Marriott was born in Settlement, Utah. He was the second of eight children of Hyrum Marriott and Ellen Morris. As one of the greatest of the clan, he was in charge of teaching his brothers how to work the fields. There the family grew beets and raised sheep. Young Bill, as he was called, wanted to go beyond agriculture and chose to study to expand his possibilities. To pay for his career, he sold lumberjack clothing and thus graduated from the local university.
Once that stage was over, he was ready to launch into the business world. In 1927 acquired the rights to the A&W Root Beer franchises, a chain of beer stands, in Washington DC. But he was not alone, as his partners were his wife, Alice, and Hugh Colton. Soon Marriott realized that the business was only successful in the summer, while during the winter time sales fell so expanded the offer to include hot food and renamed the premises as Hot Shoppes.
The idea was a success and the following year they opened two more branches, in addition to adding the drive-in. But the creativity of the entrepreneur did not end there. He noticed that many of his diners chose his business for a quick meal before heading to the airport. Then in 1937 opened the catering segment for flights with which he began providing packed lunches at Hoover Airport – now known as Ronald Reagan National Airport.
Hot Shoppes grew during the 40s and in its heyday it reached 75 points in the country. But nevertheless, in the 80s it began to lose ground with fast food. By then the Marriott had opened other brands in the gastronomic sector. They sold everything in 1989, but they kept their look for insignia. Finally in 1999 they closed the last branch of Hot Shoppes. By that time the family had already focused on another business: the hotel industry.
The birth of the Marriot hotels
In 1957, Bill Marriott Jr., son of John Willard, opened the first roadside hotel of the company in Arlington Virginia. Under his leadership the segment expanded and a decade later they began the international conquest with a property in Acapulco. Then, in 1972, the chain partners with Sun Line to enter the cruise business and that same year the founder’s son was named CEO of the firm. He currently serves as the chairman of Marriott since his father’s death in 1985.
The company was gaining market through the creation of various brands for different guest segments and the purchase of companies in the sector. In 1983 they launched Courtyard for business travelers, followed by the Farfield Inn and Marriott Suites four years later. Within the super-luxury category, they opened the first Bulgari Hotel & Resort in Milan in 2004 and the Autograph Collection in 2009.
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