History of Marriott Hotel

[abadani69]

1927: J. Willard Marriott marries Alice Sheets in Salt Lake City, Utah, and moves to Washington DC with his new bride. That spring, J. Willard and Alice open a nine-stool A&W Root Beer stand, which they later call "The Hot Shoppe."
Winter 1927/1928: Hot Mexican food items are added to the menu.
1929: Hot Shoppes, Inc., officially incorporated. Invents curb service.
1934: Hot Shoppes expands to Baltimore, Maryland.
1937: Airline catering business begins at Hoover Field (currently site of the Pentagon). The division is named "In-Flite Catering" and serves Capital, Eastern, and American Airlines.
1939: Marriott lands its first food-service management contract with the U.S. Treasury.
During World War II, Hot Shoppes feeds thousands of workers who move to the nation's capital to work in the defense industry.
1945: The 1st Hot Shoppes cafeteria is established at McLean Gardens, Washington DC; Hot Shoppes lands its first government feeding contract; In-Flite lands its first airport terminal food-service contract at Miami International Airport.
1953: Marriott stock becomes public at $10.25/share and sells out in two hours.
1955: Marriott Food Service lands its first institutional and school feeding contracts at Children's Hospital and American University; Marriott's Highway Division opens several Hot Shoppes on the New Jersey Turnpike.
1957: Marriott opens its 1st hotel, the 365-room Twin Bridges Motor Hotel in Arlington, Virginia.
1964: J.W. Marriott, Jr., is named President.
1965: Marriott Foundation established.
1967: Corporate name is changed from Hot Shoppes, Inc., to Marriott Corporation; the company opens Fairfield Farm Kitchens, a food production and purchasing facility in Beaver Heights, Maryland; In-Flite opens a facility in Venezuela; Marriott acquires Camelback Inn, its first resort property; and buys Bob's Big Boy Restaurants.
1969: Marriott's 1st international hotel opens in Acapulco, Mexico.
1972: J.W. Marriott, Jr., is named CEO.
1973: The company obtains its first hotel-management contracts.
1975: Marriott opens its 1st European hotel in Amsterdam, Holland.
1976: The company opens two theme parks, both called "Great America," located in Santa Clara, California, and Gurnee, Illinois.
1977: The company celebrates its 50th anniversary; sales top $1 billion.
1979: A new corporate headquarters is built in Bethesda, Maryland.
1981: 100th hotel opens in Hawaii.
1982: The company acquires Host International, Inc.
1982: Marriott acquires Gino's and converts to Roy Rogers.
1983: 1st Courtyard hotel opens.
1984: Marriott enters the vacation time-share and senior-living markets.
1985: J.Willard Marriott, Sr., passes away; Marriott Distribution Center opens in Savage, Maryland.
1987: Marriott acquires Residence Inn Company and enters the lower-moderate lodging segment with Fairfield Inn.
1989: 500th hotel opens in Warsaw, Poland. Bridges: Marriott Foundation for People with Disabilities established.
1990: Pathways to Independence: Marriott's Welfare to Work Program established.
1993: The company splits into Marriott International and Host Marriott Corporation.
1995: Marriott acquires the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, LLC.
1997: Marriott acquires the Renaissance Hotel Group and introduces TownePlace Suites, Fairfield Suites, and Marriott Executive Residences brands.
1998: 1,500th hotel opens; sales reach $8 billion; Sodexho Alliance acquires Marriott's food-service and facilities-management businesses; Marriott acquires 98% of the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, LLC.
1999: Marriott acquires the ExecuStay corporate housing company.
2000: The 2,000th Marriott property opens in Tampa, Florida.
2002: Marriott celebrates its 75th anniversary. The company now has over 2,300 hotels, 156 Senior Living Services Communities, 200,000 associates, and operations in 63 countries and territories with annual sales of $20 billion.
2002: Marriott announces the sale/spinoff of its Senior Living Services Communities and Marriott Distribution Services.
2002: Marriott opens its 500th extended-stay hotel, representing a total of 400 Residence Inns and 100 TownePlace Suites.
2002: Fairfield Inn opens its 500th hotel in Rogers, Arkansas.
2002: Marriott opens its 2,500th hotel worldwide, with the completion of the 950-room JW Marriott Desert Ridge Resort & Spa in Phoenix, Arizona.
2002: Marriott has increased its North American market share to 8%.
2003: Marriott revenues totals $9 billion in 2003 and $476 million in gross profits. Marriott added more than 31,000 rooms and timeshare units in 2003, bringing the global system to 2,718 hotels and timeshare units (490,564 rooms).
2003: Marriott completes the sale of its Senior Living Service Communities and Marriott Distribution Services.
2003: Courtyard opens its 500th hotel in Minneapolis Downtown.
2003: SpringHill Suites opens its 100th hotel in Dallas-Addison, Texas.
2004: Ramada International opens 200th hotel in Amsterdam.
2004: Marriott revenues totaled $10 billion in 2004 and $594 million in net income. Marriott added more than 24,000 rooms and timeshare units in 2004, bringing the global system to 2,632 hotels and timeshare units (484,690 rooms).
2004: Marriott Execustay hits the 30-market franchise mark, broadens reach through new agreements in Southern California, St. Louis, and Wisconsin.
2004: MARSHA celebrates 20 years of successful service.
2004: Ramada International opens 200th hotel in Amsterdam.
2004: 500,000th room opens in London, located at the West India Quay Marriott Hotel in the Canary Wharf district of London.
2004: Marriott Rewards welcomes their 20,000,000th member.
2004: Marriott Vacation Club International celebrates their 20th anniversary.
2005: Marriott announces the sale of Ramada International hotels.
2005: Marriott and Whitbread completed transaction, forming a 50/50 joint venture to acquire Whitbread's portfolio of 46 franchised Marriott and Renaissance hotels of over 8,000 rooms. As part of the joint venture agreement, Marriott took over management of the hotels, and the joint venture intends to sell them to new owners subject to long-term Marriott management agreements.

