As much as our owners appreciate their Marathon Coaches for their comfort and luxury, they value them equally, if not more, for their innovative functionality and versatility.
Form follows function has always been the mantra that drives Marathon's talented engineers, designers and artisans, and that philosophy is brought to life in virtually feature and option available on a Marathon Coach.
Top Left: Marathon Coach #1309 Bunks, Top Right: Marathon Coach #1309 Bunks-to-Wardrobe
Just one example of this is Marathon's bunk-to-wardrobe conversion feature, an option whose popularity among owners has grown tremendously since its introduction. Just as the name implies, this innovation enables owners to convert a roomy closet into two comfortable bunks, and vice versa, of course, at the touch of a button. The bunks are large enough to accommodate adults and feature comfortable mattresses, roomy under-bed storage, soft ambient lighting and individual privacy shades.
Top Left: Marathon Coach #1396 Convertable Bunks with Keypad, Top Right: Adjusting Hanger Bar in Wardrobe
"The dual functionality of this feature is extremely popular among owners, especially those who want to travel with kids, grandkids or friends," explains Marathon's Director of Product Development Jay Graham. "And, of course, if owners are travelling without guests, they have access to a spacious six-foot closet to stow clothes and other items."
Converting bunks to a wardrobe or the other way around takes less than 60 seconds, Graham adds. "The most time anyone would take completing the conversion would be putting their clothes on the hanger bar."
Top Images: Utilization of the Wardrobe in Marathon Coach #1396
While the bunks-to-wardrobe feature has been an option for Marathon Coach buyers since 2013, the original idea for it can be traced to several years before it. In fact, the feature was first made an option in 1997. It just wasn't a terribly functional option, says Graham, who has been with Marathon for 37 years.
Top Image: Marathon Coach #541 Bunks
"Our original convertible bunk feature was used in Coach #541. (For perspective, Marathon has completed almost 900 coach conversions since then.) It took about a day and a box full of tools to make the conversion," Graham says with a laugh. "So, the concept didn't gain any steam, but we always thought it had value. We knew a lot of our owners had grandkids and we figured they'd welcome having a couple extra bunks in their coach so they could travel with them. But if they had to give up storage space for bunks, we figured it wouldn't be as useful of an option."
But as Marathon's team members have proved over and over, where there's a good idea and the will to bring it to life, there's a way to make it happen. In 2012, they set to work on a solution that would meet their own high standards for elegance and functionality, and only a year later their innovative bunk-to-wardrobe feature was installed for the owner of coach #1213.
Since then, its popularity has grown dramatically.
"This feature is a big part of our business now," Graham says. "Since 2013, our owners have requested this option in about 22 percent of the coaches we've produced. There are still a lot of owners who only want the bunks or who only want the wardrobe because they think that's all they will ever use. But there are many others who, even if they think that, will opt for the bunk-to-wardrobe feature because of what it can add to the resale value."
Top Images: Marathon Coach #1396 Full Wardrobe
Graham says the countless innovations that have been dreamed up to benefit Marathon owners since he was hired in 1988 is one of the primary reasons he's found inspiration at work on a daily basis for nearly four decades.
"If you like to create things like this really fun and great product, you can't beat working here," Graham says. "There's never a dull moment, and if you ask anybody else who works here, they will say the same thing."
Watch our Bunks-to-Wardrobe Video to see this feature in action!
