 | |
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| |
| Industry | Hospitality |
| Predecessor | Marriott Corporation |
| Founded | March 5, 1927; 98 years ago (1927-03-05) inWashington, D.C., U.S. (as Marriott Corporation) 1993; 32 years ago (1993) (as Marriott International) |
| Founders | |
| Headquarters | Bethesda, Maryland, U.S. |
Number of locations | 9,400+ (2025) |
Area served | Worldwide |
Key people | |
| Products | |
| Revenue |  US$25.1 billion (2024) |
 US$3.77 billion (2024) | |
| US$2.38 billion (2024) | |
| Total assets | US$26.2 billion (2024) |
| Total equity | −US$2.99 billion (2024) |
Number of employees | 418,000 (2024) |
| Subsidiaries | |
| Website | marriott.com |
| Footnotes / references [1][2] | |
Marriott International, Inc. is an Americanmultinational company that operates, franchises, and licenseslodging brands that includehotel, residential, andtimeshare properties.[1][2] Marriott International owns over 37 hotel and timeshare brands with 9,000 locations and 1,597,380 rooms across its network (as of 2023).[3] Marriott International is headquartered inBethesda, Maryland. The company is the successor to the hospitality division of theMarriott Corporation, founded byJ. Willard Marriott (1900–1985) and his wifeAlice Marriott (1907–2000).
Marriott International is the largest hotel company in the world by the number of available rooms. It has 36 brands with 9,361 properties containing 1,706,331 rooms in 144 countries and territories.[1] Of these 9,361 properties, 1,981 are managed but not owned by Marriott, 7,192 are owned and managed by independent hospitality companies underfranchise agreements with Marriott, and 51 are both owned and managed by Marriott. The company also operates 20 hotel reservation centers.[1]
Marriott International, Inc. was formed in 1993 whenMarriott Corporation split into two companies: Marriott International, Inc., which franchises and manages properties, and Host Marriott Corporation (nowHost Hotels & Resorts), which owns properties.[4]
Since the founders weremissionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, copies of theBook of Mormon are provided in hotel rooms in addition to theBible.[5]
Marriott Corporation was founded byJohn Willard Marriott in 1927 when he and his wife, Alice Marriott, opened aroot beer stand inWashington, D.C.[6] After serving a mission forThe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in New England, Marriott traveled to Washington, D.C. where he experienced the humid summer weather of the city. After returning to Utah and graduating from The University of Utah, Marriott purchased the rights to franchise an A&W Root Beer stand in Columbia Heights.[7] They also received permission from A&W to start selling food. He named the restaurant Hot Shoppes and watched as it grew in popularity.[8] Always looking for new ways to improve his company, he bought the vacant lot next to one of his Hot Shoppes, removed the curb, and began offering the first drive-in service on the East Coast.[citation needed] This move popularized the restaurants, and by 1932, the Marriott's owned 7 Hot Shoppes in the D.C. area.[7] In 1953, Hot Shoppes, Inc. became apublic company via aninitial public offering.[9]
The company opened its first hotel, theMarriott Motor Hotel, inArlington, Virginia, on January 16, 1957.[10][11] It cost $9 per night, plus an extra $1 for every person that was in the car.[12] Its second hotel, the Marriott Key Bridge Motor Hotel inRosslyn, Arlington, Virginia, opened in 1959, and was Marriott International's longest continuously operating hotel until its closure in July 2021.[13][14]
Hot Shoppes, Inc. was renamed theMarriott Corporation in 1967.[15]
In 1972, the Marriott lodging division acquired the Greek-based Sun Line cruise line, which it owned until 1987.[16]
In 1976, the company opened two theme parks, each named Marriott's Great America, inCalifornia andIllinois.[17] Marriott sold the parks in 1984, with the California park bought by the City of Santa Clara[18] and the Illinois park bought byBally Manufacturing, then the parent company of theSix Flags Corporation(both are now owned by Six Flags).[19][20]
Marriott has faced criticism over its animal welfare policies, particularly for using eggs from caged hens in global operations and failing to meet deadlines to transition to cage-free eggs.[21]
Marriott International, Inc. was formed in 1993 when Marriott Corporation split into two companies: Marriott International, Inc., which franchises and manages properties, and Host Marriott Corporation (nowHost Hotels & Resorts), which owns properties.[4]
In 1995, Marriott was the first hotel company to offer online reservations.[22]
In April 1995, Marriott acquired a 49% interest inThe Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company.[23] Marriott believed that it could increase sales and profit margins for The Ritz-Carlton, a troubled chain with many properties either losing money or barely breaking even. The cost to Marriott was estimated to have been about $200 million in cash and assumed debt. The next year, Marriott spent $331 million to acquire The Ritz-Carlton, Atlanta, and buy a majority interest in two properties owned by William Johnson, a real estate developer who had purchased The Ritz-Carlton,Boston in 1983 and expanded his Ritz-Carlton holdings over the next twenty years. Ritz-Carlton expanded into the timeshare market. Ritz Carlton benefited from Marriott's reservation system and buying power. In 1998, Marriott acquired majority ownership of The Ritz-Carlton.[24]
In 1997, the company acquired theRenaissance Hotels andRamada brands fromChow Tai Fook Group and its associate company,New World Development.[25][26] Marriott International also signed an agreement to manage hotels owned by New World Development.[27] The same year the company also got into the home cleaning business by starting a new venture dubbed HomeSolutions.[28]
In 2001, theMarriott World Trade Center was destroyed during theSeptember 11 attacks.
