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Our Story

Founded almost 100 years ago, today Marriott International is the world's largest and most global lodging company.  When you work with Marriott, you have the world's leading travel company behind you, every step of the way.  There's a reason Marriott's culture is so celebrated in the industry.

Our legacy of "putting people first" goes back to our earliest days.  What it means is that taking care of our Marriott family - our owners and their employees - leads to great experiences for our guests.

In 1927, J. Willard and Alice Marriott's modest nine-seat A&W root beer stand in Washington, DC. laid the foundation for today's Marriott International.   Our respect for the owner's role has never wavered.  We continuously create extraordinary experiences for our guests, generate strong economic returns for our owners and franchisees, and provide outstanding career opportunities for our associates.
Innovation Is In Our Dna
The Jaffa, A Luxury Collection Hotel, Tel Aviv

Innovation Is In Our DNA

At Marriott, innovation is in our DNA. We continuously search for inventive ways to serve our customers, provide opportunities for our associates, and grow our business with owners from every corner of the globe. From new brands,  groundbreaking guest solutions, cutting edge technology and design, explore highlights from our 90 year history.

Read about our awards and other accolades.
Our Core Values
AC Hotel Oklahoma City Bricktown

Our Core Values

As Marriott changes and grows, our business strategy remains firmly rooted in our values.

  • Put People First: "Take care of the associates and they will take care of the customers, and the customers will come back again and again." This is our founder's philosophy. It has made Marriott a great place to work for over 90 years.
  • Pursue Excellence: Our dedication to the customer shows in everything we do. We take pride in the details—every day, in every destination worldwide.
  • Embrace Change: Innovation has always been part of the Marriott story. We're driven to anticipate our customers' changing needs with new brands, new global locations and new guest experiences.
  • Act with Integrity: How we do business is as important as the business we do. We hold ourselves to uncompromising ethical and legal standards.
  • Serve Our World: At Marriott, we are committed to creating a better world for our guests, owners and communities. Low cost foundational initiatives, innovative programs and sustainable design and construction guidance help owners improve their bottom line and meet our aggressive energy, water, and emissions reduction goals, including our commitment to a target of net-zero value chain greenhouse gas emissions by 2050.

More details about our environmental, social and governance efforts can be found at Marriott.com/Serve360.

Commitment To Diverse Ownership
Fairfield by Marriott Mie Odai, Japan

Commitment To Diverse Ownership

Diversity, equity and inclusion are key components of our overall business strategy at Marriott. We believe having a diverse ownership base (1,700+ hotels currently under diverse ownership) that mirrors and understands the needs of our global customer makes us a smarter and more innovative company. Marriott is proud to have a dedicated corporate supplier diversity team and nearly $1B in annual spend with diverse-owned companies.

In the US and Canada, Marriott's new multi-faceted owner development incentive program, Marriott's Bridging the Gap, will assist historically underrepresented ownership groups overcome specific obstacles to hotel ownership. The program is available to historically underrepresented hotel owners, including Black, Native American/First Nation, Hispanic/Latino and Women owners who hold a controlling equity interest in the hotel project. To learn more, click here.