We have had a few panic emails hit our inbox as news of this spreads through the internet to out of town brides. The South Bend Marriott by the end of the year will not be called a Marriott because the corporation is not renewing their franchise contract with the property owners. That does not mean the hotel property that is now called the Marriott is closing it’s doors, the hotel will still be there.
This isn’t surprising news frankly, the media is apparently trying to sensationalize it a little bit with the feigned ignorance of the previous announcement that permeates their articles. Last December the city of South Bend invested over 6 Million into the buildings there. At the time it was announced that Marriott wasn’t expected to renew the franchise and as part of the investment contract the owners of the property were required to find another upscale hotel franchise to bring in to replace. The media is really just repeating what they already had told us months ago. The one new wrinkle in the story is that the owners have evidently put the property up for sale. However the media is reporting that the contract requirements to stay open, to overhaul the facilities and get a new upscale franchise in place will pass onto the new owners.

So if you have blocked out rooms or reserved the reception venue for your wedding, in my opinion from the information out there, the property will still be there, just not under the name Marriott after the end of the year. There is no reason to panic. However when these things happen you are usually guaranteed a changeover in staff, so don’t be surprised if suddenly the people you have been planning with are suddenly gone.