CASCADE TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WOOD) — Hotel and local leaders held a ribbon cutting Thursday for the reopening of the Sheraton by Marriott Grand Rapids Airport Hotel.

The hotel, located at 5700 28th St. near Kraft Avenue in Cascade Township, was first opened in 1980 as the Marriott Inn Grand Rapids Airport. It was eventually sold, but has since undergone renovations and is now back under the Marriott umbrella.

Celebrating the reopening was Marriott International Chairman David Marriott, whose father was at the first ribbon-cutting ceremony back in 1980.

“It’s really fun to welcome back a property into the Marriott family and particularly one that back in 1980 my father was present for the ribbon-cutting,” he said at the celebration. “I know that he has great memories of that day. I told him I was coming back to the hotel as we rebrand it as a Sheraton and he was thrilled.”

Following the ribbon-cutting ceremony, he spoke with News 8 about travel trends he has noticed since the pandemic.

“I think that people are blending work with leisure travel as well now, which is really exciting. So people are extending their stays, they’re getting their business done, then they’re traveling with maybe family members and extending through the weekend to enjoy some time away from home,” he said. “I think through the pandemic, everybody got really cooped up and people are back on the road.”

The hotel offers a restaurant — &More and Solace — along with a pool, a fitness center, a shuttle to the Gerald R. Ford International Airport and other amenities. For more information, go to marriott.com.