Marriott on the Move

Regular readers of my blog and listeners to the audio portion know how important my family is to me. I have four kids and 14 grandchildren. Nothing makes me happier than being with them. Family is so important and always comes first. Call this blogger "old-fashioned."

That's why I'm so excited about our newest hotel venture. It's a global partnership with Nickelodeon and the international real estate investment and development company, Miller Global. Miller Global is planning on building 20 hotels called Nickelodeon by Marriott. . .

I've just visited our newest Renaissance hotel - The Shelbourne in Dublin, Ireland. It's a spectacular restoration of one of Dublin's finest hotels. It overlooks St. Stephen's Green - 100% location, right in the heart of Dublin.

This is where they drafted the constitution of the Irish Free State in 1922. I actually sat . . .

Ghent: a beautiful medieval city in Belgium. It was founded in the 7th century at the confluence of two wonderful rivers, and during the Middle Ages, it was the busiest port in all of Europe. For over 300 years, Ghent was the biggest city in Europe next to Paris.

And today, it's still a vibrant, beautifully preserved gem of a town filled with university students and a brand new Marriott hotel . . .

The author Jules Verne wrote the novel Around the World in 80 Days. You may have read it, but I'm sure you've seen the movie version with David Niven. I've seen it a couple of times, I thought it was terrific, and I'm a big film buff.

The number 80 is a big one for our company this year as we're celebrating our 80th anniversary this week. My mother and father came East in a Model T Ford in 1927 from Utah to open a root beer stand. Since then, our company has gone around the world. . .

Over the past few months, I have blogged quite a bit about Marriott's Spirit To Serve Our Communities. I have talked about what we are doing to help protect our environment and conserve energy, and I have discussed how we create jobs and opportunities for people with disabilities and those in need. I feel it's our company's duty as a good corporate citizen. But we've also found that doing the right thing adds to the bottom line.

This is a very special week for us here at Marriott. It's our Associate Appreciation Week when we thank our wonderful associates for all their hard work throughout the year. My favorite part of this week is what we call our Spirit To Serve Our Communities Day. Our associates . . .

This week in Washington, the U.S. Congress begins debate on a serious public policy issue. If you've been reading my blog, you know I have passionate views about reforming America's immigration laws.

I know that immigration reform is a difficult and ....