MARRIOTT COPLEY PLACE
Wall Recognizes Local Community Heroes While Generating Advance Buzz for Summer 2009
Opening of New Champions Sports Bar & Restaurant
Boston (May 11, 2009) – As part of the launch of a new Champions Sports Bar & Restaurant, the team at the Boston Marriott Copley Place has turned a 30-foot construction wall into a celebration of community champions. The new ‘Wall of Champions’ serves the practical purpose of separating the restaurant construction site from the heavily trafficked intersection of two popular shopping centers, Copley Place and the Shops at the Prudential Center. It also lists the names of widely recognized and non-traditional Bostonians who have made significant contributions to local communities, schools or charities.
“The construction of the new Champions presented us with a unique opportunity to honor some of our hometown heroes,” says Boston Marriott Copley Place General Manager, David Giblin. “Over 14,000 people pass by this site every day, and we wanted to do something with the construction wall to capture folks’ interest. Rather than use the space for traditional restaurant advertising, we decided to honor local individuals who have made noteworthy contributions to our community."
The pre-opening marketing campaign displays the names of an array of individuals and charitable organizations who have made a positive impact on the greater Boston community. Included is Team Hoyt, (pictured above) the inspirational father/son team from Massachusetts, who are honored for their continued commitment to raising awareness about the issues that the disabled face every day. Rick and Dick Hoyt’s dedication to training and competing in some of the world’s most challenging competitions has led them to complete 216 triathlons, including six Ironman distances, 20 duathlons and 25 Boston Marathons. Team Hoyt recently joined the Boston Marriott Copley Place and hotel GM David Giblin to help unveil the ‘Wall of Champions’ after participating in this year's Boston Marathon, their 1,000th race together!!
Other honorees on the wall include; Cam Neely, legendary Boston Bruins player and founder of the Neely Foundation; Joe O’Donnell, founder and chairman of Boston Culinary Group, Trustee of the National Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and Founder of The Joey Fund; Travis Roy, spinal cord injury survivor and founder of The Travis Roy Foundation; and Dr. Howard Weinstein, Chief of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology at Mass. General Hospital and founder of the Mass. General Marathon team which raises money for the hospital’s Pediatric Cancer Program. Of course, the world championship teams - the Boston Red Sox, Boston Celtics and New England Patriots - are part of the wall as well.
The ‘Wall of Champions’ will remain on display throughout the restaurant’s construction. The new Champions Sports Bar & Restaurant opens in the summer of 2009. In an effort to engage the community further, the public is also encouraged to nominate their own personal champion(s), by logging into the Champions Boston Facebook page (Keyword: Champions Boston). Selected nominees will be added to the ‘Wall of Champions' before the restaurant opens.
In addition to the new Champions Sports Bar & Restaurant, the Boston Marriott Copley Place is also undergoing an extensive renovation that includes a new lobby Great Room, luxury suites, and health and fitness facilities, as well as two additional first-floor meeting rooms, a redesigned front desk area, and an expanded Starbucks® coffee bar. Plasma television screens placed into the 'Wall of Champions' also promote messages about the hotel's overall, extensive reinvention program.
» Back to Press Releases |
