Marriott International

Profile

Marriott International is the largest hotel company in the world by the number of available rooms. It has 41 brands with 9,361 properties containing 1,706,331 rooms in 144 countries and territories according to 2025 financial documents. Of these 9,361 properties, 1,981 are managed but not owned by Marriott, 7,192 are owned and managed by independent hospitality companies under franchise agreements with Marriott, and 51 are both owned and managed by Marriott. The company also operates 20 hotel reservation centers.

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 (now Host Hotels & Resorts), which owns properties.

History

Founding and early years

The Marriott Corporation traces its origins to 1927, when John Willard Marriott, his wife Alice, and a business partner operated a root beer stand in Washington, DC. After serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in New England, Marriott had traveled to Washington, DC, 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. Permission was subsequently received from A&W to start selling food. The stand was renamed The Hot Shoppe, and it grew in popularity. Always looking for new ways to improve his business, Marriott bought a vacant lot next to one of his Hot Shoppes, removed the curb, and began offering the first drive-in service on the East Coast. This move popularized the restaurants, and by 1932, the Marriotts owned seven Hot Shoppes in the DC area. In 1953, Hot Shoppes, Inc. became a public company via an initial public offering.

On January 16, 1957, the company opened its first hotel, the Marriott Motor Hotel, in Arlington, Virginia. It cost $9 per night, plus an extra $1 for every person that was in the car. The company's second hotel, the Marriott Key Bridge Motor Hotel in Rosslyn, Arlington, Virginia, opened in 1959 and was the company's longest continuously operating hotel until its closure in July 2021.

Hot Shoppes, Inc. was renamed the Marriott Corporation in 1967.

In 1972, the Marriott lodging division acquired the Greek-based Sun Line cruise line, which it owned until 1987.

In 1976, the company opened two theme parks, each named Marriott's Great America, in California and Illinois. Marriott sold the parks in 1984, with the California park bought by the City of Santa Clara and the Illinois park bought by Bally Manufacturing, then the parent company of the Six Flags Corporation (both are now owned by Six Flags).

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.

Marriott International

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 (now Host Hotels & Resorts), which owns properties.

In 1995, Marriott was the first hotel company to offer online reservations.

In April 1995, Marriott acquired a 49% interest in the Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company. 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 20 years. Ritz-Carlton expanded into the timeshare market; it benefited from Marriott's reservation system and buying power. In 1998, Marriott acquired majority ownership of the Ritz-Carlton.

In 1997, the company acquired the Renaissance Hotels and Ramada brands from Chow Tai Fook Group and its associate company, New World Development. Marriott International also signed an agreement to manage hotels owned by New World Development. The same year the company also got into the home-cleaning business by starting a new venture dubbed HomeSolutions.

In 2001, the Marriott World Trade Center was destroyed during the September 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 receive audio-visual services from Molloy. Marriott paid an inflated amount to Molloy and pocketed the $1.7 million above its fee. Marriott had to return the money to CTF Hotel. CTF Hotel also accused Marriott of accepting bribes from suppliers.

In 2003, the company completed the corporate spin-off of its senior-living properties (now part of Sunrise Senior Living) and Marriott Distribution Services. In the same year, the owners of the Marriott-operated, Town Hotels, sued Marriott for breach of contract, breach of fiduciary duty, negligence, and fraud. They claimed that Marriott along with the Avendra hotel chain violated West 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.

Corporate affairs

Senior leadership

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.

Chairmen

J. Willard Marriott (1927–1985)

Bill Marriott (1985–2022)

David Marriott (since May 2022)

Chief executives

J. Willard Marriott (1927–1972)

Bill Marriott (1972–2012)

Arne Sorenson (2012–2021)

Anthony Capuano (since February 2021)

Environment

Marriott International reported total CO2 emissions (direct + indirect) for the 12 months ending 31 December 2020, at 5,166 Kt (-1,643 /-24.1% y-o-y) and aims to reach net zero emissions by 2050.

Loyalty program – Marriott Bonvoy

Marriott Bonvoy is Marriott's current loyalty 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 10 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.

