India is our fifth-largest market in the world: David Marriott

The grandson of JW Marriott and only the third chairman in Marriott International's 95-year history on the pressures of carrying the family legacy, innovating on the tech front, learnings from his father and grandfather, and more

By Naini Thaker Forbes India Staff

Published: Nov 18, 2024 11:25:31 AM IST

Updated: Nov 18, 2024 06:02:53 PM IST

Full Bio

David Marriott, chairman, Marriott International. Photo by Neha Mithbawkar for Forbes India

At 15, David Marriott's first summer job was washing dishes at his family hotel in Bethesda, Maryland. Over the next few summers, he immersed himself in every facet of the hospitality business—learning hot and cold prep in the kitchen, cooking on the line, assisting with housekeeping, working as a bellman, and gaining experience behind the front desk.

This hands-on training in multiple roles gave him a solid foundation in the industry from the ground up. “I didn’t always know that hospitality is where I wanted to be, but as I grew older, I realised how much this industry has to offer and how much you can learn each day. This is a people’s business, and it’s all about relationships,” says Marriott, who is the grandson of JW Marriott, and son of Bill Marriot, chairman emeritus.

JW Marriott first started an A&W Root Beer stand in Washington, DC, in May 1927. Later, he went on to open a drive-in restaurant, and eventually expanded to airline food delivery and managing cafeterias. It was only 30 years laster that JW Marriott expanded into the lodging business with Twin Bridges Motor Hotel in Arlington, Virginia. His son, Bill Marriott, was then appointed to lead the new segment of the business and oversee hotel expansion. Today, Marriott International stands as a prestigious name in the global hospitality industry, boasting a portfolio of more than 30 renowned brands.

Prior to joining the Board, Marriott served as president, US Full Service Managed by Marriott, and oversaw hotel operations, human resources, sales & marketing, finance, market strategy, information resources and development and feasibility for more than 330 hotels operating under 14 brands in 34 states and French Polynesia.

In India, the company’s presence has grown immensely. “The first time I visited India was in 2008… we had only 16-17 hotels back then. Today we have 153 operational hotels, across 17 brands and another 85 in development,” Marriott tells Forbes India during his recent visit to the country.

“Our success in India is driven by working with regional partners—we are blessed to have some great partners. In Mumbai, we work with the Rahejas or Ruias, in Bengaluru, it’s Prestige or Bridage. All these are seasoned names who have so much depth of knowledge and experience in their markets. It has helped us deliver results,” says Rajeev Menon, president, Marriott International, Asia-Pacific (excluding China). India is the fifth-largest market for the hospitality MNC, claims Marriott, who is only the third chairman of the board in the company’s 95-year history.

In a conversation with Forbes India, Marriott talks about the opportunity in secondary and tertiary markets in India, revenge travel, his leadership style and pushing himself to do more. Edited excerpts:

Q. What potential do you see in India today?

India is our fifth-largest market in the world, just behind the US, China, Canada and Mexico. It is an important market to us. We have 17 brands represented in the country and JW Marriott (JW) has been a popular brand in India. It's been great to see the growth of JW—we have 10 open and 14 on the way. For India, we are now focusing on secondary and tertiary markets, because we feel there's a lot of opportunity in secondary and tertiary markets.

Spiritual tourism is up, so is environmental tourism and people are looking for experiences all over the globe. We're seeing people investing not as much on buying goods, but on experiences. That gives us a great platform for growth here in India.

Also read: Katra, Kasauli, Kashmir: Five-star hotels expand to underserved markets

Q. How different is India compared to other global markets?

First, just the sheer population—of 1.4 billion people—and with a growing middle class. There are highly aspirational Indian travellers, and that is what is driving growth from Tier II and III cities. I think we're just barely scratching the surface in terms of travellers within India. The surge in travel is creating a tremendous opportunity for hotels in India, as more and more people are beginning to explore new destinations.

The pandemic made people realise how much they had taken travel for granted and how much they missed it… revenge travel, I believe, very much exists even now.

Q. How do you handle the pressure of carrying forward such an incredible family legacy?

There is immense pressure. But to have a unique opportunity to carry on a family legacy is humbling. There's a deep sense of duty and responsibility that comes along with that.

I watched my grandfather and father, growing up. They were incredible examples of hard work, and the way in which they put people first… the way they treated everyone in the company as equals, and showed appreciation to frontline workers. They understood that to build an organisation every single person plays an important role. I learnt a great deal from them. It is a true privilege to lead our board and help grow this business that I’m so passionate about.

Q. How involved is your father now?

Inevitably, whenever we're together, there is always some work-related conversation. He is 92, but he still calls in for Tony's [Anthony Capuano, CEO, Marriott International] staff meeting once a month. He attends the first three hours of our board meeting… if it's in Washington, he's there in person, if it's somewhere else, he'll dial in. But he wants to hear Tony's updates, he wants to hear Leeny’s [Oberg, CFO] presentation on the financials. This is his life, his passion.

Q. What are some of the key lessons you’ve learnt from your father and grandfather that have influenced your leadership style?

My father and grandfather would rarely say they’re the smartest people in the room. After observing them, I know they could always outwork any person—in whatever room there were in. So, hard work was the secret to their success.

Then, risk taking. Trying new things and not being afraid to fall. We started as a nine-seat Root Beer stand in Washington, DC, and that quickly evolved into a full-service restaurant when root beer sales dropped off at the end of our first summer. We went into the airline catering business; in the theme park business for some time; senior living services for a time and in the timeshare business for a time. So, we've been in a lot of different businesses. We've always looked at ways to innovate and continue to evolve our business.

Lastly, I learnt from my father and grandfather that if you take care of your associates, they’ll take good care of your customers, and the customers will come back. Our core values were born out of that philosophy and are made up of five pillars—putting people first; pursuing excellence; embracing change; acting with integrity and serving our world.

Q. How is Marriott innovating on the tech front, and where does artificial intelligence (AI) play a role in this?

AI will definitely play a role going forward. We want to make it easier for our customers to engage with us—how do we have the right partnerships, be it airlines or rental car agencies—all to ensure that our customers have a seamless experience.

We spent a good majority of our time over the last couple decades expanding our brands and presence. We will continue to stay focussed on growth, both organically and through the right acquisitions and through the right partnerships… that is core and key to our business.

Q. Are there specific areas where you believe there's still untapped potential?

My father’s favourite saying is, ‘Success is never final’. So, we always push ourselves to do ‘more’. And he'll tell you, 'more' is his favourite word. He wants more hotels, more brands, more associates, to be in more countries, make more money for our owners, have happier guests and happier associates.

So, you know, Marriott Bonvoy is how we engage with our 210 million-plus members around the globe. We want to provide them with unique experiences within the Bonvoy programme. We have to push ourselves on that front to look for new and exciting ways to engage those Marriott Bonvoy customers. We used to be just focussed on sort of sporting events, now we also have F&B experiences, music experiences… such as our partnership with the Taylor Swift concerts and many more. We're continuing to push to grow on all fronts. I think we have to continue to look at ways to make the travel experience for our customers better and better.

Q. Where do you see the Marriott group in the next five to 10 years?

I think more opportunity for our people, more opportunities for our customers, more opportunities for our owners and more value for our shareholders. More being key—I'm a chip from the old block, I guess.