Marriott International

What does Marriott International own?
Marriott International owns over 30 hotel brands including The Ritz-Carlton, St. Regis, W Hotels, JW Marriott, Marriott Hotels, Sheraton, Westin, Courtyard, Fairfield, Residence Inn, Moxy, and City Express by Marriott. The company operates approximately 9,500 properties in 140-plus countries and territories. However, Marriott owns very few of the physical hotel buildings. Approximately 99% of properties are managed or franchised for third-party owners. Marriott also owns the Marriott Bonvoy loyalty program with over 230 million members.

Is Marriott International publicly traded?
Yes, Marriott International, Inc. is listed on NASDAQ under the ticker MAR. The company has been publicly traded since 1953. The Marriott family retains a significant but non-controlling ownership stake. Major institutional shareholders include Vanguard Group, BlackRock, and State Street. The company has a single-class share structure with one vote per share.

Who founded Marriott International?
Marriott was founded by J. Willard Marriott and his wife Alice Marriott, who opened a root beer stand in Washington, D.C. in 1927. The company entered the hotel business in 1957 with the Twin Bridges Motor Hotel in Arlington, Virginia. J. Willard Marriott handed leadership to his son Bill Marriott in 1972. Marriott International was created in 1993 when Marriott Corporation split into Marriott International (hotels) and Host Marriott (real estate).

Where is Marriott International headquartered?
Marriott International is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, USA, near Washington, D.C. The company's global headquarters is located at 7750 Wisconsin Avenue, Bethesda, Maryland. The company operates approximately 9,500 properties in 140-plus countries and territories worldwide.

How many hotels does Marriott operate?
As of 2025, Marriott operates approximately 9,500 properties with over 1.7 million rooms across 140-plus countries and territories. The company has a development pipeline of approximately 3,800 properties and 590,000 rooms, representing significant future growth. Over half of the development pipeline is in international markets.

What is Marriott Bonvoy?
Marriott Bonvoy is Marriott International's loyalty program, with over 230 million members as of 2025. The program was formed in 2019 by merging Marriott Rewards, The Ritz-Carlton Rewards, and Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) following the 2016 Starwood acquisition. Members earn points on stays at Marriott properties, which can be redeemed for free nights, room upgrades, and other benefits. The program also includes co-branded credit cards with JPMorgan Chase and American Express.

Who is the CEO of Marriott International?
Anthony Capuano is the President and CEO of Marriott International, a position he has held since February 2021. He succeeded Arne Sorenson, who passed away from pancreatic cancer in February 2021. Capuano had been with Marriott for over 25 years before becoming CEO. The board of directors is chaired by David Marriott, grandson of founder J. Willard Marriott.

J. Willard Marriott and his wife Alice Marriott opened a root beer stand in Washington, D.C. in 1927, which grew into a chain of Hot Shoppes restaurants. The company entered the hotel business in 1957 when it opened its first hotel, the Twin Bridges Motor Hotel in Arlington, Virginia.

Marriott Corporation went public in 1953. The company grew through the 1960s and 1970s, expanding its hotel portfolio and restaurant businesses. J. Willard Marriott handed leadership to his son Bill Marriott in 1972.

In 1993, Marriott Corporation split into two companies: Marriott International (hotel management and franchising) and Host Marriott (real estate). This split established the asset-light model that has defined Marriott's business ever since.

Marriott's most transformative acquisition was Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide in 2016 for approximately $13.6 billion. The acquisition added Starwood's portfolio of brands including Sheraton, Westin, W Hotels, St. Regis, Le Meridien, and Four Points, making Marriott the world's largest hotel company. The Starwood acquisition also brought the Starwood Preferred Guest (SPG) loyalty program, which was merged with Marriott Rewards to form Marriott Bonvoy in 2019.

In 2018, Marriott disclosed a massive data breach affecting the Starwood guest reservation database, exposing the personal information of up to 500 million guests. The breach, which had begun before Marriott's acquisition of Starwood, was one of the largest data breaches in history and resulted in approximately $52 million in settlements with US state attorneys general and the UK Information Commissioner's Office.

In 2022, Marriott acquired the City Express brand portfolio (now City Express by Marriott), adding approximately 150 properties in Mexico and Latin America and marking Marriott's entry into the affordable midscale segment in Latin America.

In 2023, Marriott launched the City Express by Marriott brand following the acquisition. The company also continued expanding its luxury portfolio, with new Ritz-Carlton and St. Regis properties opening in high-growth markets across Asia Pacific and the Middle East.

In 2024 and 2025, Marriott continued to grow its global footprint, reaching approximately 9,500 properties by the end of 2025. The company's development pipeline remained strong at approximately 3,800 properties, with over half of the pipeline in international markets. Marriott Bonvoy membership grew to over 230 million members.

Marriott publishes an annual Sustainability and Social Impact Report. The company has set the following environmental goals:

• Net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2050 (with near-term 2030 targets)
• 30% reduction in carbon intensity by 2030 (from a 2019 baseline)
• Reduce water intensity by 15% by 2030 (from a 2019 baseline)
• Reduce waste to landfill by 45% by 2030 (from a 2019 baseline)
• 100% renewable electricity at managed hotels by 2030

Marriott's Serve 360 sustainability program encompasses environmental impact reduction, human rights awareness, volunteerism, and disaster relief. The company has committed to the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) for its emissions reduction targets.

Marriott is not a Certified B Corporation. The company's sustainability reporting follows Global Reporting Initiative (GRI) standards. Specific CDP Climate Disclosures have been published, with Marriott receiving scores in the B to B- range in recent years.

The company's sustainability challenges include the fact that approximately 99% of its properties are managed or franchised, meaning Marriott does not directly control the environmental operations of most hotels. The company relies on franchise agreements and brand standards to encourage sustainability practices at third-party owned properties.

The 2018 Starwood data breach was the most significant controversy in Marriott's recent history. The breach exposed the personal information of up to 500 million guests from the Starwood reservation database, including passport numbers, payment card information, and other sensitive data. The breach had begun before Marriott's acquisition of Starwood in 2016 but was not discovered until 2018. Marriott paid approximately $52 million to settle investigations by US state attorneys general and the UK Information Commissioner's Office. The company also faced class-action lawsuits from affected guests, resulting in additional settlement costs.

Marriott has faced criticism regarding its loyalty program practices. Marriott Bonvoy members have raised concerns about point devaluations, changes to elite status qualification requirements, and the introduction of dynamic award pricing, which has made it more difficult to predict the number of points required for free nights. These changes have generated significant discussion in frequent traveler communities.

The company has faced labor disputes at several properties. In 2024, workers at multiple Marriott properties in San Francisco and other cities went on strike as part of broader hotel industry labor actions, seeking higher wages and improved working conditions. These strikes affected operations at several Marriott-managed properties.

Marriott has also faced questions about its human rights due diligence in markets with concerning human rights records. The company operates properties in countries including China, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, where human rights organizations have documented restrictions on freedom of expression, labor rights, and other concerns. Marriott has stated that it follows all applicable laws in the countries where it operates and has a Global Human Rights Policy that applies to its managed properties.

The company's franchise model creates a structural tension between brand standards and owner autonomy. Franchisees pay for the right to use Marriott brands but retain operational control of their properties within brand standards. When franchisees fail to maintain standards, it can damage the Marriott brand, but Marriott's ability to intervene is limited by franchise agreements.