The largest hotel chain in the world is Marriott International, which, as of early 2026, reported roughly $20.77 billion in revenue.
The company was founded in 1927 by John Willard and Alice S. Marriott with an A&W Root Beer franchise in Washington, D.C. However, the company quickly began evolving into a chain of cafeteria-style restaurants, Hot Shoppes, the following year (Hot Shoppes eventually couldn’t compete with fast food restaurants that were popping up everywhere, so they had a slow phase-out, with many of them turning into Roy Rogers restaurants [oh, their fried chicken!]. The last Hot Shoppes closed in 1999). The Marriotts entered the hotel industry in 1957, appointing their son, Bill Marriott Jr., to lead the new segment of the family business and oversee hotel expansion. And expand they did! Most notably, the company grew significantly after merging with Starwood Hotels and Resorts in 2016.
Marriott now boasts 1.4 million rooms across its hotels and resorts, excluding rental homes.
Marriott’s history of growth is not unlike that of many other companies around the world, and with that growth comes a history of “fun facts” that lots of frequent travelers probably already know:
- Because the Marriott family is Mormon, the Book of Mormon can be found in one of the nightstands of most, but not all, of Marriott-branded hotels (CLICK HERE to learn which Marriott hotels don’t, and why).
- The Marriott umbrella includes 41 brands that run the gamut from simpler hotels such as Four Points Flex and Fairfield by Marriott to ultra-luxurious locations such as the Ritz-Carlton and the St. Regis.
- With 43 million new members added in 2025, Marriott Bonvoy, the company’s loyalty program, had 271 million members as of the company’s Q4 2025 earnings report.
But there are also a few little-known facts about Marriott that even frequent guests might not know.
They were the first hotel company to offer online reservations
In 1995, Marriott International became the first hotel company to allow travelers to book hotel rooms online in real time through its website.
At the time, the internet was still very new to consumers. Most hotel reservations were made by:
- calling the hotel directly
- calling a central reservation number
- using a travel agent
- booking through reservation systems such as Sabre or Apollo
Marriott already had a very sophisticated central reservation system before the Internet era. The company had spent years building a large computerized booking network that connected Marriott’s reservation centers, individual hotels, and travel agents.
Because of that infrastructure, they were able to connect the reservation system to the web relatively early. Marriott’s website allowed travelers to search availability and make a reservation instantly, without speaking to anyone.
Remember that Expedia and Booking.com weren’t launched until 1996, and Priceline wasn’t online until 1997. So the fact that Marriott was able to do this in 1995 was revolutionary.
You might be pronouncing “Marriott” incorrectly
But don’t worry – lots of people do. Here’s how it’s officially pronounced.
Some Marriott hotels let guests skip the front desk
Practically all hotels require you to stop at reception to make a copy of your passport, collect payment/security deposit, etc. Some Marriott hotels offer programs that allow tired travelers to go straight to their room before completing check-in formalities.
“Marriott” is actually two different companies
In 1993, Marriott Corporation split into two separate companies:
Marriott International, Inc. is responsible for franchising and managing properties. Most hotels under the Marriott umbrella are franchises, although this arm of the company does own roughly 40 hotels.
Host Marriott Corporation was the branch that owned properties, including lodging and travel concessions at airports, and along turnpikes and interstate highways. They divested their non-hotel business and, in 1998, reorganized as a real estate investment trust that invests in hotels. Then, in 2006, they changed their name and are now known as Host Hotels & Resorts; they currently own 76 hotels.
The concession business was spun off into its own brand – HMSHost. – which they sold off in 1999.
The second-largest hotel in the world is a Marriott
With 7,351 rooms, the largest hotel in the world is the First World Hotel, owned by Resorts World Genting. The hotel, which opened in 2001, is located in Pahang, Malaysia. It has problems.
However, Dubai’s JW Marriott Marquis is the world’s second-largest hotel. It’s 72 stories tall and has 1,608 rooms.
Why is it called “JW Marriott”
The JW in JW Marriott honors John Willard Marriott – the man who started it all.
A former U.S. Senator has been on Marriott’s board
Mitt Romney has been connected to the Marriott dynasty for his entire life. In fact, he was even named after J.W. Marriott. Romney’s full name is Willard Mitt Romney – the “Willard” was in honor of John Willard Marriott, who was close friends with Romney’s father.
Romney has been on Marriott International’s board of directors three times:
- 1993 to 2002 (he left to campaign for governor of Massachusetts)
- 2009 to 2011 (he left at that time to begin his campaign for the presidency)
- 2012 to 2018 (he left the position when he became a U.S. Senator)
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