[abadani69]

John Willard Marriott was born at Marriott Settlement, Utah, on September 17, 1900, the second of eight children of Hyrum Willard Marriott and Ellen Morris Marriott.

As a youngster, J. Willard -"Bill" - pitched in to raise sugar beets and sheep on the family's small farmstead. He quickly learned to rely on his own judgment and initiative. "My father gave me the responsibility of a man," said Marriott many years later. "He would tell me what he wanted done, but never said much about how to do it. It was up to me to find out for myself."

At age 13, Marriott went into business for himself, enlisting his younger siblings to help raise lettuce on a few fallow acres on the farm. The harvest at summer's end brought $2,000, which Marriott immediately presented to his father. The next year, Hyrum entrusted his eldest son with the sale of a herd of 3,000 sheep, sending the boy and his woolly charges without escort by rail to San Francisco.

As much as Bill loved the open spaces and grandeur of the Rockies, he dreamed of a life beyond the family farm. Without an education, however, his prospects were limited. After completing a two-year mission for the Mormon Church in New England, Marriott returned to Utah in 1921 to pursue a college degree, graduating first from Weber Junior College and then the University of Utah. Tuition money came from assorted jobs, including a regular summer stint selling woolen underwear to lumberjacks in the Pacific Northwest.

While finishing up at the university, Marriott hatched plans for starting a business of his own, thousands of miles away, in the nation's capital. Bill had passed through hot, muggy Washington DC, at the end of his mission and recognized a tailor-made market for A&W Root Beer. He secured the A&W franchise for Washington, DC - plus Baltimore and Richmond - and headed east in the spring of 1927. Marriott and partner Hugh Colton pooled $6,000 to buy equipment and rent space for their tiny operation. On May 20, 1927 - the day aviator Charles Lindbergh began his historic transatlantic solo flight - the duo opened their 9-stool root beer stand at 3128 14th Street, NW.