In 2002,CTF Hotel Holdings Inc., a company that owns a hotel in Hong Kong managed by Marriott, sued Marriott alleging that Marriott engaged in extortion and bribery. According to the allegations, Marriott contracted to receiveaudio-visual services from Molloy. Marriott paid an inflated amount to Molloy and pocketed the 1.7 million dollars above its fee. Marriott had to return the money to CTF Hotel. CTF Hotel also accused Marriott of accepting bribes from suppliers.[29]
In 2003, the company completed thecorporate spin-off of its senior living properties (now part ofSunrise Senior Living) and Marriott Distribution Services.[30] In the same year, the owners of the Marriott-operated, Town Hotels, sued Marriott forbreach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty,negligence, andfraud. They claimed that Marriott along with the Avendra hotel chain violatedWest Virginia law by contracting with vendors and receiving "sponsorship fees" from them to provide services to Town Hotels, when according to the contract, Marriott was forbidden to profit from the contract except for management fees.[31]
In 2004, the company sold its right to theRamada brand toCendant, acquired in 1997.[32]
In 2005, Marriott International andMarriott Vacation Club International were two of the 53 entities that contributed the maximum of $250,000 to theSecond inauguration of George W. Bush.[33][34][35]
On July 19, 2006, Marriott implemented asmoking ban in all buildings it operated in the United States and Canada, effective September of that year.[36][37]
In 2007, Marriott became the first hotel chain to serve food that is completely free oftrans fats at all of its North American properties.[38]
Hotels franchised or operated by the company were affected by the2003 Marriott Hotel bombing, theIslamabad Marriott Hotel bombing in 2008, and the2009 Jakarta bombings.
On November 11, 2010, Marriott announced plans to add over 600 hotel properties by 2015, primarily inemerging markets: India, where it planned to have 100 hotel properties, China, and Southeast Asia.[39]
On January 21, 2011, Marriott said that adult movies would not be included in the entertainment offered at new hotels, which would use an Internet-basedvideo on demand system.[40][41]
In 2011,Mitt Romney received $260,390 in director's fees from Marriott International,[42] despite the fact that he had already stepped down from the board of directors to run forPresident of the United States.[43] His released 2010 tax returns showed earnings in 2010 of $113,881 in director's fees from Marriott.[44] In February 2012,Bloomberg News reported on Romney's years overseeing tax matters for Marriott, which had included several "scams" (quotingJohn McCain) and legal actions brought against Marriott, which Marriott lost in court, over its manipulations of the U.S. Tax Code.[45][46]
Effective March 31, 2012, Bill Marriott assumed the role of executive chairman of the company and relinquished the role of chief executive officer toArne Sorenson.[47][48][49]
In December 2012,Guinness World Records recognized theJW Marriott Marquis Dubai, afive star hotel, as the tallest hotel in the world.[50]
In 2013, the owners of the Madison 92nd Street Associates LLC, who contracted with Marriott to manage their hotel, sued Marriott for $400 million, alleging that Marriott had conspired with the workers' committee. They claimed that Marriott allowed the workers to unionize at the Madison-owned hotel in exchange for not unionizing at Marriott's flagship hotels.[51]
On October 3, 2014, theFederal Communications Commission (FCC) fined Marriott $600,000 for unlawful use of a "containment" feature of a Wi-Fi monitoring system to deliberately interfere with client-owned networks in the convention space of itsGaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center inNashville. The scheme disrupted operation of clients'mobile phone hotspots viaWi-Fi deauthentication attacks.[52] Marriott International, Inc., theAmerican Hotel and Lodging Association and Ryman Hospitality Properties responded by unsuccessfully petitioning the FCC to change the rules to allow them to continue jamming client-owned networks, a position which they were forced to abandon in early 2015 in response to backlash from clients, mainstream media, major technology companies, and mobile carriers.[53][54] The incident drew unfavorable publicity to Marriott's practice of charging exorbitant fees forWi-Fi.[55][56]
On April 1, 2015, Marriott acquired Canadian hotel chainDelta Hotels, which operated 38 hotels at that time.[57][58]
