Marriott on the Move

A lot of my fellow corporate executives like to play golf. I have a set of clubs, but they're a little bit rusty and I've got to tell you, golf is a handicap for me. I've never been able to play the game well and that's always been a frustration. I'm sure some of you know how I feel.

Despite my frustrations, it was more than three decades ago our company recognized the growing popularity of golf. Today, our Marriott Golf division is perhaps the world's largest resort golf management company.

It started back in 1970 when we acquired the legendary . . .

I always enjoy reading the comments on my blog. Thank you for sending me so many neat comments. Some of my favorite ones came from a post I did back in December where I asked you to tell me your great customer service stories. One that really caught my eye was from Carol Lopez-Calleja.

Carol used to work in a hotel for a boss who was dedicated to making sure that the staff consistently provided great customer service. She had very specific ideas about how to make this happen, and one of those was cross training her staff in very . . .

I'm a bit old fashioned when it comes to communication. I think there's no substitute for a warm handshake with a smile and genuine conversation. I don't do emails. I prefer to talk on the telephone or write handwritten notes.

The hotel business is a people business. Most of our guests want a pleasant greeting when they're checking in or a helping hand with their luggage. It's about the one-on-one experience. And for our . . .

I don't drink coffee, but I love Starbucks. What a great company and what a great brand. Did you ever imagine that customers would become so passionate about the coffee "experience?"

The proof certainly is in the numbers. Starbucks has . . .

We know guest room technology is very important to our guests. A couple of months ago, I blogged about some new technology we're installing in our full service hotels. It's an LCD television with a connectivity panel, so you can watch and listen to digital devices through the television. Judging from the reaction we're getting since the marketing and rollout began, it's going to be very popular.

In response to that blog, a lot of you . . .

It's been two years since Hurricane Katrina devastated the United States Gulf Coast. I've traveled to New Orleans twice since then and toured the city. I've visited with our associates and watched as they worked hard to reopen the hotels.

I spent a lot of time with our people and witnessed their suffering. Many had no place to live so we moved their families into our hotels. We focused . . .