Remembering My Mom on Mother's Day

Mom & me, 1936 This Mother's Day, I thought I'd share some memories of my mother who passed away 15 years ago at the age of 92. Alice Sheets Marriott was truly an amazing woman. Her father died in 1919 from the flu epidemic following the First World War. Her...

Selling Underwear to Lumberjacks

It’s not quite the same as selling ice cubes to Eskimos, but selling long, woolen black underwear to lumberjacks in the hot summer comes pretty close. I’ve heard this story since I was a little boy. Let me tell you what my dad did to pull it off. My dad...

FAMILY FIRST

New Year's Day, brother Dick and our families with our parents Family has always been number one in my life. As a father, I made it a point to be home for dinner every night I was in town. Over my career, I arrived at the office at 8:00 a.m....

Interviewed by a Millennial (Part 2)

Cornell University School of Hotel Administration students My Favorite Things, Career Advice & Online Dating My blog assistant, Ayanna, was so probing with her questions last week that we had plenty of good material left over. (If you missed it, here's Part 1.) As with all good interviewers, Ayanna waited...

Interviewed by a Millennial (Part 1)

This week, I’m doing something different. Ayanna Alleyne, our social media maven at Marriott and my blog assistant, wants to ask me some questions. She’s a bonafide Millennial, 60 years younger than me. I’m sure this will be like no other interview. So, here we go: Ayanna: Mr. Marriott, I’ve...

The Haiti Principle

My daughter, Debbie Marriott Harrison, recently returned from the ceremonial opening of the Port-au-Prince Marriott Hotel in Haiti. Debbie is our company’s global officer for Marriott culture and business councils. She was so moved by her trip that I thought it best for her to share it on my blog....

What I Learned From Coach Urban Meyer

In my office I have a few pictures of my family and leaders who I am proud of and seek to emulate. One of these is an autographed picture of Urban Meyer, who The Wall Street Journal recently headlined, “Once and Future King of College Football.” I followed Coach Meyer’s...

It All Started with a Ford Model T

It all started with a Ford Model T and a couple who had fallen in love. On the day they married, they left Salt Lake City, Utah and drove east until they hit Washington, D.C. The trip took 11 days. They went over a lot of hills, and the ‘ol...

My Top 10 of 2014

As 2014 winds down, I’ve noticed a lot of “greatest hits” that are listed for this year. Not to be out done, I’ve compiled my own for my dedicated blog readers. Some on the list are personal and some are business-related. 10. Employing and providing opportunities for an additional 35,000...

The Ballet-skipping Girl and the Quick-minded Boy

©Gale Frank-Adise Christmas holds a special place in my heart. I am blessed to have experienced more than 80 wonderful Christmas festivals, family dinners and packages under the trees. My mother and, later, my wife worked hard to decorate the tree and our home. It was precision at it’s best,...