On November 16, 2015, Marriott announced the acquisition ofStarwood for $13 billion.[59] A higher offer for Starwood at $14 billion from a consortium led by China'sAnbang Insurance Group was announced March 3, 2016.[60][61][62] After Marriott raised its bid to $13.6 billion on March 21, Starwood terminated the Anbang agreement and proceeded with the merger with Marriott.[63] Following receipt of regulatory approvals, Marriott closed the merger with Starwood on September 23, 2016, creating the world's largest hotel company with over 5700 properties, 1.1 million rooms, and a portfolio of 30 brands.[64] The Starwood acquisition gave Marriott a larger non-US presence; approximately 75% of Starwood's revenues were from non-US markets.[65][66]
On November 30, 2018, Marriott disclosed that the former Starwood brands had been subject to adata breach. After the disclosure,Attorney General of New YorkBarbara Underwood announced an investigation into the data breach.[67][68] Thecyberattack was found to be a part of aChinese intelligence-gathering effort that also hacked health insurers and the security clearance files of millions more Americans. The hackers are suspected of working on behalf of theMinistry of State Security, the country's Communist-controlled civilian spy agency.[69][70][71] Initially, Marriott said that 500 million customers' personal information had been exposed.[72] In January 2019, the company updated the number of guests affected to "less than 383 million" customers, and claimed many of the customer's payment cards had expired.[73] The UK Information Commissioner's Office fined Marriott £18 million for breaches to GDPR law that contributed to the breach.[74] Australia's Information Commissioner served Marriott an 'enforceable undertaking' to improve their security.[75]
In 2019 and 2021, Marriott faced an investigation[76] and a class action lawsuit[77] in the US for its practice of chargingresort fees that were not included in the room price, with the services included in these "resort fees" unclear. This method is prohibited in many parts of the world and is known as "drip pricing".[78]
In December 2019, the company acquired Elegant Hotels, operator of 7 hotels inBarbados.[79]
In February 2020, the company discovered a data breach that included the theft of contact information for 5.2 million customers.[80]
In 2020,Delano Las Vegas is sold toMGM Resorts International &VICI Properties alongside theMandalay Bay.
In April 2020, during theCOVID-19 pandemic, the company instituted additional cleanliness standards, including requiring the use of electrostatic sprayers withdisinfectant, adding disinfecting wipes in all hotel rooms, and removing or re-arranging furniture in public areas to allow more space forsocial distancing.[81] During the pandemic, global occupancy fell as low as 31%.[82]
President and CEO Arne Sorenson died on February 15, 2021, frompancreatic cancer.[83] On February 23, 2021, Anthony Capuano was appointed to fill Sorensen's vacancy as CEO and Director, having previously served as Marriott's group president of global development, design and operations.[84]
In November 2021, the company was criticized for refusing to host theWorld Uyghur Congress at one of its properties in Prague, citing reasons of "political neutrality".[85]
In August 2022, employees began moving into the company's new 21-story, 785,000-square-foot headquarters building onWisconsin Avenue, ahead of an official opening on September 21. The new building was constructed over four years as part of a $600 million downtown Bethesda campus, together with the adjacent Marriott Bethesda Downtown hotel.[86]
In 2023, acriminal investigation was opened against Marriott inPoland, claiming that it acted fraudulently and unethically against the Lim company, the owner of aWarsaw hotel. During theCOVID-19 period, Marriott would not keep up the hotel'smaintenance and shifted the costs of maintaining the empty hotel to the Lim Company. At the same time Marriott prevented the Lim Company from renting the hotel to the National Health Fund for doctors' housing or contracting for advertising deals until the Lim Company would pay unwarranted bonuses to Marriott.[87]
Also in the same year, on May 1, Marriott announced that it completed the acquisition of Mexican hotelier Hoteles City Express. By this move, Marriott officially entered the affordable midscale-segment underCity Express by Marriott brands.[88][89] The company also launched another brand focusing on budget extended stays called StudioRes in August,[90][91] and an extension to its Four Points by Sheraton brand called Four Points Express in September.
