DOWNERS GROVE–Had to laugh when I read the article (“What’s the magic word?” Feb. 18). It made me feel better to know I wasn’t the only one frustrated by passwords! Just before I read your article, I was trying to figure out how best to organize them. I was thinking of creating my own password address book, a very thin one that I could paste onto the bottom (underside) of my file drawer. A low-tech idea. Learned that from the TV show “Jag.”
Another trick from my childhood mystery books: Use invisible ink in an address book.
— Arley Harriman
The art of lodging
NEW YORK–I recently read your article in the Feb. 9 edition of the Chicago Tribune entitled, “Inn Style; Hotels Preserve Individual Flair of Grand Old Chicago Buildings.” The lead referenced Courtyard by Marriott properties as “cookie-cutter hotels … that destroy that priceless thing called urban character.”
As it was with great pleasure that you revealed how Chicago is “bucking the national trend of look-alike lodgings,” it is with equal enthusiasm that I share with you how Courtyard by Marriott also is playing a role in the pro-preservation movement.
This moderately priced lodging brand is contributing to urban revitalization by restoring historically significant buildings and converting them to new Courtyard hotels in cities across the U.S. Courtyard is working closely with historical preservation organizations and downtown revitalization groups in each city to ensure that the conversions maintain the architectural integrity of the building and enhances the surrounding neighborhood.
Courtyard has converted 12 historic buildings thus far, including banks, warehouses, an industrial supply building and a molasses factory (in Washington D.C., Philadelphia, New York, New Orleans, Fort Worth, Houston, San Diego, Omaha, Nashville and Denver). These conversions allow the brand to establish a presence in more center city locations while showcasing some of the nation’s most valued architecture. Courtyard will continue to search for additional renovation projects in key cities across the country.
— Susan H. Peters
