J. Willard Marriott
Encyclopedia
John Willard Marriott was an American
entrepreneur
and businessman. He was the founder of the Marriott Corporation (which became Marriott International
in 1993), the parent company of one of the world's largest hospitality
, hotel chains, and food services companies. The Marriott company rose from a small root beer
stand in Washington D.C. in 1927 to a chain of family restaurant
s by 1932, to his first motel in 1957. By the time he died, the Marriott company operated 1,400 restaurants and 143 hotels and resort
s worldwide, including two theme parks
, earned USD $
4.5 billion in revenue annually with 154,600 employees. The company's interests even extended to a line of cruise ship
s and theme parks.
, and was raised on his father's farm. His father gave him considerable responsibility at an early age: he was sent to San Francisco on his own with 3,000 sheep in a railcar
at the age of 14.
At the age of 19 and as a devout Mormon, he undertook the traditional missionary
work of the church for two years, being assigned to New England
. On his way home after completing his mission, he passed through Washington D.C. during the sweltering summer months of 1921. While there:
Marriott was a brother of the Phi Delta Theta
Fraternity at the University of Utah and of Alpha Kappa Psi
, his son J. W. "Bill" Marriott, Jr. was a member of Sigma Chi
. After graduating from Weber College
in June 1923 and later, the University of Utah
in June 1926, Marriott remembered his experience in Washington, D.C. and decided to look into a venture there.
the franchise rights for Washington, D.C.; Baltimore, Maryland; and Richmond, Virginia
; he then moved to Washington to open a nine-stool root beer stand there with his business partner, Hugh Colton. They opened on May 20, 1927 at 3128 14th Street, NW. He returned to Utah two weeks later, and married Alice Sheets
on 9 June 1927. With the approach of cooler Autumn months, and with the addition of Mexican food items to the menu, the stand became The Hot Shoppe, a popular family restaurant. In 1928, he opened the first drive-in
east of the Mississippi
, and the business was incorporated as Hot Shoppes, Inc. in Delaware
in 1929. During the Second World War, the business expanded to include the management of food services in defense plants and government buildings, such as the U.S. Treasury.
In 1935 he was diagnosed as having malignant cancer
of the lymph nodes, and given between six months and a year to live. However, he survived and lived another half century.
Marriott's restaurant chain grew, and the company went public in 1953. In 1957, he expanded his business to hotel
s, opening the first Marriott hotel—actually a motel
, the Twin Bridges Motor Hotel
in Arlington, Virginia
. The company became Marriott, Inc., in 1967. Two large chains were added to the group, the Big Boy
family restaurants in 1967 and Roy Rogers Family Restaurants
in 1968.
Over the years, Marriott's company interests expanded. Continuing with food services, Marriott eventually invented airline in-flight food service. This segment of their enterprise continues to be a large part of their business, providing food services to many major airlines. Marriott also provides food services to many college
s, elementary school
s and other venues.
Marriott was an energetic worker and rarely rested, preferring to run his company. Many attested to the fact that he ate, lived, breathed and dreamed about how to run and improve his company:
Even after the company grew to include hundreds of restaurants and hotels, Marriott vowed to personally inspect every establishment at least four times a year.
Marriott tempered his rigid demands for perfection with devotion to his employees. According to his son, Bill Jr.,:
According to Marriott himself (from a videotaped segment):
Marriott's wife, Alice Sheets, was actively involved in the business, starting as the bookkeeper at the root-beer stand. Despite the demands of the company, she felt her role as a mother to her two sons was her most important calling and balanced the demands of both of her endeavors.
Marriott and his wife had two sons. Their son Bill Marriott, Jr.
is currently president and CEO of Marriott International
. The other son is Richard Marriott, Chairman of the board for Host Hotels & Resorts, formerly Host
Marriott Corporation.