In August 2024, Marriott announced a long-term licensing agreement withSonder, adding 10,500 rooms to their portfolio and allowing customers to earn or redeem Marriott Bonvoy points at Sonder properties starting in late 2024.[92] Marriott terminated its partnership with Sonder on November 9, 2025 citing default by Sonder.[93]
In December 2024, Marriott's luxury hotel chain,W Hotels introducedW Las Vegas.
In April 2025, the company acquired Citizen M, a Dutch-based hotel brand, for $355 million.[94] The deal is expected to be completed by the end of the year and is subject to regulatory approval.[94]
In December 2024, Marriott announced plans to expand into outdoor-focused lodging through the acquisition of Postcard Cabins and a long-term partnership agreement with Trailborn.[95] The Postcard Cabins portfolio, consisting of 29 properties and more than 1,200 units across the United States, was incorporated into Marriott’s offerings through the deal. Trailborn, which operated five lodges totaling 559 rooms near major outdoor recreation areas, also joined under a separate long-term agreement.[95] Together, the arrangements were presented as what Marriott described as its planned Outdoor Collection platform.[95] The Outdoor Collection was formally launched in late September 2025.[96]
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From Marriott's founding in 1927 to 2012, the company's senior leadership was led by members of the Marriott family. In 2012, Arne Sorenson became the first non-Marriott family member to be appointed chief executive; this practice continued when Anthony Capuano was named his successor in 2021. The current practice is members of the Marriott family are named chairman while other company executives are named as chief executive.
| Region | Sales in billion $ | share |
|---|---|---|
| United States & Canada | 17.7 | 74.6% |
| International | 4.5 | 18.8% |
| Unallocated Corporate and Other | 1.6 | 6.6% |
| Year[98] | Revenue | Net income | Total assets | Employees[99] |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Millions of USD ($) | ||||
| 2005 | 11,129 | 669 | 8,530 | 143,000 |
| 2006 | 11,995 | 608 | 8,588 | 150,600 |
| 2007 | 12,990 | 696 | 8,942 | 151,000 |
| 2008 | 12,879 | 362 | 8,903 | 146,000 |
| 2009 | 10,908 | −346 | 7,933 | 137,000 |
| 2010 | 11,691 | 458 | 8,983 | 129,000 |
| 2011 | 12,317 | 198 | 5,910 | 120,000 |
| 2012 | 11,814 | 571 | 6,342 | 127,000 |
| 2013 | 12,784 | 626 | 6,794 | 123,000 |
| 2014 | 13,796 | 753 | 6,833 | 123,500 |
| 2015 | 14,486 | 859 | 6,082 | 127,500 |
| 2016 | 15,407 | 808 | 24,140 | 226,500 |
| 2017 | 20,452 | 1,459 | 23,948 | 177,000 |
| 2018 | 20,758 | 1,907 | 23,696 | 176,000 |
| 2019 | 20,972 | 1,273 | 25,051 | 174,000 |
| 2020 | 10,571 | −267 | 24,701 | 121,000 |
| 2021 | 13,857 | 1,099 | 25,553 | 120,000 |
| 2022 | 20,773 | 2,358 | 25,184 | 377,000 |
| 2023 | 23,713 | 3,083 | 25,712 | 411,000 |
| 2024 | 25,100 | 2,375 | 26,182 | 418,000 |
Marriott International reported TotalCO2e emissions (Direct + Indirect) for the twelve months ending 31 December 2020 at 5,166 Kt (-1,643 /-24.1% y-o-y)[100] and aims to reach net zero emissions by 2050.[101]
| Dec 2017 | Dec 2018 | Dec 2019 | Dec 2020 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6,238[102] | 6,836[103] | 6,809[104] | 5,166[100] |
In 2013, Marriott International committed to eliminating the use ofbattery cage eggs andgestation crates in its supply chain by 2015. However, the company did not meet this goal. In 2018, after a campaign byThe Humane League and the Open Wing Alliance, Marriott set a new target to source only cage-free eggs globally by 2025.[105] As of 2024, Marriott reported that only 42.04% of the eggs in its supply chain were cage-free.[106] This prompted criticism byanimal welfare organizations includingMercy for Animals and the International Council for Animal Welfare.
