[Exclusive data – 25 years of Hospitality ON] Marriott International: from family operation to number 1 worldwide

Today's largest hotel group in the world and a symbol of long-term commitment, Marriott International has been ranked among the top 3 hotels with the highest number of rooms 18 times in the last 20 years. 

Founded in 1927 by Alice Sheets Marriott and John Willard Marriott, the couple began by selling cold drinks. A chain of "Hot Shoppes" restaurants followed and in 1957 they opened their first hotel: the Twin Bridges Marriott Motor Hotel in Arlington, Virginia. Their son J.W. (Bill) Marriott took over until 2012 - the year he turned 80 - when he handed over the reins to the current CEO, Arne Sorenson.

From 1998 to 2018, Marriott International gained almost 1 million rooms to become the world leader. To revisit part of the American group's history, we have selected four key dates that have marked it over the past twenty years.

1999: The advent of Internet

Internet entered the strategy of hotel groups: every division was affected: buying, sales, recruitment, management… Marriott and Hyatt decided to launch a purchasing pool.

2005: Cendant acquired all of Ramada's rights and renewed 480,000 beds

Faced with a domestic market where its brands are already very present, Marriott is expanding beyond its borders: "We are adding hotels all over the world with establishments capable of increasing the value of our system," Laura Paugh, Senior VP of Investor Relations for the group, told HTR, "Europe is mainly a conversion market. The Middle East and Asia: new constructions. And in the United States, it's a combination of the two."

Another major task that year was the renewal of all the bedding in the establishments. "We decided to invest $40 million to do everything in one year. According to consumer surveys, customers are willing to pay more for their rooms. These new beds will contribute...