Marriott is buried in Parklawn Memorial Park and Menorah Gardens Rockville Montgomery County Maryland, USA Plot: Block 6, lot-Be1, space 9
in each hotel room, alongside a copy a Gideon Bible
—a tradition that has endured. He also donated funds to the church's flagship tertiary educational institution, Brigham Young University
, resulting in the naming of the university's 22,700-seat multi-purpose arena
(Marriott Center
) in his honor. While serving as home to the BYU Cougars
men's
and women's college basketball
teams, the center also hosts various cultural events and religious devotionals. It is America's largest on-campus arena built for basketball. Also at BYU, the university's business school, the Marriott School of Management
, is named in honor of Marriott. On the campus of Marriott's alma mater, the University of Utah
, stands the J. Willard Marriott Library
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
entrepreneur
Entrepreneur
An entrepreneur is an owner or manager of a business enterprise who makes money through risk and initiative.The term was originally a loanword from French and was first defined by the Irish-French economist Richard Cantillon. Entrepreneur in English is a term applied to a person who is willing to...
and businessman. He was the founder of the Marriott Corporation (which became Marriott International
Marriott International
Marriott International, Inc. is a worldwide operator and franchisor of a broad portfolio of hotels and related lodging facilities. Founded by J. Willard Marriott, the company is now led by son J.W. Marriott, Jr...
in 1993), the parent company of one of the world's largest hospitality
Hospitality
Hospitality is the relationship between guest and host, or the act or practice of being hospitable. Specifically, this includes the reception and entertainment of guests, visitors, or strangers, resorts, membership clubs, conventions, attractions, special events, and other services for travelers...
, hotel chains, and food services companies. The Marriott company rose from a small root beer
Root beer
Root beer is a carbonated, sweetened beverage, originally made using the root of a sassafras plant as the primary flavor. Root beer, popularized in North America, comes in two forms: alcoholic and soft drink. The historical root beer was analogous to small beer in that the process provided a drink...
stand in Washington D.C. in 1927 to a chain of family restaurant
Restaurant
A restaurant is an establishment which prepares and serves food and drink to customers in return for money. Meals are generally served and eaten on premises, but many restaurants also offer take-out and food delivery services...
s by 1932, to his first motel in 1957. By the time he died, the Marriott company operated 1,400 restaurants and 143 hotels and resort
Resort
A resort is a place used for relaxation or recreation, attracting visitors for holidays or vacations. Resorts are places, towns or sometimes commercial establishment operated by a single company....
s worldwide, including two theme parks
Marriott's Great America
There are two amusement parks formerly known as Marriott's Great America:*Six Flags Great America, located in Gurnee, Illinois*Great America , located in Santa Clara, California...
, earned USD $
United States dollar
The United States dollar , also referred to as the American dollar, is the official currency of the United States of America. It is divided into 100 smaller units called cents or pennies....
4.5 billion in revenue annually with 154,600 employees. The company's interests even extended to a line of cruise ship
Cruise ship
A cruise ship or cruise liner is a passenger ship used for pleasure voyages, where the voyage itself and the ship's amenities are part of the experience, as well as the different destinations along the way...
s and theme parks.
Early life
Marriott was born at Marriott Settlement near Ogden, UtahOgden, Utah
Ogden is a city in Weber County, Utah, United States. Ogden serves as the county seat of Weber County. The population was 82,825 according to the 2010 Census. The city served as a major railway hub through much of its history, and still handles a great deal of freight rail traffic which makes it a...
, and was raised on his father's farm. His father gave him considerable responsibility at an early age: he was sent to San Francisco on his own with 3,000 sheep in a railcar
Railcar
A railcar, in British English and Australian English, is a self-propelled railway vehicle designed to transport passengers. The term "railcar" is usually used in reference to a train consisting of a single coach , with a driver's cab at one or both ends. Some railways, e.g., the Great Western...
at the age of 14.