Marriott Bonvoy is Marriott's currentloyalty program, formed in the February 2019 merger of its three former rewards programs: Marriott Rewards, Ritz-Carlton Rewards, and Starwood Preferred Guest. Starwood Preferred Guest (also known as SPG) was founded in 1999 as the first in the industry to enforce a policy of no blackout dates, no capacity controls, and online redemption. In 2012, Starwood Preferred Guest began offering lifetime status and a dedicated Starwood ambassador for loyal members. Ritz-Carlton Rewards was founded in 2010. Members were able to receive air miles instead of reward points and able to earn ten points (or two miles) for every dollar spent on any Ritz-Carlton room rates. Despite the restriction of membership to only one of the two programs, members of Ritz-Carlton Rewards were able to earn points in other Marriott hotels, while Marriott Rewards members were able to earn points at a Ritz-Carlton.[107]
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As of 2024, Marriott International operates hotels, resorts and other properties under the following brands internationally.[111]
The Luxury Collection is a brand of Marriott International for luxury properties. It is notable as the first "soft brand" hotel chain.[112] Most hotels of the brand are located in converted historic buildings, including palaces or older hotels. The brand also enlists notable designers to craft luxury travel accessories that are available exclusively on the brand's website.[113]
The Luxury Collection brand began on January 13, 1992, when ITT Sheraton designated 28 of its most expensive hotels and 33 of the Sheraton Towers, as theITT Sheraton Luxury Collection.[114]
In February 1994, ITTSheraton Hotels and Resorts acquired a controlling interest in CIGA (Compagnia Italiana Grandi Alberghi, or Italian Grand Hotels Company), an Italian international hotel chain that owned several luxury properties in Europe.[115] The majority of the CIGA hotels were folded into The Luxury Collection. CIGA's original logo, the four horses of St. Mark, was kept for The Luxury Collection brand logo until 2010; each Luxury Collection hotel now uses its own logo.
In 2011, it embarked on an advertising campaign.[116] In 2012, the brand announced a major expansion in Asia, particularly in China.[117] Also in 2014, the brand signed Danish supermodelHelena Christensen as spokesperson.[118] In 2015, the company launched a $700 million program to renovate properties.[119]
According to Vox, Marriott International promised in 2013 to move away from some particularly cruel factory-farming practices by banning cages for hens and pregnant pigs. After Marriott missed its 2015 deadline, the company was called out by an international campaign led by the Open Wing Alliance. Marriott then reiterated its commitment to eliminating caged eggs from its global supply chain.[120]
Marriott committed to sourcing 100% of eggs[121] from cage-free sources by the end of 2025 and reported[122] progress in some regions. But as of 2025, Marriott remains critically behind on this commitment. Animal protection organizations have renewed pressure on Marriott over its disappointing progress. According to Mercy For Animals' StopMarriottCruelty.org website, the hospitality giant's limited progress and lack of a clear implementation plan raise serious doubts about whether it will meet its own deadline.
In May 2025, the animal protection nonprofit Mercy For Animals revealed Marriott's efforts to silence activist efforts. According to Mercy For Animals CEO Leah Garcés, the company sought to take down campaign websites that shared updates on its cage-free progress[123].
Animal protection organizations are leading other campaigns globally. Social media posts and press reports from the United States and Germany document multiple protests in front of Marriott hotels and events attended by top company executives[124][125]. In response to one of these demonstrations, Marriott International reacted aggressively and continued to withhold any clear plans to meet its 2025 cage-free pledge.
Marriott developed three theme parks, of which two opened:Marriott's Great America inSanta Clara, California andMarriott's Great America inGurnee, Illinois.[126] A third site was proposed but never built in the Washington D.C. area, but was cancelled due to strong opposition by surrounding residents.[127][128] The parks were operated by Marriott from 1976 until 1984, and were themed to celebrate American history. At the opening, the parks had nearly identical layouts.[129][130][131]
In 1984, Marriott disposed of its theme park division;[19] both parks were sold and today are associated with national theme park chains. Following the 2024 merger betweenCedar Fair andSix Flags, both parks are now owned bySix Flags.[132]
The Gurnee location was sold toSix Flags in 1984 where it operates today asSix Flags Great America.[133] The Santa Clara location was sold to the City of Santa Clara, who retained the underlying property and sold the park toKings Entertainment Company,[134] renamedParamount Parks in 1993.[135] From 1993 to 2006, the Santa Clara location was known as Paramount's Great America.[135] In 2006, Paramount Parks was acquired byCedar Fair Entertainment Company,[136] then Cedar Fair merged withSix Flags in 2024.[137] The Santa Clara park operates today asCalifornia's Great America.[138] The land of the Santa Clara, California, park was sold to the real estate companyPrologis by Cedar Fair prior to the merger in 2022, with plans to close the Santa Clara park by 2033 at the latest.[139][140] In the years after their sale, the layouts of both of the parks have diverged substantially.[129]
Media related toMarriott International at Wikimedia Commons
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