Quigley Goes “Undercover” at the Marriott Hotel in Oak Brook

CHICAGO – Yesterday, U.S. Representative Mike Quigley (IL-05) worked at the Chicago Oak Brook Marriott Hotel as part of his Undercover Congressman series. Donning a company uniform, Rep. Quigley worked with the catering and housekeeping staffs to better understand the challenges facing employees in the hospitality sector.

"Travel and tourism is one of Illinois' top industries, employing more than 292,000 people and generating $31.7 billion of spending throughout the state each year," said Rep. Quigley. "Working alongside the dedicated employees at the Chicago Oak Brook Marriott gave me unique insight into the tremendous effort it takes to keep this industry humming. In Congress, I will continue pushing for expansion of the Visa Waiver Program, which would increase international travel, create jobs and drive valuable tourism revenue to our area."

Rep. Quigley worked with Executive Chef Robert Sikkila and the catering team to prepare frisee and arugula salad with grilled peaches and prosciutto and lemon thyme chicken with fingerling potatoes and sweet corn hash.

Rep. Quigley learns how to properly prepare a dish from Marriott's Executive Chef, Robert Sikkila.

He later worked with the housekeeping team to clean one of the hotel's 350 rooms. Employee Shirley explained that she cleans an average of 16 rooms each day and showed him how to make a bed in just four minutes. Congressman Quigley made an identical bed, but it took fifteen minutes.

Rep. Quigley learns housekeeping procedures from Shirley, a Marriott employee of 20 years.

"We appreciate the time that Congressman Quigley is willing to dedicate to learning more about our business and our associates. By working together, we both can better serve our local business partners, our residents and community overall," said Martin Schooley, Oak Brook Marriott's General Manager.

Marriott International, Inc. (NYSE: MAR) is a leading lodging company based in Bethesda, Maryland, USA, with more than 3,800 properties in 72 countries and territories. The Oak Brook location has 177 full-time employees and Marriott's average employee tenure is 30 years.

Rep. Quigley is an original sponsor of the Jobs Originating through Launching Travel (JOLT) Act, a bipartisan initiative designed to create jobs, reform outdated visa laws, and increase national security. He recently held a roundtable with local small business owners and travel and tourism representatives to discuss the economic benefits of travel in the Chicago area.

Since taking office in 2009, Rep. Quigley has performed a wide range of jobs in his Undercover Congressman series, including delivering mail and pizzas, icing cakes at Dinkel's Bakery, cleaning pens as a zookeeper at the Lincoln Park Zoo, and picking up garbage and recycling with sanitation departments.