At the age of 19 and as a devout Mormon, he undertook the traditional missionary
Missionary
A missionary is a member of a religious group sent into an area to do evangelism or ministries of service, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care and economic development. The word "mission" originates from 1598 when the Jesuits sent members abroad, derived from the Latin...
work of the church for two years, being assigned to New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
. On his way home after completing his mission, he passed through Washington D.C. during the sweltering summer months of 1921. While there:
- "... [H]e walked from Capitol Hill to the Washington Monument, toiled up the steps to the top, walked back down again, and strolled over to the Lincoln Memorial. Everywhere he went tourists and pedestrians sweltered and sweated in the sultry, humid air. On the way back to his hotel, he just stood there in the street watching the crowds, he couldn't get over it: a push cart peddler would come along the street selling lemonade and soda pop and ice cream, and in minutes he would be cleaned out and on his way to stock up with another cartload".
Marriott was a brother of the Phi Delta Theta
Phi Delta Theta
Phi Delta Theta , also known as Phi Delt, is an international fraternity founded at Miami University in 1848 and headquartered in Oxford, Ohio. Phi Delta Theta, Beta Theta Pi, and Sigma Chi form the Miami Triad. The fraternity has about 169 active chapters and colonies in over 43 U.S...
Fraternity at the University of Utah and of Alpha Kappa Psi
Alpha Kappa Psi
ΑΚΨ is the oldest and largest professional business fraternity. The Alpha Kappa Psi Fraternity was founded on October 5, 1904 at New York University, and was incorporated on May 20, 1905...
, his son J. W. "Bill" Marriott, Jr. was a member of Sigma Chi
Sigma Chi
Sigma Chi is the largest and one of the oldest college Greek-letter secret and social fraternities in North America with 244 active chapters and more than . Sigma Chi was founded on June 28, 1855 at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio when members split from Delta Kappa Epsilon...
. After graduating from Weber College
Weber State University
Weber State University is a public university located in the city of Ogden in Weber County, Utah, USA. It was founded in 1889 and is a coeducational, publicly supported university offering professional, liberal arts and technical certificates, as well as associate, bachelor's and master's degrees...
in June 1923 and later, the University of Utah
University of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
in June 1926, Marriott remembered his experience in Washington, D.C. and decided to look into a venture there.
Business career
In 1927, he secured from A&W Root BeerA&W Root Beer
A&W Root Beer is a brand of root beer, primarily available in the United States and Canada, that was started in 1919 by Roy Allen. In 1922, Allen partnered with Frank Wright. They combined their initials to create the brand "A&W" and inspired a restaurant chain which was founded 1922. The first A&W...
the franchise rights for Washington, D.C.; Baltimore, Maryland; and Richmond, Virginia
Richmond, Virginia
Richmond is the capital of the Commonwealth of Virginia, in the United States. It is an independent city and not part of any county. Richmond is the center of the Richmond Metropolitan Statistical Area and the Greater Richmond area...
; he then moved to Washington to open a nine-stool root beer stand there with his business partner, Hugh Colton. They opened on May 20, 1927 at 3128 14th Street, NW. He returned to Utah two weeks later, and married Alice Sheets
Alice Marriott
Alice Sheets Marriott was an American entrepreneur and philanthropist. She was married to J. Willard Marriott, founder of the hospitality company Marriott Corp.-Early life and career:...
on 9 June 1927. With the approach of cooler Autumn months, and with the addition of Mexican food items to the menu, the stand became The Hot Shoppe, a popular family restaurant. In 1928, he opened the first drive-in
Drive-in
A drive-in is a facility such as a bank, restaurant, or movie theater where one can literally drive in with an automobile for service. It is usually distinguished from a drive-through. At a drive-in restaurant, for example, customers park their vehicles and are usually served by staff who walk out...
east of the Mississippi
Mississippi
Mississippi is a U.S. state located in the Southern United States. Jackson is the state capital and largest city. The name of the state derives from the Mississippi River, which flows along its western boundary, whose name comes from the Ojibwe word misi-ziibi...
, and the business was incorporated as Hot Shoppes, Inc. in Delaware
Delaware
Delaware is a U.S. state located on the Atlantic Coast in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It is bordered to the south and west by Maryland, and to the north by Pennsylvania...
in 1929. During the Second World War, the business expanded to include the management of food services in defense plants and government buildings, such as the U.S. Treasury.