His fledgling business launched, Marriott raced back to Utah just two weeks later to attend another event that promised to change his life: his wedding to Alice Sheets. On June 9, 1927, one day after Alice graduated from the University of Utah, the pair married in Salt Lake City. The couple's honeymoon consisted of a long, hot, bumpy drive back to Washington DC, in Bill's Model T Ford.

For the next 58 years - until his death in August 1985 - J. Willard Marriott rarely rested. Whether adding locations, perfecting procedures or expanding into new enterprises, Marriott breathed, ate, lived, and dreamed about his business. Even when his older son, J. Willard "Bill" Marriott, Jr., took over most major responsibilities after being named the company's CEO in 1972, the founder could not bring himself to retire. A true hands-on manager, he thoroughly enjoyed visiting Marriott's increasingly far-flung locations, as well as spending time with the ever-growing ranks of associates who - in his eyes - were the secret of his company's success. "Take care of your employees and they'll take care of your customers," he constantly advised Marriott's managers, voicing a deeply held belief that remains the keystone of the company's culture.

The founder's concern for others also extended to church, charity, and country. In addition to tithing and holding leadership positions in the Mormon Church, Bill gave both time and money to support causes dear to his heart, with a special emphasis on education. He also chaired two presidential inaugural committees and organized a special "Honor America Day" in 1970 at the request of then President Richard M. Nixon.

Sometime before his death at his New Hampshire vacation home on August 13, 1985, J. Willard Marriott summed up the personal philosophy that drove him his entire life: "A man should keep on being constructive, and do constructive things. He should take part in the things that go on in this wonderful world. He should be someone to be reckoned with. He should live life and make every day count, to the very end. Sometimes it's tough. But that's what I'm going to do."

[abadani69]

Alice Sheets Marriott was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, on October 19, 1907, to Alice Taylor and Edwin Spencer Sheets. Edwin, a lawyer and a Bishop in the local stake of the Mormon Church, died in the flu epidemic of 1919 when Alice was only 12. While her widowed mother kept the household together, the young girl applied herself to her studies, entering the University of Utah at age 16.

During her junior year, Alice - or Allie - caught the eye of tall, tow-headed J. Willard Marriott, a graduating senior. "There's the kind of a girl I'd like to marry," confided Marriott to a fellow classmate as Alice strolled by on her way to classes. After a date arranged by a mutual friend, the pair courted steadily for more than a year, but delayed marrying until the day following Alice's graduation with honors at age 19 in June 1927. Immediately following the ceremony, the newlyweds loaded up the groom's Model T Ford with their belongings and set off for Washington DC, where two weeks earlier J. Willard had opened a tiny A&W Root Beer stand.

Alice initially expected to have little to do with her husband's new business. But the bride soon found herself pulled into almost every aspect of the fledging company. Her roles ranged from keeping the books, to gathering recipes for the "Hot Shoppe" menu, to picking out the decor for the company's growing roster of locations. As the Hot Shoppes expanded, she joined J. Willard on his daily round of site visits: "I used to go with him, sit in the car at night, and wait for him. I would be out on the walk and would watch the curb service to see what they were doing."

Although the birth of her two sons, J. Willard, Jr. (1932) and Richard (1939) took Alice away from the day-to-day operations of the company, she remained a vital force behind major decisions and events. A knack for sizing up people and analyzing business concepts proved invaluable as the company grew and diversified. Her long tenure on the board of directors also gave Alice a perspective on the business that only J. Willard himself could match. When her older son Bill, Jr., steered the company toward the hotel business in the 1960s, he had her full support. In 1972, when J. Willard was struggling with the decision to hand off his role as CEO to his son, Alice's soft-spoken but no-nonsense style helped her husband come to terms with passing the baton to the next generation.

In addition to her corporate and family responsibilities, Alice devoted time to a number of civic, charitable and cultural institutions, and causes. She held several high-ranking roles in the Republican party, including treasurer of the national conventions in 1964, 1968, and 1972. Alice was also a trustee of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and served two ten-year terms on its board and its executive and finance committees. She served as a member of the National Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Advisory Council, as well as on the board of the Metropolitan Washington chapter of the Arthritis Foundation, winning the latter's first Lifetime Achievement Award. Other organizations to which she gave time and talent include the National Symphony Orchestra, National Ballet Society and Goodwill Industries Guild, among others. Her personal philosophy of volunteerism is remembered in the Alice S. Marriott Award for Community Service, an honor bestowed annually on a Marriott business unit that exemplifies the volunteer spirit.

