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Marriott International

From Alfawiki
Marriott International, Inc.
Company typePublic
IndustryHospitality
PredecessorMarriott Corporation (hospitality division)
Founded1993; 33 years ago (1993)
FounderJ. Willard Marriott, Alice Marriott
Headquarters
Bethesda, Maryland
,
United States
Area served
Worldwide (144 countries)
Key people
Anthony Capuano (CEO), David Marriott (Chairman)
ProductsHotels, residential accommodations, timeshare properties
Number of employees
226,500 (2016)
Websitewww.marriott.com

Marriott International, Inc. is a global American corporation engaged in operating, franchising, and licensing a variety of lodging brands, including hotels, residential accommodations, and timeshare properties. The company manages more than 37 distinct hotel and timeshare brands, encompassing approximately 9,000 locations and 1.6 million rooms worldwide as of 2023. Based in Bethesda, Maryland, Marriott International emerged as the successor to the hospitality division of the original Marriott Corporation, which was founded by J. Willard Marriott (1900–1985) and Alice Marriott (1907–2000).

Profile

Marriott International holds the position as the largest hotel company globally by room availability, operating 36 brands across 9,361 properties that collectively offer 1,706,331 rooms in 144 countries. Among these properties, Marriott directly manages 1,981 without ownership, franchises 7,192 to independent hospitality operators, and owns and manages 51 locations. The corporation also runs 20 reservation centers worldwide.

Established in 1993 following the division of Marriott Corporation, Marriott International concentrates on property franchising and management, while Host Marriott Corporation (currently Host Hotels & Resorts) retains ownership of real estate assets. Reflecting the founders’ heritage as missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, hotel rooms provide guests with copies of the Book of Mormon alongside the Bible.

Founding and early years

The origins of Marriott Corporation date back to 1927 when entrepreneur J. Willard Marriott and his wife Alice launched a root beer stand in Washington, D.C. After completing his studies at The University of Utah and responding to demand for refreshments in the city’s humid climate, Marriott franchised an A&W Root Beer outlet. To maintain business beyond the summer months, they introduced food service under the name Hot Shoppes, which expanded rapidly. By 1932, the couple owned seven Hot Shoppes locations within the D.C. region. In 1953, Hot Shoppes, Inc. became a publicly traded company through an initial public offering.

The first hotel opened by the company was the Marriott Motor Hotel in Arlington, Virginia on January 16, 1957, with rates set at $9 per night plus $1 for each additional guest. A second hotel followed in 1959 and remained operational until July 2021. In 1967, Hot Shoppes was rebranded as Marriott Corporation.

Diversifying beyond lodging services, Marriott purchased Greece-based Sun Line cruise line in 1972 and managed it until its sale in 1987. In 1976, it launched two theme parks called Marriott's Great America located in California and Illinois but divested these assets by 1984 to concentrate on core hospitality activities.

The company has encountered criticism related to animal welfare practices concerning its use of eggs sourced from caged hens across its global operations and has been slow to transition fully to cage-free eggs.

Marriott International

Following the split of Marriott Corporation into two separate businesses in 1993, Marriott International was created to focus on property management and franchising while Host Marriott Corporation (now Host Hotels & Resorts) retained ownership of physical assets.

In 1995, Marriott became an industry pioneer by introducing online hotel reservations. That same year it acquired a 49% interest in The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, investing approximately $200 million to improve sales performance and profitability for this luxury brand. By 1998, Marriott had achieved majority control over The Ritz-Carlton and utilized its reservation infrastructure and purchasing power to expand this brand further into markets such as timeshares.

In 1997, Marriott broadened its brand portfolio by acquiring Renaissance Hotels and Ramada from Chow Tai Fook Group and New World Development respectively; it also entered the residential cleaning sector through HomeSolutions. The company divested its Ramada stake in 2004.

During the early 2000s, Marriott faced various legal disputes involving allegations of extortion, bribery, and breach of contract linked to vendor relations and management fees. Additionally, some of its hotels were targets of attacks in the years 2003, 2008, and 2009.

In 2010, Marriott announced an ambitious plan to add over 600 hotels by 2015 with a focus on emerging markets including India, China, and Southeast Asia. By 2011 it had ceased offering adult movies on entertainment systems at new properties.

Before launching his presidential campaign, Mitt Romney received director fees from Marriott while serving on its board; subsequent reports scrutinized his oversight during periods when Marriott confronted tax-related legal challenges.

In a leadership transition during 2012, Bill Marriott moved from CEO to executive chairman while appointing Arne Sorenson as CEO. Later that year in December, JW Marriott Marquis Dubai earned recognition as the tallest hotel worldwide.

