Jay Marsella Mr. Jay Marsella has joined the Marriott Marquis Houston as director of sales and marketing. In his role, Marsella oversees all sales and marketing efforts for the 1,000 room hotel and is tasked with driving pre- and post-opening momentum for the Marquis brand in Houston. For the past 25 years, Marsella has held leadership positions within Marriott, most recently serving for the past six years as director of sales and marketing at the Fort Lauderdale Marriott Harbor Beach Resort & Spa. Other senior positions within the company include director of sales at the Doral Golf Resort & Spa, and director of sales and marketing for The Ritz-Carlton Palm Beach and Atlanta Evergreen Marriott Conference Resort. Considered a bold new icon of downtown Houston, the 1,000 room Marriott Marquis addresses the shortage of hotel rooms in the city and is poised to attract larger conferences to Houston and deliver renewed economic development to downtown. Opening in January 2017, the property is connected via skybridge to the George R. Brown Convention Center and is only the sixth property in the U.S. to carry the Marriott Marquis designation, which is reserved for large convention hotels of unique design in the center of gateway cities.