My Heart Aches

Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and loved ones impacted by the tragic events in Newtown, CT. Pray for everyone involved. -- Bill

What Goes into Running a Global Hotel Empire? Tune In to CNBC

“Have you ever wondered about the herculean effort that goes into running a successful hotel—or thousands of them?” This is how CNBC is promoting its major documentary on Marriott. The one-hour documentary is called: “Hotel: Behind Closed Doors at Marriott” and it premieres December 12th at 9 PM ET/PT. It...

sus·tain·abil·i·ty - How do you define it?

I looked up sustainability in the dictionary the other day. It’s one of those words that I never used to come across and now it’s everywhere. The dictionary has more than ten meanings that range from protecting the health of the planet to creating jobs and improving living conditions. Marriott’s...

Creating a World of Opportunity That Spans Generations

Siu Lam has worked for Marriott at the Boston Marriott Copley Place hotel for 22 years. Her first nine years at the hotel were as a housekeeper making up 15-plus rooms per day. Her last 13 have been spent as a senior housekeeper, supporting, deep cleaning, inspecting and covering any...

In This Season of Giving, I Give Thanks to Father Brake

This Thanksgiving, I want to thank someone who has dedicated his life to the art of giving. I met Father Eugene Brake at a going-away dinner for Lynn Brantley, the co-founder of Capital Area Food Bank in Washington, D.C. Father Brake is the other co-founder, and he began to tell...

Weathering Hurricane Sandy

It’s been several weeks since Hurricane Sandy battered the Caribbean and the East Coast of the United States and Canada, but the aftershocks of that terrible storm just seem to go on and on and on. From widespread power outages to flooding to the destruction of homes and businesses, many...

A Post-Election Plan to Grow the Economy 4%

Is it still possible to build a business today like my mom and dad did in 1927? I certainly believe it is. I think the answer lies in choosing the right path for your business, and hopefully, the government will choose the right path for the economy. If you’ll indulge...

LEED-ing the Way

I’ve studied travelers and hotel guests all of my life. When people choose a hotel, these are the deciding factors: price, location, and cleanliness. Now, according to a survey in Conde Nast Traveler, 87% of participants say it’s important to be environmentally friendly. One way we can go 'green' is...

Unearthing Incan Relics in Cusco, Peru

Every hotel has a story. Some are built new from the ground up. Some are historical buildings that are renovated and remodeled. But once in awhile, while digging a foundation, we uncover history. In Peru, while building the new JW Marriott Hotel Cusco, the construction site turned into an archeological...

A Tale of Two Guests

This is a tale of two guests. Larry Krebs lives in one of our China hotels about six months out of the year. Joy Bricker actually lived in a hotel in Falls Church, Virginia, for ten years. It was her home. (I blogged about her earlier this year.) What they...