In 1935 he was diagnosed as having malignant cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
of the lymph nodes, and given between six months and a year to live. However, he survived and lived another half century.
Marriott's restaurant chain grew, and the company went public in 1953. In 1957, he expanded his business to hotel
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
s, opening the first Marriott hotel—actually a motel
Motel
A motor hotel, or motel for short, is a hotel designed for motorists, and usually has a parking area for motor vehicles...
, the Twin Bridges Motor Hotel
Twin Bridges Motor Hotel
The Twin Bridges Motor Hotel, later known as the Twin Bridges Marriott was the first lodging facility operated by what would become Marriott International. It opened on about January 18, 1957, shortly before the second inauguration of President Dwight D...
in Arlington, Virginia
Arlington County, Virginia
Arlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The land that became Arlington was originally donated by Virginia to the United States government to form part of the new federal capital district. On February 27, 1801, the United States Congress organized the area as a subdivision of...
. The company became Marriott, Inc., in 1967. Two large chains were added to the group, the Big Boy
Big Boy (restaurant)
Big Boy is a restaurant chain with its headquarters in Warren, Michigan.Big Boy was started in 1936 by Bob Wian, in partnership with Arnold Peterson in Glendale, California, USA. Marriott Corporation bought the chain in 1967...
family restaurants in 1967 and Roy Rogers Family Restaurants
Roy Rogers Family Restaurants
Roy Rogers Restaurants is a Northeastern United States chain of fast food restaurants founded by the Marriott Corporation in 1968 in Falls Church, Virginia. As of 2010, Roy Rogers has 47 locations. In 2002, the Plamondon Companies purchased the trademark from Imasco, the former parent of Hardee's...
in 1968.
Over the years, Marriott's company interests expanded. Continuing with food services, Marriott eventually invented airline in-flight food service. This segment of their enterprise continues to be a large part of their business, providing food services to many major airlines. Marriott also provides food services to many college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
s, elementary school
Elementary school
An elementary school or primary school is an institution where children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as elementary or primary education. Elementary school is the preferred term in some countries, particularly those in North America, where the terms grade school and grammar...
s and other venues.
Marriott was an energetic worker and rarely rested, preferring to run his company. Many attested to the fact that he ate, lived, breathed and dreamed about how to run and improve his company:
- "His managers never knew what time of day or night he’d show up at the kitchen door and go bird-dogging almost at a half-run through the kitchen, the pantries, the storage rooms, the refrigerators, the restaurant itself, running a finger over the shelves to check for dust, checking under tables and in cutlery drawers, checking the ranges, the storage rooms, the trays about to be served, sampling the root beer, and raising hell if everything wasn’t spotless, neat, clean, bright, polished, done efficiently, done well."
Even after the company grew to include hundreds of restaurants and hotels, Marriott vowed to personally inspect every establishment at least four times a year.
Marriott tempered his rigid demands for perfection with devotion to his employees. According to his son, Bill Jr.,:
- "In establishing the culture of the company, there was a lot of attention and tender loving care paid to the hourly workers. When they were sick, he went to see them. When they were in trouble, he got them out of trouble. He created a family loyalty."
According to Marriott himself (from a videotaped segment):
- "You’ve got to make your employees happy. If the employees are happy, they are going to make the customers happy."
Marriott's wife, Alice Sheets, was actively involved in the business, starting as the bookkeeper at the root-beer stand. Despite the demands of the company, she felt her role as a mother to her two sons was her most important calling and balanced the demands of both of her endeavors.
Marriott and his wife had two sons. Their son Bill Marriott, Jr.
J.W. Marriott, Jr.