Widowed by J. Willard Marriott's death in August 1985, Alice died on April 17, 2000, at the age of 92, the mother of two, grandmother of eight, and great-grandmother of twenty-three.

[abadani69]

J.W. Marriott, Jr.

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 nearly 50 years, and he has taken Marriott from a family restaurant business to a $19 billion global lodging company with 2,700 properties in 70 countries.

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 started 76 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 128,000 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, The Ritz-Carlton, Renaissance, Courtyard, SpringHill Suites, Residence Inn, TownePlace Suites, and Fairfield Inn brands. Marriott also develops and operates vacation ownership resorts, executive apartments and conference centers.

Mr. Marriott serves on the board of directors of Sunrise Assisted Living, the board of trustees of the National Urban League, and is a director of the Naval Academy Endowment Trust and the National Geographic Society. He is a member of the U.S. Travel and Tourism Promotional Advisory Board, a member of the executive committee of the World Travel & Tourism Council and a member of the National Business Council. He is also chairman of the President's Export Council, a presidential advisory committee on export trade, and 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 12 grandchildren.

[abadani69]

Marriott Hotels & Resorts >>
Flagship brand of quality-tier, full-service hotels & resorts
Provides consistent, dependable, and genuinely caring experiences to guests on their terms
482 Marriott Hotels & Resorts locations worldwide; 312 US, 170 international
Features include:
- Fully equipped fitness centers
- Gift shops
- Swimming pools
- Concierge levels
- Business centers
- Meeting facilities
- High-speed Internet access is available at many hotels

JW Marriott Hotels & Resorts >>
Most elegant and luxurious Marriott brand
Provides business and leisure travelers a deluxe level of comfort and personal service on their terms
20 JW Marriott Hotels worldwide; 8 US, 12 international

Renaissance Hotels & Resorts >>
Quality-tier full-service brand providing guests with the ambiance of a boutique
Brand signatures include interior design, a "street" restaurant and savvy service
Features include:
- Business library and center
- Swimming pool
- Fitness centers
- Conference and banquet facilities
137 Renaissance Hotels, Resorts and Suites; 68 US, 69 international

Courtyard by Marriott >>
Moderately priced lodging brand
"Designed by business travelers for business travelers."
This lodging brand has recently increased its number of downtown locations, often through conversions of historical buildings
Features include:
- 80 to 150 guest rooms
- High-speed Internet access
- Restaurant, lounge
- Meeting space
- Central courtyard
- Exercise room
- Swimming pool
- 24-hour access to food
699 Courtyard by Marriott locations worldwide; 637 US, 72 international

Residence Inn by Marriott >>
Designed as "home away from home" for travelers staying 5 or more nights
Residential atmosphere with spacious accommodations
496 Residence Inn by Marriott locations worldwide; 479 US, 17 international
Features include:
- Complimentary hot breakfast
- Evening hospitality hour
- Swimming pool
- Sport Court®
- Personalized grocery shopping
- Daily housekeeping
- Guest suites with separate living and sleeping areas
- Fully equipped kitchen
- Work space with data ports and voicemail

Fairfield Inn by Marriott >>
Consistent, quality lodging at an affordable price
524 Fairfield Inn by Marriott locations worldwide; 519 US, 5 international
Features include:
- Spacious guest rooms
- Daily complimentary continental breakfast
- Swimming pool
- Future plans include a selection of Fairfield Inn & Suites properties
offering exercise rooms and enhanced amenities

Marriott Conference Centers >>
Quality-tier brand specializing in highly effective small- to mid-sized meetings
13 Marriott Conference Centers in the US
Properties provide:
- The latest audiovisual communications technology
- Experiential learning facilities
- Gourmet conference dining
- Golf
- Recreational/fitness venues

