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 the company more than 30 years ago when he came to the U.S. from India. His brothers soon joined him to create a family business that has grown to become one of the top hotel management companies. Today JHM has seven family members working throughout the company.
As you all know, Marriott started off as a family run business when my parents opened an A&W root beer stand in Washington, D.C., in 1927. Since then, we've evolved into a company with over 3,200 hotels worldwide. But none of this growth would've been possible without all of the hard work put in by so many members of my family.
When I was 14, I joined the family business stapling invoices together in the accounting department at our company headquarters on Upshur Street in Washington, D.C. Today, many of my children, and even grandchildren, are working in our company, helping it continue to prosper and grow.
My dad was an incredibly smart businessman, but first and foremost, he was a family man and instilled those family values in our company. That's why, at Marriott, we take so much pride in our associates, our owners and our guests and care for them as if they were our a part of our extended family.
I'm Bill Marriott and thanks for helping me keep Marriott on the move.
Embracing Marriotts Extended Family
Please tell us the meaning of the JW Marriott griffin logo.
Posted by: Steve Straight | 02/23/2012 at 12:41 PM
Hello Bill;
A favorite memory of mine is having had the opportunity to meet you in your Bethesda office with our mutual friend Eugene Garfield. Presently I am hoping to become a member of the Marriott family by applying for employment through your Newport Beach property. You've been an inspiration!
Posted by: Bill Bliss | 01/25/2010 at 12:55 PM
Hello Bill:
I was delighted and honored to meet you during a stay at one of the Chicago hotels that you visited so time ago. I am a long-standing, loyal customer who wonders why hotels don't provide complimentary starch for ironing shirts. Maybe it competes with the laundry service, although I am not sure how many people would iron a shirt. I never saw this item in any hotel. They do supply non-aerosol products if safety is an issue.
Best of health and regards!
Posted by: Frank M. Perez | 01/21/2010 at 11:37 AM
Mr. Marriott:
Ms. ******and Ms. ****** at your Fairfield Inn Atlantic City North were extremely helpful during our recent stay when they immediately resolved several problems for us.
Michael J. Lohan, CEO.
AATelco.Inc.
Posted by: Michael J.Lohan | 01/09/2010 at 10:37 AM
SEVERAL YEARS AGO MY WIFE AND I USED AN AWARD CERTIFICATE TO SPEND A WEEK AT THE CAMELBACK INN. WHEN WE CHECKED IN, WE MET A YOUNG MAN AND A YOUNG LADY WHO I BELIEVE WERE YOUR NIECE AND NEPHEW WORKING THE CAMELBACK LOBBY WELCOMING GUESTS AND TELLING THEM ABOUT THE MARRIOTT FAMILY INN. THANKS FOR ALL YOU DO TO KEEP MARRIOTT ON THE MOVE!
Posted by: James M Boyd | 07/01/2009 at 02:09 PM
I have to add, we stay often at Silver Spring Courtyard, closest to daughter and 4 and 6 year old grandchildren; and, am happy that former assistant manager David is now the General Manager - excellent choice. He once took the wheel himself to drive us in the Marriott van to her house nearby. Hilton on Colesville was our past stay, had the same service, too; but now, from then, we stay nowhere else but Marriott, Silver Spring. I can name your staff there. It's all about SERVICE. So obvious!
Thanks, Bill.
Peter K.
Posted by: PMK | 06/29/2009 at 02:01 PM
Dear Mr. Marriott,
When you were telling us about how your parents started their small root beer business during their youth days, and how Marriott stemmed from their small business; a story came to my mind. It took place somewhere in the States, probably some time ago but I don't how well known it is there. It's about a young computer illiterate man who was searching frantically for a job. The thwarting job hunts were leaving him fruitless and depressed until one day he decided to consult the newspaper at one early morning at home. As he took his soft sips of the aromatic coffee in his mug the job vacancy announcement suddenly glowed in front of him like gold. Despite that it was for a janitor at the Microsoft Offices it meant a pay check at the end of the month and maintaining a roof above his head. He hurriedly wore his finest wear and sped off towards the company offices. He arrived on time and soon the HR personnel was handing him an application form. He easily filled it out but paused at a clause asking him if he had electronic mail. He asked the personnel department weather it was mandatory to provide an e-mail. They assured him it was. The young man walked away from the company, heart broken and in total despair, heading home with only twenty bucks in his pocket. His mind was ravaging with solutions to his money and occupation problem until suddenly he got an idea. The story tells that he brought two boxes of cucumbers with his twenty bucks and took them at the side of a road. He began to sell them by the kilogram with a small sum of profit added to his kilo selling price. Surprisingly he sold them all in a short period of time and returned home with a compounded forty dollars in his pocket. He loved the idea and the next day he brought a bigger number of vegetables boxes and headed to the same place at the side of the road. His long hours under the sun put forth a compounded eighty dollars that day also. Pretty soon, after a couple of weeks he was able to open his own small vegetable shop in the town he was living in by his patience and commercial wisdom. The months glided by with a lot of gifts for the computer illiterate man and in a couple of years he was able to open branches and commerce for his business. On one morning while he was overseas on business, his lawyer called him to ask him about signing insurance papers for one of his shipments. He calmly asked the lawyer to pend the shipment till he returned. The lawyer inquired if he could send him the papers via e-mail. The young business man smiled and replied, "If I had an e-mail, I wouldn't have been the businessman that I am today my friend." Mr. Marriott dreams start small but with patience and wisdom, they blossom and grow.
Posted by: Feras Werr | 06/27/2009 at 06:03 AM
What is the meaning behind the JW Marriott griffin logo? Is it changing?
Posted by: Chris | 06/27/2009 at 03:48 AM
Since my first Marriott stay at the Houston Marriott Astrodome in 1983 I have always appreciated the fact that there was a real live person named Marriott behind the name on the hotel. It adds a personal connection that is not very common in business today!
Posted by: Hank Mancini | 06/26/2009 at 07:01 AM
Bill, keep up the great work. I am currently on the island of Kauai and your Marriott Beach Spa & Resort is fabulous. It is top shelf. The grounds are beautiful. I can't wait to see it when the expansion is completed, especially when the Ritz Carlton is completed next to it. I will be attending the Red Clay Jazz festival there this weekend. KUDOS!
Posted by: Ida Kleiner | 06/25/2009 at 07:42 PM
I think those that work together, pray together, stay together!
Posted by: Sheryl Ask | 06/25/2009 at 11:01 AM
Year has passed since you kindly came to an award party for the 100th. birthday, our honor. Once aboard the Marriott ship the Captain always shows up to share, that's SPECIAL!!! PWB
Posted by: Pat Werber Bryant | 06/25/2009 at 10:22 AM