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From root beer stand to mega-corp In 1927, J.W Marriott, Sr., left his home in rural Utah and headed for Washington, DC. There, he set up a stand that sold root beer, chili con carne, hot tamales, and barbecued beef sandwiches. His stand eventually grew to the "Hot Shoppe" regional restaurant chain; and in 1957, Marriott opened his first hotel, in Arlington, VA. But Marriott's view towards variety hasn't changed. Today, the company's 1,000 hotels and inns worldwide range from the budget-minded Fairfield Inn and Courtyard to the ultra-deluxe Ritz-Carlton. Three other brands - Marriott Hotels, Resorts and Suites, and Residence Inns - fill out the continuum. A history of spin-offs and mergers In 1993, deep in debt, Marriott divided into two distinct business units: Host Marriott, a real estate investment trust that includes most of the company's upscale hotels, and Marriott International, which manages Host Marriott's luxury hotels as well as the other less expensive brands in the Marriott name. Two years later, Host Marriott spun off its Marriott Service Group, which runs concession stands at airports, highway plazas, malls, and sports arenas. In 1998, Marriott International merged its food services division with a French company to form a new company, Sodexho Marriott Services, the largest food concession company in the U.S. Now Marriott International rests peacefully as the number one lodging company in the world. In May, 2000, Marriott announced a partnership with Hyatt to form a Web company that would sell supplies to hotels. The hotel giants said its hotels would purchase about $5 billion in supplies from the site and expect other companies to sign on to the venture, which will be launched later in the year. Focus on lodging Cash from these spin-offs has let Marriott concentrate on buying more lodging properties. In 1998, Marriott announced plans to buy more retirement communities that will operate under the company's Marriott Senior Living Services. And in early 1999, Marriott International announced plans to become the first major hotel firm to buy an extended-stay company. Marriott will pay $128 million for ExecuStay, a Gaithersburg, MD firm that provides rooms for business people planning to stay at least a month. Although the company has recently sold 14 of its assisted-living communities for $194 million and 10 hotels for $145 million, both in mid-2000, Marriott has announced plans to grow. By 2003, the company expects to add 1,000 hotels to its fleet, beginning with 70 hotels in the UK when Marriott's UK franchise partner aquired Swallow Group PLC in late 1999. Fortune recognizes For the third year in a row, Fortune Magazine named Marriott International to its list of the top 50 companies for minorities, as well as the "100 Best Companies to Work For". Marriott offers English classes to employees whose first language is not English and boosted its number of minority managers and officers. Marriott is one of the top 30 employers in the United States.
www.marriott.com's "careers" section allows job seekers to peruse opportunities, review the company's extensive benefits packages, and submit resumes online. Right now the site only refers to the company's headquarters, but the page promises opportunities across the U.S. will be available soon. Until then, contact the unit you are interested in working for. Beyond the internet, our insiders report that the company frequently posts job announcements in newspapers, makes use of headhunters, recruits on campus, and actively encourages employee referrals by means of a $1500 finder's reward. Or call toll-free 1-888-4MARRIOTT for current openings. Regarding the interview process, insiders indicate that candidates can expect an initial screening with human resources, and depending on the department, written tests. The second round of interviews involves at least two meetings with individuals of varying seniority within the said department. As far as the tone of the interviews, our contacts indicate "not a lot of grilling." One contact recalls "standard corporate questions" during an interview with a department director, but adds that interviews with the rest of the management team were "to see if they thought they could get along better with me or with the other guy." The same contact advises job seekers: "you need to communicate effectively what your plans may be, so there are no surprises."
'The value of family over work' Working Mother magazine named Marriott one of the 100 best companies for working mothers in 1998, and employees said they agreed with the evaluation. Employees praise Marriott for enabling them to "balance the demands of the work place with their family life." Another informant adds, "Marriott is especially great for working mothers (we have a day-care center downstairs) and the company repeatedly emphasizes the value of family over work." Flexibility on work and play Employees also comment on the ease with which they arrange their schedules. "The management style offers a lot of freedom and flexibilty, and most departments are pretty flexible on both working schedules and vacation time," says one Marriott hotelier. "Marriott makes being a working parent easier," reveals a source. "As a result, we're better able to respond to constant challenges." The perks do make a difference Employees say "the pay scale is no better than the industry average," but add that the perks do make a difference. "Marriott offers many in-house benefits to those working at its headquarters, including a wonderful cafeteria, fitness center, convenience store, post office, dry cleaners, etc. And then there are the $40 hotel rooms. "We're entitled to stay at Marriott Hotels, Residence Inns, Courtyard Hotels, and Fairfield Inns at a great discounted rate," boasts one employee. "The travel benefits make vacations easy to plan," says another. Customer service to others and ourselves Several Marriott employees believe the hospitality extended to hotel guests also spreads into the corporate offices. "We're a hospitality company dedicated to providing number one customer service to our guests and to each other. It carries through all aspects of our culture," says one contact. "The overall culture is typical of a large, publicly owned company - lots of work and it never feels like there are enough people. But in our own workgroups, you feel very close to the people you work with."
Brendan M. Keegan Human Resources 1-888-4MARRIOTT
Lodging;Senior Living Services;Distribution More Company Profiles For more career information, go to Vault.com ©2000, Vault.com Inc
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