TownePlace Suites by Marriott >>
Mid-priced, extended-stay brand
Provides all the conveniences of home in a residential atmosphere
Launched in 1997
122 TownePlace Suites by Marriott locations in the US

SpringHill Suites by Marriott >>
Moderately priced, all-suite lodging brand
Guest suites that are up to 25% larger than standard hotel rooms
Launched in 1998
142 SpringHill Suites by Marriott locations worldwide; 141 US, 1 international
Features include:
- Complimentary continental breakfast
- Self-serve business center
- Indoor pool
- Whirlpool spa
- High-speed internet access
- Exercise room

Marriott Vacation Club International (MVCI) >>
A leading developer and operator of vacation ownership resorts
Average weekly interval price of $26,500
44 resorts around the globe
Features include:
- Spacious living and dining area
- 1-, 2-, and 3-bedroom villas
- Master bedroom and bath with whirlpool spa
- Private balcony
- Kitchen
- Laundry area (depending on location)

Horizons by Marriott Vacation Club >>
Value-oriented vacation ownership resort communities
Fun amenities and activities for the entire family
Average weekly interval price is $15,000
Features include:
- Roomy and functional 2-bedroom, 2-bath villas
- Family-friendly living and dining areas
- Private balcony
- "Everything but food" kitchen
- Washer and dryer
Two locations: Orlando, Florida and Branson, Missouri

The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C. >>
Worldwide symbol for the finest in accommodations, dining, and service
Twice a recipient of the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award
60 Ritz-Carlton hotels and resorts locations worldwide; 35 US, 25 international
Hotels and resorts offer signature service amenities
- Fine dining
- 24-hour room service
- Twice-daily housekeeping
- Fitness centers
- Business centers
- Concierge services

The Ritz-Carlton Club >>
Exclusive collection of deeded, fractional ownership residences in highly desirable resort destinations
Exclusive to members and their guests
3- to 5-week ownership fractions range from $144,000 to $545,000
Destinations include:
- Aspen, Colorado
- Bachelor Gulch, Colorado
- Jupiter, Florida
- St. Thomas, U.S.V.I.
Future planned locations include:
- Kapalua Bay, Maui, Hawaii
- North Lake Tahoe, California
- San Francisco, California
- South Beach, Florida

Marriott ExecuStay
Fully furnished corporate housing to executives and travelers who need temporary accommodations for a month or longer
Features include:
- Well-maintained properties in convenient locations
- Flexible lease terms and options
- Consistently high level of service
- Competitive pricing
Individually selected, attractively furnished and customized to satisfy each individual's needs
ExecuStay apartments are managed in 45 major markets

Marriott Executive Apartments >>
Corporate housing brand designed to meet the needs of business executives on an overseas assignment of 30 days or more
Offer travelers residential accommodations with hotel-like amenities
17 Marriott Executive Apartments internationally

Grand Residences by Marriott >>
Innovative second home options through fractional and private ownership opportunities
Carefree property ownership with Marriott management expertise
Fractionals: 3-to 13-week ownership fractions range from $100,000 to 600,000
Locations: South Lake Tahoe, Calif., London, and Panama City Beach, Fla.

[Nutcase]

the above reminds me of a supposedly true story, not of marriott but hyatt hotel, an arab sheikh comes to the States and wants to book an entire floor of a hotel, the manager of the hotel does not let the the sheikh go through with it and declines his wish after several attempts to convince him otherwise. the sheikh gets in touch with the owner of the hotel and complains that he was willing to pay top dollars to book one floor of the hotel, even though it was not being used. so the sheikh gives the owner of the hotel an offer he cannot refuse. the sheikh goes back to the manager tells him he is fired, cause he just bought the entire hotel, and renames it hyatt (life), it becomes successul and soon he has a chain of hyatt hotels all over the world. the end :)

[golgol85]

Interesting story nooshin joon! :)

As for you arman, maybe you should become the spokesperson for Marriott, maloome kheili rajebesh midooni:)

[abadani69]

ofcourse, i have been with the company for over 3 years jigar