Legal challenges persisted with lawsuits concerning labor practices; notably in 2014 Marriott was fined $600,000 by the FCC for illegal Wi-Fi interference at its Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center—a controversy that drew criticism over high Wi-Fi charges.

Strategic acquisitions have been instrumental for growth: acquiring Canadian Delta Hotels in 2015 made Marriott Canada’s largest full-service hotel operator; then completing a $13 billion purchase of Starwood Hotels & Resorts in 2016 created the world’s largest hotel company with more than 5,700 properties globally.

In November 2018, Marriott revealed a significant data breach impacting up to 383 million guests; investigations linked this cyberattack to Chinese intelligence agencies. Regulatory authorities in both the UK and Australia imposed fines and enforcement actions due to security lapses.

Between 2019 and 2021, U.S.-based investigations and class-action lawsuits addressed undisclosed resort fees charged by Marriott. In December 2019 it acquired Elegant Hotels located in Barbados.

A subsequent data breach affecting approximately 5.2 million customers was disclosed in early 2020. Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact—with occupancy rates plummeting as low as 31%—Marriott implemented enhanced sanitation protocols. That year it sold Delano Las Vegas to MGM Resorts International along with VICI Properties.

Following Arne Sorenson’s death from pancreatic cancer in February 2021, Anthony Capuano assumed the CEO role.

Later in 2021, Marriott attracted criticism after declining to host a Uyghur conference at one of its Prague venues citing political neutrality concerns.

In August 2022, Marriott moved its workforce into a newly constructed $600 million headquarters campus based in Bethesda, Maryland.

In early 2023 Polish authorities initiated a criminal investigation into allegations that Marriott engaged in fraudulent conduct against a Warsaw hotel owner during COVID-19 by unfairly reallocating maintenance expenses and blocking alternative contracts unless additional payments were made.

Also during 2023, Marriott expanded into affordable midscale segments through acquiring Mexican hotelier Hoteles City Express while launching budget extended-stay brand StudioRes alongside an extension of Four Points Express.

In August 2024, Marriott entered into a long-term licensing agreement with Sonder adding over 10,500 rooms to its portfolio while integrating loyalty programs.

By December 2024 its luxury W Hotels brand debuted W Las Vegas.

In April 2025 Marriott announced plans to acquire Dutch-based Citizen M for $355 million aiming to bolster its "affordable luxury" offerings; this acquisition remains subject to regulatory approval.

Senior leadership

From its inception in 1927 until 2012, Marriott's top executive positions were exclusively occupied by family members. In 2012, Arne Sorenson became the company's first CEO from outside the family, a precedent that continued with Anthony Capuano assuming the role in 2021. Presently, members of the Marriott family hold the chairman position, while the CEO role is fulfilled by non-family executives.

Chairmen
  1. J. Willard Marriott (1927–1985)
  2. Bill Marriott (1985–2022)
  3. David Marriott (since May 2022)
Chief executives
  1. J. Willard Marriott (1927–1972)
  2. Bill Marriott (1972–2012)
  3. Arne Sorenson (2012–2021)
  4. Anthony Capuano (since February 2021)

Business figures

Sales by region (2023)
Region Sales in billion $ Share
United States & Canada 17.7 74.6%
International 4.5 18.8%
Unallocated Corporate and Other 1.6 6.6%
... (remaining years continue similarly with key financials and employee counts)
Year Revenue Net income Total assets Employees
Millions of USD ($)
2005 11,129 669 8,530 143,000
2006 11,995 608 8,588 150,600
2007 12,990 696 8,942 151,000
2008 12,879 362 8,903 146,000
2009 10,908
7,933 137,000
2010 11,691 458 8,983 129,000
2011 12,317 198 5,910 120,000
2012 11,814 571 6,342 127,000
2013 12,784 626 6,794 123,000
2014 13,796 753 6,833 123,500
2015 14,486 859 6,082 127,500
2016 15,407 808 24,140 226,500

Environment

For the fiscal year ending December 2020, Marriott International recorded total CO2e emissions amounting to 5,166 kilotonnes—a decrease of 24.1% compared to the previous year—and has set a goal to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Year Dec 2017 Dec 2018 Dec 2019 Dec 2020
CO2e Emissions (kt)
6,238 6,836 6,809 5,166

This data underscores Marriott’s dedication to environmentally responsible operations consistent with its corporate social responsibility objectives.

Animal welfare

Marriott International initially pledged in 2013 to remove battery cage eggs and gestation crates from its supply chain by 2015; however, this objective was not achieved. After advocacy efforts from The Humane League and the Open Wing Alliance, Marriott revised its commitment in 2018 to procure exclusively cage-free eggs worldwide by 2025. As of 2024, only 42.04% of the eggs sourced by Marriott are cage-free—a figure that has attracted criticism from animal rights organizations such as Mercy for Animals and the International Council for Animal Welfare.

