Travel & Leisure·Marriott InternationalDavid Marriott reveals the correct way to nounce the hotel chain—and you’ve bably been doing it wrongBy Dave SmithBy Dave SmithEditor, U.S.
NewsDave SmithEditor, U.S.
NewsDave Smith is a writer and editor who previously has been published in Insider, Newsweek, ABC News, and USA TODAY.SEE FULL BIO David Marriott, chairman of the board of directors for Marriott International Inc., speaks during a Bloomberg Television interview in New York, U.S., on Tuesday, Nov 9, 2021.
Jeenah Moon / Bloomberg—Getty ImagesDavid Marriott, chairman of the board of Marriott International, settled a decades-old nunciation debate this week during an event with loyalty members at the company’s headquarters in Bethesda, Maryland.
The third-generation hospitality executive revealed the correct way to say his family’s name—and it’s bably not the way you’ve been nouncing it.
Speaking to a group of 75 loyalty members, in a moment that’s been widely d on TikTok, Marriott explained that the hotel chain’s name should be nounced “marry-et,” not “marry-ott.” The nunciation rhymes with “chariot,” emphasizing the final sound as “et” rather than “ott.” To illustrate his point, Marriott d a personal story involving his wife, a former English teacher who taught at East High School in Utah—the same school where “High School Musical” was filmed.
Marriott said his wife had a student, named Elliot, who kept addressing her as “Mrs. Marriott,” using the incorrect nunciation.
“She finally sat Elliot down one day, and she said, Elliot, how do you nounce your name? He said, Elliot. He said, that’s right. It’s not Elli-AHT. It’s Elliot.
It’s the same way with Marriott,” Marriott said on stage. The Marriott empire traces back to 1927, when David’s grandfather, J.
Willard Marriott, opened a nine-stool A&W root beer stand in Washington, D.C., with his wife Alice and partner Hugh Colton, according to the company’s website.
The small operation, which opened on May 20, 1927—the same day Charles Lindbergh began his historic transatlantic flight—eventually evolved into today’s global hospitality giant.
David Marriott represents the third generation to lead the company, ing his grandfather J. Willard Marriott and father Bill Marriott.
He assumed the role of chairman of the board in May 2022, making him only the third chairman in the company’s nearly century-long history.
Today, Marriott International operates more than 8,600 perties across 139 countries and territories under more than 30 brands, making it the world’s largest hospitality company.
The nunciation revelation has sparked discussion on social media, with some viewers expressing surprise at the correct nunciation while others indicated they would continue using the familiar “marry-ott” version.
As one er noted, “Hilton is easier to nounce.” You can watch the minute-long clip of Marriott explaining the nunciation of his family’s last name below: @jakewsmith David Marriott, Chairman of the Board of Marriott International, on the correct way to nounce Marriott!
#marriott #marriottbonvoy #memberday #bonvoy ♬ original sound – Jake | Travel & Points ✈️ For this story, Fortune used generative AI to help with an initial draft.
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