One of my core business beliefs is that great companies exist for more fundamental purposes than just to make money. At Marriott, we “open doors to a world of opportunity.” That phrase connotes how much we want our associates to grow during the

Living the American Dream

Mar 5th, 2012

My family has lived the American Dream. My father started out herding sheep and saw an opportunity and drove cross-country from Utah to Washington, D.C. to open up an A&W Root Beer stand. That was way back in 1927. Many of us forget where we ca

World of Opportunity: Chance Encounters

Feb 27th, 2012

Listen to Blog After 33 years with Marriott International, Nusrat Mirza learned first-hand how our company can open doors to a world of opportunity. Nusrat’s story goes back to 1978, when he became a restaurant supervisor in one of our properti

More Lessons From A Car Guy

Feb 20th, 2012

After nearly 40 years as a CEO at Marriott, I love to read about how others lead. Recently, I blogged about Bob Lutz's new book "Car Guys vs. Bean Counters," which has many lessons from his tenure with General Motors. My 13-year service on the

Remembering Dr. Burke, My Life-Saver

Feb 13th, 2012

In August of 1985, I was putting gasoline into my boat at our summer place on Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire. I turned on the ignition switch to check the gas level, when I heard an explosion. The gas fumes had gathered around me as I stoo

The Super Bowl and Super Brands

Feb 6th, 2012

Courtyard by Marriott guests love football. So you can imagine all the lobby buzz for the Big Game. Courtyard was right in the thick of it as the official hotel sponsor for the National Football League. We even set up a Courtyard by Marriott Lo

Steve Jobs: Relentless Pursuit of Excellence

Jan 30th, 2012

Recently, I had an opportunity to read the story of Apple’s Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson. I found it fascinating and well done. We all know that Jobs changed the world with his many creations at Apple and Pixar Films. Isaacson wrote, “Steve Jo

The Year of the Dragon

Jan 23rd, 2012

HAPPY CHINESE NEW YEAR! 2012 is the year of the Dragon. Let the week-long celebrations begin. That’s right, an entire week of brilliant fireworks and colorful parades. It’s truly an amazing spectacle. Think Times Square – but a whole lot bigger

A Big Day for U.S. Tourism

Jan 20th, 2012

"The more folks who visit America, the more Americans we get back to work.” -- President Obama, January 19, 2012 Listen to Blog This year 1 billion people are expected to travel outside their own countries to see and experience the world. And f

Lessons of a Soda Jerk

Jan 17th, 2012

My very first job was a soda jerk and that taught me a lot about customer service. It was very busy, especially on the weekends. Filling orders in a timely way was a challenge and great fun. I was thrown into the front lines and was stuck many

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