J.W. “Bill” Marriott Jr., executive chairman of Marriott International, discussed key elements to success, growth of the millennial segment, innovations in design and technology, and more while visiting the Providence, R.I., campus of the School of Hospitality at Johnson & Wales University on April 9.
Marriott met with university administration and academic leaders and graduate students of the MBA Hospitality program and took center stage for a live-streamed forum with hospitality students. He spoke to a live audience of 500, scores more in an overflow room, plus at least another 700 who were viewing the live stream from the university’s other campuses in North Miami, Fla.; Denver, Colo.; and Charlotte, N.C. “It’s all about the culture,” Marriott remarked. “If you take good care of your people, they’ll take care of your customer, and your customer will come back.”
While that guiding principle of his is unwavering, he noted that he learned a great deal about change during his more than 50 years at the helm of the iconic Marriott brand. He offered a glimpse of what it took to switch gears to drive the company’s success, and of what is on the horizon for the company:
• Growing the brand: “The toughest expansion was Marriott. The easiest was Courtyard because our brand was already established. We’ll open our 100th Courtyard next month—it’s the 10th largest brand in the world.”
• Millennials: “There are a lot of you out there. Millennials are 60 percent of the business now and will be 80 percent in the near future. We’re here to help you understand the travel world.”
• Strategy: “Strategy is simply anything that’s important to business. In hospitality, it’s hot food hot and cold food cold.”
• Innovation: “We have an innovation lab at our corporate headquarters where we develop new brands. Innovation is a team sport.”
• Design: “We’re changing our hotels, thanks to [millennials]. We’ve learned that you don’t need a desk and that you’d rather sit with your laptop on the bed, that high-speed Internet is a must, and that you don’t like color. I like color, so I’m learning a lot.”
• Technology: “You can already check in and out with your mobile device. And we’re working on keyless hotel rooms and how our customers can guarantee their room type online.”
• Knowing the business: “I told my grandson that you have to get in there and learn the business. We have an associate who’s spent the last month cleaning bathrooms. She said she learned more doing that than at Harvard Business School.”
• Teamwork: “You can’t build a team and get great ideas unless your team is willing to speak up.”
• Success: “One of the key elements to success in life is perseverance.”
Michael J. Petrillose, Ph.D., dean of the College of Management at Johnson & Wales University, which is comprised of the School of Business, School of Hospitality, and Graduate Studies, was instrumental in bringing Marriott to campus. “Marriott has been an avid supporter of JWU’s hospitality programs,” Petrillose said. “The company employs more of our graduates than from any other hospitality program, and we take great pride in that. We want our students to be prepared for the challenges ahead. By offering them this opportunity to meet and engage with Mr. Marriott today, they can embrace their futures with the very icon who has paved the path.”
Marriott was joined by several colleagues from the recruitment arm of the company including Stacey Veden, director of global university relations; David Traina, vice president of global market talent acquisition services; and Lisl Ewing, manager of university relations and talent acquisitions Northeast. An objective of the visit was to meet with students from the university’s Graduate Studies program, in particular, those international students from China. Presently, more than half (54 percent) of the total Chinese student population enrolled at Johnson & Wales University is in the School of Hospitality (graduate and undergraduate combined). Recruiters were able to meet one-on-one with students who they could potentially hire for that property. The process would require an internship, first, at a location in the United States, which could subsequently lead to employment back in China upon their return to their home country.
