Marriott on the Move

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 . . .

I've blogged about how my father always took time to listen to his employees and let them know that they were a part of his extended family. He made sure they were cared for. In fact, he was one of the first employers to offer health care coverage to his people.

To this day, I firmly believe in the importance of the health of our employees and, in particular, the vital role that health benefits play in keeping them and their families healthy. On a national level, there is a robust debate around health care and who bears the responsibility for making sure that Americans stay healthy. While that discussion continues, Marriott International is committed to honoring the values and traditions established by my parents almost 80 years ago.

During these tough times, it has become more difficult for employees at many U.S. companies, including Marriott, to work a sufficient . . .

I was recently in Orlando, Florida, for a conference with owners and franchisees of our select service and extended stay brands. Those brands are Courtyard, Fairfield Inn, SpringHill Suites, Residence Inn and TownePlace Suites. It's a great event where we build and strengthen relationships, align ourselves on company initiatives and share good business practices.

We also take the opportunity to recognize our top owner and franchise performers. We handed out over 60 awards and presented 11 owners and franchisees with the Partnership Circle Award, our highest honor given for hospitality excellence.

One of the things I noticed when presenting the awards was many of these companies are run by families. Out of the 11 Partnership Circle winners, more than half are run by families, many that span multiple generations.

One of these companies, JHM Hotels, has a great story. Their chairman and CEO, H.P. Rama founded . . .

I think everyone feels like change is in the air. We've all heard the buzz words "the new normal" or "reset," and for the most part, I think it's a good thing. It's about getting back to the things in life that really matter - being fiscally responsible rather than buying more than you can afford, spending more time with loved ones and reevaluating priorities.

This is always how I've tried to live my life, and how we try to run Marriott. Our culture is about taking care of people, because after all, that's the business we do. If you want your people to take care of your guests and deliver the best service, it's very important to give them opportunities to grow and develop. It helps our company be more innovative and ultimately, successful.

That's why 20 years ago, Marriott formalized its commitment to diversity and inclusion. As a matter . . .

Tonight is our annual Award of Excellence gala where we honor the best of the best within Marriott. These are the associates who have gone above and beyond to provide stellar service to our guests, fellow associates and the communities where they work.

This year, our honorees come from many different places around the globe - Singapore, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, San Francisco and Georgia, to name a few. We flew them all here to our headquarters in Bethesda, Maryland, to take part in this great event.

Yesterday, they were warmly welcomed by hundreds of their fellow associates and given a tour of headquarters. After that, we . . .

Today marks the beginning of National Travel and Tourism Week, which is especially important this year given the state of the economy and its impact on travel. I started my day at the Residence Inn Pentagon City in Arlington, Virginia, where our associates were celebrating their brand's culture at their annual RIsolution Day.

It was a lot of fun. Many of the associates were in their native costumes - countries ranging from Ethiopia to the Philippines, Ghana, Morocco and several from Latin America. There were two guests here who had lived in the hotel for three years. They were what we would call very extended stay guests.

I believe our associates are the best at what they do and provide our guests the best travel experiences possible. They're the true faces of the travel industry.

It seems our business has . . .