John Willard "Bill" Marriott, Jr. is the Chairman and CEO of Marriott International.-Biography:Marriott is the son of Alice Marriott and J. Willard Marriott, the founder of Marriott International. He attended St. Albans School in Washington, DC, and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in finance...
is currently president and CEO of Marriott International
Marriott International
Marriott International, Inc. is a worldwide operator and franchisor of a broad portfolio of hotels and related lodging facilities. Founded by J. Willard Marriott, the company is now led by son J.W. Marriott, Jr...
. The other son is Richard Marriott, Chairman of the board for Host Hotels & Resorts, formerly Host
Marriott Corporation.
Marriott is buried in Parklawn Memorial Park and Menorah Gardens Rockville Montgomery County Maryland, USA Plot: Block 6, lot-Be1, space 9
Legacy
Marriott's legacy continues today through the continuance of the company he founded and through his community involvement and philanthropy. Marriott was a faithful member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and sought to share the church's teachings with others by placing a copy of the Book of MormonBook of Mormon
The Book of Mormon is a sacred text of the Latter Day Saint movement that adherents believe contains writings of ancient prophets who lived on the American continent from approximately 2600 BC to AD 421. It was first published in March 1830 by Joseph Smith, Jr...
in each hotel room, alongside a copy a Gideon Bible
Gideons International
Gideons International is an evangelical Christian organization dedicated to distributing copies of the Bible in over 94 languages and 194 countries of the world, most famously in hotel and motel rooms. The organization was founded in 1899 in Janesville, Wisconsin, as an early American parachurch...
—a tradition that has endured. He also donated funds to the church's flagship tertiary educational institution, Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University
Brigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students...
, resulting in the naming of the university's 22,700-seat multi-purpose arena
Arena
An arena is an enclosed area, often circular or oval-shaped, designed to showcase theater, musical performances, or sporting events. It is composed of a large open space surrounded on most or all sides by tiered seating for spectators. The key feature of an arena is that the event space is the...
(Marriott Center
Marriott Center
Marriott Center is a 22,700-seat multi-purpose arena at 1497 N 450 E on the campus of Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, and is home to the BYU Cougars men's and women's basketball teams. It is also used for weekly devotionals and forums...
) in his honor. While serving as home to the BYU Cougars
BYU Cougars
BYU Cougars is an American soccer team based in Provo, Utah, United States. The team plays in the USL Premier Development League , the fourth tier of the American Soccer Pyramid, in the Southwest Division of the Western Conference....
men's
BYU Cougars men's basketball
The BYU Cougars men's basketball team represents Brigham Young University in NCAA Division I basketball play. Established in 1902, the team has won 30 conference championships and 2 NIT Tournaments , and competed in 26 NCAA Tournaments. It currently competes in the West Coast Conference...
and women's college basketball
College basketball
College basketball most often refers to the USA basketball competitive governance structure established by the National Collegiate Athletic Association . Basketball in the NCAA is divided into three divisions: Division I, Division II and Division III....
teams, the center also hosts various cultural events and religious devotionals. It is America's largest on-campus arena built for basketball. Also at BYU, the university's business school, the Marriott School of Management
Marriott School of Management
The Marriott School of Management is a business school located in Provo, Utah at Brigham Young University , a private university in the United States owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
, is named in honor of Marriott. On the campus of Marriott's alma mater, the University of Utah
University of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
, stands the J. Willard Marriott Library
J. Willard Marriott Library
J. Willard Marriott Library is the library of the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah. It was named for J. Willard Marriott, the founder of Marriott International. The library building is over and houses over 3 million volumes. The University of Utah Press is a division of the Marriott...
.
External links
- J. Willard Marriott biography from the official Marriott website
- The John Willard and Alice Sheets Marriott Papers
- Biography from the Marriott School of ManagementMarriott School of ManagementThe Marriott School of Management is a business school located in Provo, Utah at Brigham Young University , a private university in the United States owned by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints...
, Brigham Young UniversityBrigham Young UniversityBrigham Young University is a private university located in Provo, Utah. It is owned and operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , and is the United States' largest religious university and third-largest private university.Approximately 98% of the university's 34,000 students... - Presidential Medal of Freedom award