Marriott Hotels & Resorts
Encyclopedia
Marriott International
Marriott International, Inc. is a worldwide operator and franchisor of a broad portfolio of hotels and related lodging facilities. Founded by J. Willard Marriott, the company is now led by son J.W. Marriott, Jr...
's flagship
Flagship
A flagship is a vessel used by the commanding officer of a group of naval ships, reflecting the custom of its commander, characteristically a flag officer, flying a distinguishing flag...
brand of full service
Full service
Full service is a term that has many different uses. In general the term implies that the customer will receive as much service as is reasonably possible.-Gas station:...
hotel
Hotel
A hotel is an establishment that provides paid lodging on a short-term basis. The provision of basic accommodation, in times past, consisting only of a room with a bed, a cupboard, a small table and a washstand has largely been replaced by rooms with modern facilities, including en-suite bathrooms...
s and resort
Resort
A resort is a place used for relaxation or recreation, attracting visitors for holidays or vacations. Resorts are places, towns or sometimes commercial establishment operated by a single company....
s. The company, based in Washington D.C., is repeatedly included on the Forbes
Forbes
Forbes is an American publishing and media company. Its flagship publication, the Forbes magazine, is published biweekly. Its primary competitors in the national business magazine category are Fortune, which is also published biweekly, and Business Week...
Best Companies to Work for list, and was voted the 4th best company to work for in the UK by The Times
The Times
The Times is a British daily national newspaper, first published in London in 1785 under the title The Daily Universal Register . The Times and its sister paper The Sunday Times are published by Times Newspapers Limited, a subsidiary since 1981 of News International...
in 2009.
As of December 2005, there were 482 hotels and resorts operating under the brand. The loyalty program is called Marriott Rewards
Marriott Rewards
Marriott Rewards is the loyalty program offered by Marriott International, Inc. It allows members to earn reward points or airline miles by staying at participating Marriott brand hotels, in addition to other membership benefits...
.
History
During America's Bicentential in 1976, Marriott opened two identical amusement parks, named Great AmericaGreat America
Great America is a name shared by two American amusement parks opened by the Marriott Corporation in 1976.Both parks are now under different ownership and are known as:* California's Great America, Santa Clara, California, owned by Cedar Fair...
in Santa Clara, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
and Gurnee, Illinois. The California park is now owned by the Cedar Fair Entertainment Company. The Illinois park is now owned by Six Flags
Six Flags
Six Flags Entertainment Corp. is the world's largest amusement park corporation based on quantity of properties and the fifth most popular in terms of attendance. The company maintains 14 properties located throughout North America, including theme parks, thrill parks, water parks and family...
. There are some obvious visuals still remaining at both parks regarding their days as Marriott parks. The original theme was American patriotism. The imagery of "Old Glory" and other American icons still are displayed in some architecture. Both parks boast one double-decker merry-go-round each. While both parks have dismantled their "Triple Wheel" Ferris wheel
Ferris wheel
A Ferris wheel is a nonbuilding structure consisting of a rotating upright wheel with passenger cars attached to the rim in such a way that as the wheel turns, the cars are kept upright, usually by gravity.Some of the largest and most modern Ferris wheels have cars mounted on...
s, the California park still operates its sky ride.
Marriott hotels are known for including the Book of Mormon in hotel rooms, along with the Bible.
In September 2005, Marriott Hotels & Resorts unveiled its first new room designs in ten years. Dubbed mSpot, the new rooms feature clean lines and updated technology, and are intended to be younger, urban and more hip than they had been previously.
In 2004, Marriott introduced the worldwide brand standard Marriott Bed, consisting of six goose down feather pillows, a luxury mattress with mattress topper, and Egyptian cotton sheets. The Marriott Bed is designed to appeal to worldwide travellers who will know what to expect when they turn in at a Marriott Hotel.
In 1995, It was used for The WWE Hall Of Fame Ceremony