Marriott on the Move

When I started in the hotel business 52 years ago, the first impression customers had of our hotels was the lobby when they walked through the front doors. But in this digital age, often the first impression comes when they visit Marriott.com. It's our digital front door.

Today, when you visit the site, you'll notice the front door looks very different. We have rolled out the first stage of our complete overhaul of Marriott.com.

The site is already a huge success story. Last year, Marriott.com generated more than six billion dollars in gross revenue for Marriott. We've done . . .

As many of you know, our company started out as a small, nine-stool A&W root beer stand in Washington, D.C, more than 80 years ago. We quickly evolved into the restaurant business, opening a chain called Hot Shoppes.

One of our very first Hot Shoppes was in the Columbia Heights neighborhood on 14th Street. The last Hot Shoppe closed its doors years ago, but the memory of that one on 14th Street is being commemorated . . .

A few months ago, I posted a blog about the decline in travel and tourism in Mexico as a result of the global recession and the concern about the H1N1 virus. In fact, for some of our properties, the decline in occupancy was so drastic management was faced with the possibility of having to lay off members of their staff.

One of those hotels was The Ritz-Carlton in Cancun. The summer months in North America are considered the slow season in Cancun and the hotel was hosting even fewer guests than in past years. The general manager, Hermann Elger, faced a difficult decision about laying off his staff. Hermann's concern for the well-being of his associates led him to an inventive idea that allowed many of his people to keep working and support themselves and their families.

Hermann knew that the slow season in Cancun was actually high season for many cruise lines so he reached out to Carnival Cruise Lines. He explained the situation . . .

In the U.S., we're in the time of year called the "dog days of summer." Some say this is derived from the ancient Romans, who named the brightest star in the Canis Major constellation Sirius, or the "dog star," because during this time of year, Sirius rose and set with the sun in the northern sky. No matter its origin, even as many take a deserved break during these hot days of August, we're not sitting still here at Marriott.

As my father used to say, "Success is never final." It's a good thing to remember, because with all the economic and financial turmoil, and the stock market taking roller-coaster rides in recent months, sometimes it's easy to forget that patience and persistence pay off.

I recently received an inspiring letter from an 83-year-old Washington native, recounting how, back in 1952, she was advised to buy a few shares of our company, which was just going public. Back then it was . . .

While it's been a very difficult week since the tragic incidents in our hotels in Jakarta, Indonesia, we are so heartened by the outpouring of support from around the world and the resilience of our guests and associates at the JW Marriott and Ritz-Carlton.

Our President of International Lodging, Ed Fuller, visited the two hotels, as well as two hospitals in Jakarta where survivors were being treated. Many of the guests were regulars at the hotels, and they encouraged Ed to open for business as soon as possible. Associates he spoke with told him how the hotel remains at the very center of their lives and is a very important part of the Jakarta community. Ed was struck by their amazing spirit and, while they . . .

We all remember the media attention about the H1N1 flu strain earlier in the spring. Of course, much of the early attention was on Mexico, which had the first reported cases. The safety and health of our guests and associates is our number one priority at all times and we take great care to follow the appropriate hygiene and cleaning procedures. We were pleased that similar precautions allowed authorities to bring the situation rapidly under control in Mexico and elsewhere around the world.

However, the number of people traveling to Mexico dropped off significantly. In fact, we have lost over $6 million of business in Mexico due to this flu outbreak. That's really a shame as Mexico is one of my very favorite countries to travel. I've gone down there . . .