J.W. Marriott, Jr. is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Marriott International, Inc., one of the world’s largest lodging companies. His leadership spans more than 50 years, and he has taken Marriott from a family restaurant business to a global lodging company with more than 2,800 properties in 68 countries and territories.
Mr. Marriott’s vision for the company is to be the world’s leading provider of hospitality services. It is grounded in his intense focus on taking care of the guest, extensive operational knowledge, the development of a highly skilled and diverse workforce, and offering the best portfolio of lodging brands in the industry. Under his leadership, Marriott continues to enjoy strong customer, owner and franchise preference, steady growth and profitability.
Known throughout the industry for his hands-on management style, Mr. Marriott has built a highly regarded culture that emphasizes the importance of Marriott’s people and recognizes the value they bring to the organization. Marriott International’s “spirit to serve” culture is based on a business philosophy 80 years ago by his parents, J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott – “Take care of the associate, and they’ll take care of the guest.” Today, approximately 151,000 Marriott associates are serving guests throughout the world.
Marriott International is also well known as a great place to work and for its commitment to diversity and community service. It has consistently been named to Fortune’s lists of most admired companies, best places to work and top companies for minorities.
At an early age, Mr. Marriott developed a passion for the business and worked in a variety of positions in the Hot Shoppes restaurant chain during his high school and college years. He joined the company full-time in 1956 and soon afterward, took over management of Marriott’s first hotel. Mr. Marriott became executive vice president of the company, then its president, in 1964. He was elected chief executive officer in 1972, and chairman of the board in 1985.
Regarded as a lodging innovator, Mr. Marriott began shifting the company in the late 1970s from hotel ownership to property management and franchising. His strategic decision allowed the company to accelerate its growth and broaden its leadership position. That transformation culminated in the company’s split into Marriott International, a hotel management and franchising company, headed by Mr. Marriott, and Host Marriott International, a hotel ownership company chaired by his younger brother, Richard Marriott.
Mr. Marriott has also worked to compile a family of 18 lodging brands that range from limited service to full service luxury hotels that meet the needs of any traveler. Today, the company manages and franchises hotels and resorts under the Marriott, JW Marriott, Renaissance, Bulgari, The Ritz-Carlton, Courtyard, Residence Inn, SpringHill Suites, TownePlace Suites, and Fairfield Inn brand names; develops and operates vacation ownership resorts under the Marriott Vacation Club International, The Ritz-Carlton Club, Grand Residences by Marriott, and Horizons brands; operates Marriott Executive Apartments; provides furnished corporate housing through its Marriott ExecuStay division; operates conference centers; and manages golf courses.
Mr. Marriott serves as a director of the United States Naval Academy Foundation. He serves on the Board of Trustees of the National Geographic Society and The J. Willard & Alice S. Marriott Foundation and is a member of the Executive Committee of the World Travel & Tourism Council and the National Business Council. Mr. Marriott is Chairman of the President’s Export Council, a presidential advisory committee on export trade, and he serves on the U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board (TTAB) and on the Secure Borders Open Doors Advisory Committee (SBODAC). In addition, he serves as Chairman of the Leadership Council of the Laura Bush Foundation for America’s Libraries.
Mr. Marriott attended St. Albans School in Washington, D.C., earned a B.S. degree in banking and finance from the University of Utah and served as an officer in the United States Navy. He is an active member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter‑Day Saints. He is married to the former Donna Garff. They have four children and 14 grandchildren.
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J.W. Marriott, Jr.
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"I want our associates to know that there really is a guy named Marriott who cares about them…"
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