As of March 2026, Marriott Bonvoy has five tiers in addition to the base tier of simply being a "member"; the following tiers and some benefits include:

However, Bulgari Hotels & Resorts does not participate in Marriott Bonvoy, so guests cannot redeem points. It is currently the only brand to do so, following the inclusion of Ritz-Carlton Reserve properties in 2022.

Awards

In November 2020, Marriott International was named as one of the "Top 75 Companies for Executive Women" by Working Mother.

In June 2022, Marriott was recognized by the International Hospitality Institute on the Global 100 in Hospitality, a list featuring the 100 Most Powerful People in Global Hospitality.

Marriott brands

Overview

As of 2026, Marriott International operates hotels, resorts, and other properties under these brands internationally:

Bulgari Hotels & Resorts

EDITION Hotels

Lefay Resorts & Residences (full intergration expected in late 2026)

JW Marriott Hotels

St. Regis Hotels & Resorts

The Luxury Collection

The Ritz-Carlton

The Ritz-Carlton Reserve

W Hotels

Autograph Collection Hotels

Delta Hotels

Design Hotels

Gaylord Hotels

Le Méridien

Marriott Hotels & Resorts

MGM Collection

Outdoor Collection by Marriott Bonvoy

Renaissance Hotels

Sheraton Hotels and Resorts

The Marriott Vacation Clubs

Tribute Portfolio

Westin Hotels & Resorts

AC Hotels

Aloft Hotels

The Luxury Collection

The Luxury Collection is a brand of Marriott International for luxury properties. It is notable as the first "soft brand" hotel chain. 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.

History

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 the ITT Sheraton Luxury Collection.

In February 1994, ITT Sheraton Hotels and Resorts acquired a controlling interest in Compagnia Italiana Grandi Alberghi (CIGA or Italian Grand Hotels Company), an Italian international hotel chain that owned several luxury properties in Europe. 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. In 2012, the brand announced a major expansion in Asia, particularly in China. Also in 2014, the brand signed Danish supermodel Helena Christensen as spokesperson. In 2015, the company launched a $700 million program to renovate properties.

Animal welfare controversy

In 2013, Marriott International committed to eliminating the use of battery cage eggs and gestation crates in its supply chain by 2015, but did not meet this goal. According to Vox, the Humane League and the Open Wing Alliance used online publicity and silent protest to pressure Marriott International. Marriott set a new target to source only cage-free eggs globally by 2025, reiterating its commitment to eliminating caged eggs from its global supply chain. In 2024, Marriott reported that 42.04% of the eggs in its supply chain were cage-free.

In May 2025, animal protection nonprofit Mercy for Animals claimed Marriott has attempted to silence activists. According to Mercy for Animals CEO Leah Garcés, the company sought to take down campaign websites that shared updates on its cage-free progress.

During a June 2025 hotel industry conference at the New York Marriott Marquis, a protest concerning the use of eggs from caged hens interrupted a panel featuring executives from major hotel companies, including Marriott International.

According to The Washington Post, as of 2026, Marriott International has not fulfilled this commitment. As of January 2026, Marriott International has declined to provide updated timelines for its global cage-free egg commitment, citing bird flu and supply-chain disruptions as obstacles to the 2025 deadline.

Great America theme parks

Marriott developed three theme parks, of which two opened: Marriott's Great America in Santa Clara, California, and Marriott's Great America in Gurnee, Illinois. A third site was proposed, but never built in the Washington, DC, area; it was cancelled due to strong opposition by surrounding residents. 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.

In 1984, Marriott disposed of its theme park division; both parks were sold and today are associated with national theme park chains. Following the 2024 merger between Cedar Fair and Six Flags, both parks are now owned by Six Flags.

The Gurnee location was sold to Six Flags in 1984; it operates today as Six Flags Great America. The Santa Clara location was sold to the City of Santa Clara, who retained the underlying property and sold the park to Kings Entertainment Company, renamed Paramount Parks in 1993. From 1993 to 2006, the Santa Clara location was known as Paramount's Great America. In 2006, Paramount Parks was acquired by Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, then Cedar Fair merged with Six Flags in 2024. The Santa Clara park operates today as California's Great America. The land of the Santa Clara, California, park was sold to the real estate company Prologis by Cedar Fair prior to the merger in 2022, with plans to close the Santa Clara park by 2033 at the latest. In the years after their sale, the layouts of both of the parks have diverged substantially.