In 1927, J. Willard Marriott opened the nine-stool root beer stand that grew into the Hot Shoppes Restaurant chain and evolved into today’s Marriott International hotel company. For the next 58 years, he built the Marriott brand on a foundation of guiding principles that remain embedded in the company’s culture today.

Raised in the family business, J.W. “Bill” Marriott, Jr. developed an early passion for hospitality. In his more than 60 years at the company’s helm, he built Marriott into a global lodging company with more than 8,000 properties spanning 139 countries and territories.