Bill Marriott | |
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![]() Marriott in 1998 | |
Born | John Willard Marriott Jr. March 25, 1932 Washington, D.C., U.S. |
Education | University of Utah (BS) (1954) |
Occupation | Executive Chairman of Marriott International |
Political party | Republican |
Spouse | Donna Garff |
Children | 4 |
Website | www |
Notes | |
John Willard "Bill" Marriott Jr. (born March 25, 1932) is an American billionaire businessman who is the executive chairman of Marriott International, of which he owns 11.28%.[1]
Early life and education
Marriott was born in Washington, D.C., the son of Alice Marriott and J. Willard Marriott, the founder of Marriott Corporation. He attended St. Albans School in Washington, D.C.[2] He is also an Eagle Scout and recipient of the Distinguished Eagle Scout Award.[3]
In 1954, Marriott earned a Bachelor of Science degree in finance from the University of Utah, where he was a member of the Sigma Chi fraternity. There, he met his wife, the daughter of a professor.[4]
Upon graduating, Marriott went to a Navy training school in Georgia.[4] From June 1954 to 1956, he served on the USS Randolph aircraft carrier as a wardroom mess officer in the Navy Supply Corps.[2][5]
In June 1955, Marriott was married at the Salt Lake Temple in Salt Lake City.[4]
Career
Marriott joined Marriott Corporation in 1956. He pushed his father, who was wary of taking on debt after experiencing the Great Depression, to expand from the restaurant business into the hotel business.[4]
Marriott was elected executive vice president and member of the board of directors in January 1964,[4] president of the company in November 1964, chief executive officer in 1972, and chairman of the board in 1985. He introduced the practice of revenue management to the hotel industry.[6]
Effective March 31, 2012, Marriott assumed the role of executive chairman of the company and relinquished the role of chief executive officer to Arne Sorenson.[7]
Awards
In 2001, Marriott was recognized as The Industry Leader of The Year by Broad College of Business, Michigan State University.[8]
On May 4, 2006, Marriott received an honorary doctorate of humanities from Weber State University and delivered the commencement speech.[9]
On April 2, 2008, Marriott received the International Association of Business Communicators' Excellence in Communication Leadership Award.[10]
On June 2, 2009, Marriott received the Icon of the Industry award from Cornell University School of Hotel Administration.[11]
In 2010, Marriott received the Foreign Language Advocacy Award from the Northeast Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages in recognition of programs that provided language instruction to both non-English speaking and English speaking employees.[12]
On November 19, 2016, Ernst & Young named Marriott the National/Overall Entrepreneur of the Year.[13]
In 2018, Marriott received the Distinguished Service Award by the National Maritime Historical Society.[14]
Personal life
Marriott has been married to Donna Garff for over 61 years and they have four children, all of whom work for Marriott International, fifteen grandchildren, and twenty great-grandchildren.[15] They raised their kids in a brick ranch-style house in Bethesda, Maryland.[16]
In an episode of 60 Minutes aired on April 7, 1996, Marriott was interviewed by Mike Wallace.[17]
In 2018, Bill's son John Marriott III sued both him and his uncle, Richard Marriott, for allegedly cutting John out of the family fortune, in part for divorcing his wife without approval of his father. The lawsuit was settled out of court.[16]
Religion
Marriott is an active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Since 1978, the Marriotts have been supporters of the annual Festival of Lights on the grounds of the Washington D.C. Temple.[18] In 1997, Marriott was called by the church to be an Area Authority Seventy and member of the Fifth Quorum of the Seventy.[19] This was split in 2004 and Marriott joined the newly created Sixth Quorum of the Seventy, serving until his release on October 1, 2011.[20][21]
Boards
Marriott is actively involved in various boards and councils including, the U.S. Travel and Tourism Promotional Advisory Board, the executive committee of the World Travel and Tourism Council, the National Business Council, the board of trustees of the National Urban League, a director of the National Geographic Society, and a director of the Naval Academy Endowment Trust. He serves as chairman of the President's Export Council, a group that advises the president on matters relating to export trade, and serves as chairman of the Leadership Council of the Laura Bush Foundation for America's Libraries.
Bibliography
- Without Reservations: How a Family Root Beer Stand Grew into a Global Hotel Company Luxury Custom Publishing LLC, May 1, 2013
References
- ^ a b "SCHEDULE 14A INFORMATION REQUIRED IN PROXY STATEMENT". U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
- ^ a b Bryant, Adam (May 26, 2013). "Corner Office: J.W. Marriott Jr". The New York Times.
- ^ "Dedham's Peter Reynolds to receive Eagle Scout award". The Patriot Ledger. November 24, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e RICH, CINDY (April 1, 2007). "Growing Up Marriott". Washingtonian.
- ^ "LEADERSHIP, NEGOTIATION AND MEAT LOAF: ONE ENSIGN'S VETERANS DAY MEMORIES". Marriott International. November 11, 2019.
- ^ Cross, Robert G. (1997). Revenue Management: Hard-core Tactics for Market Domination. Broadway Books. ISBN 9780553067347.
- ^ Rosenwald, Michael S. (December 13, 2011). "Marriott CEO J.W. Marriott Jr. to step down". The Washington Post.
- ^ The Legacy of the Leader, (2002). East Lansing, MI: The School of Hospitality Business Alumni Association. ISBN 0-9719359-0-4
- ^ Blair, William G. (August 15, 1985). "J. William Marriott is dead at 84; built hotel and restaurant chain". The New York Times.
- ^ "Bill Marriott Selected for IABC's Excellence in Communication Leadership (EXCEL) Award". Media Update. April 7, 2008.
- ^ "Hotel School to honor J.W. Marriott Jr". Cornell Chronicle. April 20, 2009.
- ^ "The James W. Dodge Foreign Language Advocate Award". Northeast Conference on the Teaching of Foreign Languages.
- ^ "Hospitality Industry Icon, Bill Marriott, Named Ernst & Young 2016 U.S. Entrepreneur of the Year". Marriott International. November 21, 2016.
- ^ "Award Recipients". National Maritime Historical Society .
- ^ "Meet Our Founders". Marriott International.
- ^ a b KASHINO, MARISA M. (January 10, 2018). "The Marriott Family's Civil War". Washingtonian.
- ^ Pierce, Scott D. (April 5, 1996). "CBS'S '60 MINUTES' TO AIR INTERVIEW WITH PRESIDENT HINCKLEY ON SUNDAY". Deseret News.
- ^ Johnson, Page (December 11, 2010). "Festival of lights at Washington D.C. Temple". Church News.
- ^ "Fifth Quorum of the Seventy". Church News. April 12, 1997.
- ^ "First Presidency Announces Creation of the Sixth Quorum of the Seventy". Ensign. July 2004.
- ^ "Releases Announced for Church Leaders" (Press release). Mormon Newsroom. October 1, 2011.