Featured Post
Posted:02/13/201210:32 AM
In August of 1985, I was putting gasoline into my boat at our summer place on Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire. I turned on the ignition switch to check the gas level, when I heard an explosion. The gas fumes had gathered around me as I stood on the deck and exploded with a spark from the switch. I was engulfed with flames. I went to the local hospital and was soon taken by helicopter to the Burn Unit at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.
I was met by Dr. Jack Burke who was chief of trauma and head of the Burn Unit at MGH. He cared for me for 16 days. Dr. Burke passed away in early November at the age of 89. He saved my life. When I was admitted to the hospital, I was diagnosed with third degree burns on my hands and legs. I underwent several hours of surgery. Dr. Burke took skin from my thigh and grafted the back of my legs and my hands. I learned that when your hands are burned, they curl up and become claw-like.
To prevent this and to keep my hands flat after surgery, Dr. Burke used super glue to attach hooks from a lady’s dress to my fingernails. He then used ping pong paddles with dress hooks at the top. Then, he stretched my hands flat across the paddles and used rubber bands to attach the hooks on my fingers to the hooks on the paddles. My hands were stretched flat on the paddles so they wouldn’t curl up. I had paddles for hands for over a week in the hospital. Today, my hands are scarred from the burns but they are totally functional. No claws. 
As I was cared for by Dr. Burke, I learned using paddles to heal burned hands was not his only creation. The New York Times reported that together with Dr. Ioannis V. Yannas, a professor of fibers and polymers in MIT’s department of Mechanical Engineering, Dr. Burke created artificial skin.
Over 11 years, these two men led a team that developed a material of amalgam of plastics, cow tissue and shark cartilage that became the first commercially reproducible, synthetic human skin. It would save the lives of innumerable, severely burned people worldwide.
Dr. Burke served in World War II as a fighter pilot in the Italian Campaign and I once persuaded him to tell me about his encounters with German Messerschmitts over Italy.
I will miss my friend and doctor, Jack Burke. He was a great blessing in my life.
I’m Bill Marriott and thank you for helping me keep Marriott on the move.
Listen to blog Dr. Burke
Recent Post
Posted:02/06/2012 1:35 PM
Courtyard by Marriott guests love football. So you can imagine all the lobby buzz for the Big Game.
Courtyard was right in the thick of it as the official hotel sponsor for the National Football League. We even set up a Courtyard by Marriott Lobby Zone at the NFL Experience where fans of both brands could meet players and really get into the spirit of the game. As you can see, it was a blast. The power brands have been great partners right from the start.
When Courtyard was launched in 1983, it created a new segment in the lodging industry. Today, with more than 900 hotels worldwide, it continues to plow past the competition. Every day the brand’s leaders are coming up with new strategies to advance our winning streak.
With Courtyard’s Refreshing Lobby, the brand scored big with a variety of fresh and tasty favorites at the new Bistro. We were the first to post calorie counts on our menus and now offer this great option to guests at more than 400 Courtyards nationwide. The menus offer big crowd pleasers like artichoke dip, buffalo wings, hummus, turkey BLTs and -- my personal favorite -- the Bistro Burger.
Hotel lobbies have long been a nice place to congregate. The open layout of new Courtyard lobbies is now ideal for everything from pop up meetings to a place to watch games, including the Super Bowl. Guests can relax, refresh, recharge and root for their favorite teams. Maybe next year my Redskins will get their chance.
How did your team do this season? And what did you snack on during the game? Leave a comment. I’d love to know.
I’m Bill Marriott and thanks for helping me keep Marriott on the move.
Posted:01/30/201212:49 PM
Recently, I had an opportunity to read the story of Apple’s Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson. I found it fascinating and well done.
We all know that Jobs changed the world with his many creations at Apple and Pixar Films. Isaacson wrote, “Steve Jobs became the greatest business executive of our era. The one most certain to be remembered a century from now. History will place him in the pantheon right next to Edison and Ford. Was he smart, no, not exceptionally; instead, he was a genius. His imaginative leaps were instinctive, unexpected, and at times, magical.”
I‘ve always been interested in why some businessmen and women are successful and some are not. There are several sound business principles that Jobs executed that all business people should study. Isaacson wrote, “Some leaders push innovations by being good at the big picture; others do so by mastering the details. Jobs did both relentlessly.” And relentlessly is the key word.
When my father would hire someone, he would always look for a person who had a lot of drive. Jobs was relentless in pursuit of excellence. He never, never gave up until he met his objective. And, even then, he was never satisfied. My father was also a perfectionist and worked hard for perfection in everything he did. We always say in our company that ”success is never final.” This is a phrase my father came up with.
Jobs was a good judge of people and surrounded himself with “A” players. He had a fantastic team and held them accountable. I found his leadership style with his team extremely demanding which is ok. But he was often mean, overly critical and quite unfair many times. This is not ok.
Jobs realized the great importance of focus and when he returned to lead Apple in 1997, he fixed that company by cutting all except a few core products. His basic focus caused his Apple team to work intensely to perfect and create just a few truly great products.
Along with his intense focus, there was a dedication to simplicity – not only in the end product but also with the team at the home office. Jobs’ products were his motivation. And his motivation was not profits.
My father and I had frequent heated discussions about quality versus profits. In my early days, I accused my Dad of being very unreasonable in his intense focus on great food and service but also wanting increased profitability. I learned you can do both and that is, in my opinion, management’s ultimate challenge.
Dad believed, as Jobs did, that if the product is perfect, the profits would be there. And for Apple, they certainly were. Isaacson wrote that, “In May 2010, Apple surpassed Microsoft as the world’s most valuable technology company and by September 2010, it was worth 70% more than Microsoft.”
Steve Jobs – what a guy!
I’m Bill Marriott and thanks for helping me keep Marriott on the move.
Listen to Blog Steve Jobs
Posted:01/23/2012 9:03 AM
HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR!
2012 is the year of the Dragon. Let the week-long celebrations begin. That’s right, an entire week of brilliant fireworks and colorful parades. It’s truly an amazing spectacle. Think Times Square – but a whole lot bigger!
Our Marriott hotels in Shanghai, Beijing and Sanya, will have ceremonies featuring Chinese drummers and Kung Fu artists. Food is also very important to New Year's celebrations. The Hong Kong SkyCity Marriott Hotel created a unique dim sum dumpling menu in honor of the Dragon. Each dish is a work of art.
Chinese New Year Coconut Pudding and Taro and Turnip Cake.
Loh Hei Chinese Salmon Salad.
Pancake with pan-fried goose liver, sliced pork and chicken liver.
The JW Marriott Hotel in Seoul celebrates with Korean customs. Marriott employees wear colorful Korean costumes and hand out traditional treats like sticky rice cakes.
Marriott hotels are truly apart of the communities they call home. Like the dragon that represents strength, passion and good fortune, Marriott has strength in its brands, passion in its guests and good fortune for continued growth. Recently, we signed our 100th hotel in China and are opening one hotel a month during the next three years. Each Asian hotel opening has its own traditional celebration. I dotted the eye of the lion in 2007 when Marriott opened its 3,000th property, JW Marriott Beijing. 
Later this year, I plan on traveling back to China with my family. I’ll be 80-years old and I can’t wait to learn more about its customs and help promote tourism. So, happy New Year to our friends in Asia. Good fortune to everyone.
I’m Bill Marriott and thanks for helping me keep Marriott on the move.
Listen to Blog Chinese New Year
