Marriott on the Move

There's a saying in the United States, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." Well, our U.S. immigration policy is broken, and I want Congress to fix it and get it done now.

If you've been reading my blog, you know I have pretty strong opinions about immigration policy and they're not always the most popular. I expressed my opinion recently . . .

Today I want to give you an update on an issue I've blogged about. It's the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative. This past January, the United States government started implementing new passport regulations. U.S. citizens traveling by air to and from destinations in the western hemisphere, like Canada and Mexico, had to present a valid passport. For those who don't know, here's what happened when it went into effect . . .

Here is a quick thought on the recent failure of our Congress to act on immigration reform. I know a little bit about leading, and I've always found that leaders make tough decisions. That's why it's so disappointing that politics trumped policy. The issue of secure borders and creating a path to citizenship are not going away. Rather than trying to solve the problem, Congress will probably . . .

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 ....

Almost 52 years ago, my wife and I honeymooned at Banff in Canada. We stayed at the Banff Springs Hotel, a beautiful, beautiful hotel, in that wonderful part of the world. And I took my wife up to Lake Louise and took her for a canoe ride. She was absolutely terrified because she was afraid I'd tip the canoe over. She forgot about all my canoeing experience when I was a camper at the age of 10 at Camp Idlewild in New Hampshire. We had a successful canoe ride - nothing happened and we got back to shore without getting wet.

We didn't have a Marriott in Canada back then, so when we stayed at Banff Springs, I said . . .

Hi, this is Bill Marriott. As the CEO of a global lodging company with more than 2,800 hotels around the world, I'm a big fan of removing barriers to global travel. I think having Americans visit other countries and having people visit the USA is our very best form of diplomacy. You just can't shake hands with an email or a fax.

Tomorrow, January 23rd, the United States Government implements new passport requirements, part of the Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative, or what we call WHTI. It means that everybody traveling by air between the United States, Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, and Bermuda must have a valid passport to enter or re-enter the United States.