Marriott on the Move

I'm honored to be asked to speak to the British American Business Society in New York City on November 1st. And as I thought about British-American relationships through the years, my recollection goes back to my great grandmother.

Elizabeth Stuart was 19 years old when she . . .

Since I was a kid, Saturday afternoons were always reserved for the matinees. I used to love to go to the movies on Saturday afternoon, and I particularly liked to catch the latest Western.

As I've grown older, I still go to the movies on Saturday afternoon. I find that's about the only time I have free. I take my wife, Donna, and we go sit in the movies, hold hands, eat popcorn and watch the latest flick.

It's great to see . . .

Recently, Marriott won the World Savers award from Conde Nast Traveler for its culture of service and social responsibility. This was a great honor, and I've accepted some awards before, but World Savers is certainly the most impressive. It sounds like an award you'd give to Mother Teresa.

But seriously, our Marriott associates do save the world in small ways every day. For example, through our Youth Career Initiative program, they train disadvantaged youths to . . .

When I get away in the summer, I love to read. And since I was in the Navy for a short period of time, I always find myself reading the latest sea story. This past summer's sea story was called The Galloping Ghost: The Extraordinary Life of Submarine Legend Eugene Fluckey (rhymes with lucky) and was written by Carl LaVO.

It's a very recent publication and in . . .

It's always important to remember those who serve. We all have trouble trying to figure out how much to tip someone. I remember at a luncheon I was at in New York back in the '50s and the president of the Roger Smith Hotel Company, which is no longer around, talked about how hard it was for him to determine how much he tipped when he left his hat at the coat check room when he went out to eat. Of course nobody wears hats anymore so you don't have to worry about that. But we have so many people who strive so hard . . .

Give the Chinese a crack at capitalism and all heck breaks loose - that's my main take-away after seven days here in Asia. The consumer potential of this country is awesome. That's why Marriott is so bullish about our growth plans here.

China's economy is growing at the rate of 10 percent a year. If you think that's impressive, wait 'til you get a load of Macau. It's growing at more than 20 percent a year.

This tiny, little island is about one-sixth the size of Washington, D.C. and only . . .