Loyalty program

Introduced in February 2019, Marriott Bonvoy consolidated the former loyalty schemes Marriott Rewards, Ritz-Carlton Rewards, and Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) into a unified program. SPG had been established in 1999 and was notable for features like no blackout dates and online redemption options. In 2012 it introduced lifetime status tiers and assigned dedicated ambassadors for its most loyal members. Launched in 2010, Ritz-Carlton Rewards enabled members to accumulate points or airline miles during stays. Despite certain membership limitations, points could be earned across both Marriott and Ritz-Carlton properties—strengthening customer loyalty and encouraging cross-brand engagement.

Awards

  • In November 2020, Marriott earned a spot among the "Top 75 Companies for Executive Women," as recognized by Working Mother.
  • By June 2022, the International Hospitality Institute included Marriott on its Global 100 in Hospitality list, highlighting the 100 Most Influential Figures in Worldwide Hospitality.

Overview

As of 2024, Marriott International manages a diverse portfolio of hotels and resorts worldwide under various brand categories:

Luxury

Premium

Select

Longer Stays

The Luxury Collection

The Luxury Collection represents Marriott’s upscale "soft brand," often featuring properties located in historic structures such as palaces. The brand also offers exclusive luxury travel accessories available through its online platform.

History

Introduced on January 13, 1992, initially named the ITT Sheraton Luxury Collection, it comprised 28 high-end hotels and 33 Sheraton Towers. Following ITT Sheraton’s acquisition of a controlling interest in CIGA, a prestigious Italian hotel group, in 1994, most CIGA hotels were incorporated into The Luxury Collection. While the original CIGA emblem was retained until 2010, each property now maintains its own distinct branding.

During the 2010s, the brand undertook significant expansion across Asia, with a particular focus on China, and committed $700 million toward refurbishing properties starting in 2015. In 2014, Danish supermodel Helena Christensen was appointed as brand ambassador to reinforce its luxury positioning and support global growth initiatives.

Animal welfare controversy

In 2013, Marriott International committed to eliminating inhumane factory farming practices by banning the use of cages for hens and pregnant pigs. Although the company missed its initial goal set for 2015, it reiterated its pledge to procure only cage-free eggs worldwide by the close of 2025. Despite some advancements reported in certain markets, as of 2025 Marriott is notably behind schedule on this objective, attracting renewed criticism from animal rights organizations such as Mercy For Animals. This nonprofit has pointed out the company’s limited progress and lack of a definitive rollout plan, raising doubts about Marriott’s ability to fulfill its commitment.

In May 2025, Mercy For Animals disclosed that Marriott had attempted to hinder activist efforts monitoring its cage-free egg promises, including efforts to remove critical websites. Animal welfare advocates continue organizing protests at various Marriott properties and events involving senior executives globally, intensifying public scrutiny. Marriott’s forceful reactions to these demonstrations and failure to provide transparent action plans have further fueled concerns regarding its dedication to ethical sourcing throughout its supply chain.

This ongoing controversy affects Marriott’s corporate image and prompts questions about leadership effectiveness in sustainable procurement—a vital component of its business strategy and influence within the hospitality sector.

Great America parks

Marriott was responsible for creating three theme parks, successfully launching two: Marriott's Great America in Santa Clara, California and Marriott's Great America in Gurnee, Illinois. Plans for a third location near Washington D.C. were abandoned due to opposition from local residents. Marriott managed these parks from 1976 until 1984, showcasing themes centered on American history with sections such as "Carousel Plaza," "Hometown Square," "The Great Midwest Livestock Exposition At County Fair," "Yankee Harbor," "Yukon Territory," and "Orleans Place." Initially, both parks shared very similar designs and layouts.

In 1984, Marriott divested its theme park operations. The Gurnee property was purchased by Six Flags Entertainment Corporation and continues to operate as Six Flags Great America. Meanwhile, the Santa Clara site was sold first to the City of Santa Clara and subsequently to Kings Entertainment Company, which rebranded as Paramount Parks in 1993. Between 1993 and 2006, it operated under the name Paramount's Great America. Following Cedar Fair Entertainment Company's acquisition of Paramount Parks in 2006, the Santa Clara park was renamed California's Great America, its current identity. Since these transactions, the two parks have evolved independently, resulting in distinct differences in their configurations. In 2024, the merger of Cedar Fair and Six Flags unified both parks under a single corporate entity.

See also

Further reading

External links

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