Overview Details the story of Bill Marriott’s first job in his family’s root beer stand to his monumental decisions in building a hotel empire. The Marriott Corporation is the largest global hotel chain in the world, twice as large as the second, Hilton, with double the number of properties. Bill’s father, who lived through the Great Depression, had a great fear of risk and debt and opposed many of the daring business decisions Bill made in building the Marriott empire. While his father was a constant roadblock, his mother had a quite different effect. Without her things would not have turned out as well for the Marriott family: “I certainly was not always right, nor was I ever as wrong as my father believed I was. My mother was a great referee, mediating and softening the blows. And my wife was always beside me to pick me up, dust me off, and send me back into the ring again. I could never have been successful without the love and support of these two great women.” Bill endured hardship as a young husband and father when a boat explosion, just a week after his father died, caused a fire which severely burned his body and damaged his hands so significantly, it was unclear if he would be able to use his fingers. Part of Bill’s management legacy of Marriott includes philanthropic work, educational programs and community outreach, particularly the Marriott Foundation for People with Disabilities which has placed more than 20,000 young adults with disabilities with productive jobs, nationwide. Several hospitals, including the Mayo Clinic, are among the top 20 recipients as are a variety of colleges with important hospitality programs. As a business leader Bill’s life story includes meetings and interactions with other leaders including American presidents, foreign dignitaries, and other business moguls. The biography is filled with newly-told, behind-the-scenes, intimate stories such as “family dinners” with the Eisenhowers and the Marriotts.
