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."

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.

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 - which is why I'm here.  With our partners, Harry Gross of New York and Marc Wybraeke of Belgium, we opened this beautiful 150-room hotel.  It's located in the heart of the old city in four historic guild houses on a cobblestone street.

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.

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 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 sometimes divisive topic, but the current system is broken.  It needs fixing.  It's going to be tough, and it's going require compromise.  Above all, it's going to require leadership and civil debate.  America's political leaders must not miss the opportunity to break the impasse.

I know it's Mother's Day this week, and I thought I'd share some remembrances of my mother who passed away just a few years ago at the age of 92. My mother was one of the founders of Marriott International. She and my dad opened a nine-stool root beer stand back in 1927 here in Washington, D.C.

When the weather got cold, people stopped drinking ice cold root beer, so they put on chili and tamales and hot dogs and hamburgers. But my mother cooked the chili and tamales in her apartment because there was no kitchen in the little root beer stand. So she was really the first chef.

I've told you how my mother and father built a root beer stand into a chain of restaurants called the Hot Shoppes.  I remember how my folks would often say, "Treat your employees well, and they'll treat the customers well, and they'll come back, again and again."