When I first set foot in Blacksburg in 1970 this hotel sat out on Prices Fork Lane mostly by itself. The road was just a regular old 2 lane road and there was no other commercialism (that I recall) in the immediate vicinity. The hotel was across from the Tech golf course.
The Marriott got to be a hangout for many of us, especially when we were of legal drinking age. Their lounge was called Jacob's Lantern and their famous house drink was the Jumpin' Jack Flash. The cocktail menu suggested you book a room if you had more than 3 ..... can't remember the different liquors that went into that concoction!
At some point in time I remember going to the seafood buffet they had every week, but mostly we went there to get hammered on something other than beer.
Or as we came to call it later... "The Rot!"
ReplyDeleteAs I recall, the seafood buffet was all you could eat for $5.
ReplyDeletePlayed there for many a five-night residency...all staff were great people, it was always a lot of fun!
ReplyDeleteOpened 1973-- changed to Four Points by Sheraton 1996 then later to Holiday Inn. Torn down around 2015 and 2 smaller but taller hotels were built plus restaurants, small businesses and CVS. A very different place now.
ReplyDeleteAww Man... that’s progress I suppose, but can’t erase the memories though. It was a step-up from After Sundown that was downtown.
DeleteUnfortunately, The Marriott is what caused my mother to close her business at The Campus Inn. We moved just after they opened...put us out of business. But my life is just the way it is supposed to be...and James Creekmore..the artful lawyer, brought life into my home again.
ReplyDeleteFirst time I dropped out of Tech I worked for the Blacksburg mall and Marriott doing maintenance and cutting grass. The waitresses at the Marriott always cut me slack on drink prices and the Budweiser truck driver would sell cases of longnecks off the truck for $6.85 a case on Fridays.
ReplyDeleteHung out having fun for a year before going back to school.
Played quite a few weeklies there in the lounge; manager Jack Sharlow was a great guy. Always treated well there, sad to learn that it’s gone.
ReplyDeletefyi Jumping Jack Flash was released in 1968. For certain. It blasted out of the dashboard speaker in Daddy's Ford Galaxie 500 Convertible as we cruised down Canal Road summer evening into Georgetown. PS I lived on Progress Street in 1970. One block from the Hokie House
ReplyDeletei was at Tech 1978-82 - we loved going to New Wave night at the Marriott; i believe i remember it was on Wednesdays.
ReplyDelete