-
John Willard Marriott was born in Weber, Utah. He was child number two of eight of Hyrum and Ellen Marriott.
-
John had a big responibility at a young age on his father's beet and sheep farm. Later when talking to his family he said, "My father gave me the responsibility of a man."
-
When he was 13, John Marriott started his own lettuce farm with his siblings on a few acres to help the family income. On the first year he brought in a grand total of $2,000.
-
The next year when John was 14, his father, Hyrum, gave him the responsiblity to transport an entire herd of 3,000 sheep to San Fransisco by train with no one to help or supervise. His sheep got mixed in with others on the train and when the sheep were all unloaded the conducter told him to pick his sheep from the others. And not knowing which were his original flock, he gathered up the biggest and best sheep of everyones and sold them as his own.
-
John left for a two year Mormon mission to the "New England States Misison." It ranged from NY to ME.
-
John returns from his mission and goes to Weber State College for his history degree. He went to the University of Utah afterwards for further education. He got the tuition money through working jobs through the summers and selling underwear to lumberjacks.
-
John buys an A&W franchise in DC and became a partner with his college friend Hugh Colton. He opened up the first shop front in the northwest part of Washington DC. They set up shop and starting promoting with free root beer tickets and samples. Alice was the bookkeeper and managed the finances of the comapany from the very beginning. The shop was located on 14th Street.
-
John marries Alice Sheets from Salt Lake City, Utah. They met at the University of Utah and got married the day after graduation. They packed up their belongings in a Model T Ford and drove across the country to Washington DC to continue the A&W franchise there.
-
Alice and John (by this point he was called Bill) started serving more food along with root beer to keep their business going. They then renamed the stores Hot Shoppes.
-
Hot Shoppes Blog In the spring of 1928, there wasn't enough business or profit being generated for both Bill and Hugh. Bill borrowed $5,000 from Park Savings Bank to buy Hugh out.
-
In the summer of 1928 Alice and Bill started the first drive-through service It was the first curb side sercive restraurant in America to be started. In the fall they also started serving hot dogs, root beer and their well known hot tamales. This photo was taken circa 1952 but the same concept of curb side dining remained
-
Despite the Great Depression, they added a fourth Hot Shoppe in DC
-
John Willard "Bill" Marriott Jr. Born. Alice took time off to raise their son and at that time, they also opened up another Hot Shoppe in Baltimore.
-
Bill was diagnosed with Hodgkins' disease and was expected to live for six months to a year. He got his affairs in order and traveled to Virginia and Maine for two months on a vacation. When he returned home, two of his LDS friends gave him a blessing declaring that he would live a long life. A year after the doctors diagnosed him they checked Bill again and found no trace of the disease left. He went back to work and lived for another 50 years.
-
In 1937 Allice and Bill provided food to passengers on airlines at Hoover Airport in Washington DC. This began the first airline catering company and what is now the largest airline catering operation in the world.
-
Alice and Bill were happy with their growing business and on January 9th, 1939 Richard Marriott (my grandpa) was born.
-
The War worried Alice and Bill and some of Bill's brothers were drafted. Bill himself was too old.
He was elected president of the National Restaurant Association and watched over food rationing and shortages that would occur. Later, his son Richard Marriott would go on to be president of the NRA as well. -
Bill was influencial in the Republican Party and became great friends of President Eisenhower. Him and Alice would often visit "Ike" at the White House for dinner.
-
The Marriott Hot Shoppes stock was opened for public sale which furthered the growth of the business.
-
In '57 Bill opened up the first hotel. It was more of a motel then, called "The Twin Bridges Motor Hotel" in Arlington, Virginia. **Bill and Allice reviewing the model for the hotel
-
Bill and Allice's business became offically known as Marriott Inc. In 1967. They also added to the company the "Big Boy" family restaurant chain and a year later the "Roy Rogers Family Restaurant"
-
In '68 when Nixon was elected as president, he chose Bill to be the '69 chairman of the Inaugural Committee. Bill organized a mostly volunteer based staff to develop the parade, balls, and ceremonies. Bill was again reelected for chairman of the '73 comittee for Nixon to do the same type of job.
-
About Bill on the Marriott Hotels WebsiteBy the end of the 1970s Marriott had 1,000 restaurants and many hotels.
At this time he had also come to his fourth heart attack and amazed the doctors once more by living for many more years in relatively good health. He continued on the board of the Marriott Corporation. His son Bill jr, was developing the organization that his father had started as head of the company. -
Bill, along with becoming friends with Eisenhower and Nixon, became close business friends with Reagan. Bill, even at his elderly age was still a very active and well known member in the Republican Party.
-
On August 13th, 1985, Bill Marriott Sr. passed away from a heart attack during a family BBQ in his summer house in NH on Lake Winnipesaukee. He left behind Alice, John Willard "Bill" Marriott Jr, and Richard Edwin Marriott.
