Part A

Question 1: Background History of Marriott International

Marriott International is a market leader in the hospitality industry and has a strong legacy of
delivering unforgettable experiences to the company's customers. J. Willard Marriott, a
businessman from the United States, founded Marriott International in 1927. We are Marriott
International (2016). The company is a global hospitality and tourism organisation with its
headquarters in the United States. This multinational organisation is one of the largest hotel
chains in the world. It maintains operations in serval parts of the world, is responsible for the
employment of more than 500,000 people, and has activities in more than 127 countries. The
Marriot brand was established on the belief that satisfied workers would be motivated to
provide excellent service to its clients. With this conviction, companies may achieve their
goals. Core Values & Heritage (2016). Customers of Marriott International can anticipate
receiving services of a high grade from the company since Marriott International is
committed to meeting the needs and preferences communicated by its clientele. The
corporation has increased the scope of its operations to include the franchising, licencing, and
management of hotels as well as other businesses related to hospitality. These hotels include
Residence Inn, SpringHill Suites, and Courtyard by Marriott. (Marriott International, Inc)
The organisation is dedicated to being a responsible steward of both the local communities it
serves and the environment on a global scale. It has made investments in initiatives that seek
to lessen the company's impact on the environment, expand the opportunities available to its
employees, and give back to the communities in which it operates. A thorough responsible
sourcing policy has also been developed by Marriott International. This approach assures that
the company's suppliers adhere to high standards of sustainability and social responsibility.
The global operations of Marriott International are directed by an experienced executive team
that possesses a diverse variety of knowledge. This team is responsible for leading the firm.
Arne Sorenson, who serves as both Chief Executive Officer and President of the company, is
in charge of leading the organisation and is accountable for its day-to-day operations. The
company's Board of Directors is in charge of the company's long-term strategy and
governance. Marriott's exponential international growth may be directly attributed to the
company's decision to enter the hospitality and hotel industry. One way in which they've
branched out from their basic identity as a restaurant chain is by providing other kinds of
hospitality. Purchasing an aeroplane food company in Caracas, Venezuela in 1967 was
Marriott's first foray into international industry. Acapulco, Mexico was the site of their
second foray into the market, opening in 1969. In 1972, for instance, they formed a
partnership with Sun Line, a Greek cruise line, as part of its efforts to expand into
international markets. The Marriott Company has been in charge of various different hotel
chains, including Renaissance, Ritz-Carlton, and Courtyard, since 1980. David Rodriguez,
global chief human resources officer of Marriott and 2019 HR Executive of the Year, claims
that the hotelier's future prosperity is reliant on employee well-being. Gibbons, S. (2022).
Since the company's founders hired a corporate doctor to care for employees as the business
grew in the 1930s, this mindset has been ingrained in the corporation. The hospitality
company continues to offer health insurance to furloughed employees despite the fact that
CEO salary has been reduced to aid the company through the COVID-19 crisis. Despite the
economic downturn, Marriott hires veterans, minorities, and the disabled. The company
provides birth mothers with up to 15 weeks of paid parental leave, while fathers and adoptive
parents receive eight weeks to satisfy work-life balance standards. By emphasising employee
experience, Marriott has become a well-liked brand. Gibbons, S. (2022).
Question 2: Issues faced by Marriott International

Marriott International faced several issues in recent years. The first was a decline in revenue
due to the global recession and the subsequent decline in tourism. Global pandemic is the
major threat of Marriott International as due to this pandemic, the entire tourism and
hospitality industry is at standstill and this is the reason Marriott is currently losing its profit
tremendously. The company also faced a decline in profits due to increased competition from
budget hotels and other companies offering discounted rates. Additionally, Marriott faced the
challenge of integrating its many acquisitions and managing the cost of ownership of its
various properties. The Marriott brand prioritizes companies that priorities family. Having a
focus on one's family in one's business is seen as an ineffective strategy in this day and age
due to the growing number of millennials. In addition to this, Marriott International is
focusing its efforts on the high-income demographic as of right now rather than diversifying
their current market. This is another significant one of the organization's flaws that has to be
addressed. In addition, Marriott International is emphasizing cost reduction via firing
employees in response to the global pandemic and economic crisis. Mainardi, P. L. and C.
(2011). As a major strategic concern for the company, this is another important issue.
Employee satisfaction may suffer if the company fires too many workers, and customer
complaints that go unanswered are a leading cause of dissatisfaction. If workers are less
happy, they won't be as productive. Because of this, the company's production and
profitability will suffer even further. The company also faced a series of data breaches that
compromised the personal information of its customers. In November 2018, Marriott revealed
that in one of the biggest data breaches ever, attackers breached the reservation server for its
Starwood division. After an inquiry, the hotel company stated hackers had hacked the
information of up to 383 million customers and obtained over 5 million numbers of passports.
Marriott says it was hit by another data breach. (2020). The company will send messages to
guests affected by such a latest violation and provides a year of free surveillance of personal
details. Marriott further said customer data which might have been exposed in the leak
comprised contact information, account details, personal information like dates of birth, and
information about related relationships and associations like airline customer loyalty.
Perlroth, N., Tsang, A., & Satariano, A. (2018). In 3 years, Marriott announced a second
cyber-attack-this time involving the private information about 5.2 million users. The hotel
empire stated the violation of an undisclosed property structure at a subsidiary hotel was
detected in late February. The attackers obtained two workers' login information, a hotel
release said, and split around mid-January in weeks ago. The U.K The Data Protection
Authority said that this would pay a £99 million ($123 million) fine to Marriott for a security
breach that revealed approximately 383 million visitors. ICO. (2020). As a result, Marriott
faced significant legal and financial repercussions, including class-action lawsuits and
government fines. The company was also forced to invest in improved security measures to
protect its customers' data. Finally, Marriott International has faced the challenge of
increasing its sustainability efforts. The company has made progress in this area, but there is
still more to be done to reduce its environmental footprint and meet its sustainability goals.
Question 3: Marketing tolls that have been utilize for the case study

PESTEL Analysis is a tool used to analyze an organization's external environment. It allows

an organization to assess the political, economic, social, technological, environmental, and
legal factors that may affect its operations. By understanding the external environment, an
organization can better plan for the future and identify potential opportunities and threats. For
example, Marriott International can use PESTEL to understand the legal and environmental
factors that may affect its operations, including regulations on environmental protection and
the impact of climate change. This is because the adoption of these strategies helps in
preventing environmental degradation and supports resiliency in the countries in which they
are operating. Issa, S.H., Chang, C.H. & Issa, S.H. (2010).

Porter's Five Forces Analysis is a tool used to assess an organization's competitive

environment. It helps an organization identify the five forces that influence its competitive
position in the market: the threat of new entrants, the bargaining power of buyers, the
bargaining power of suppliers, the threat of substitutes, and the degree of rivalry among
competitors. Marriott International can use this tool to understand the competitive landscape
in the hospitality industry, identify any potential threats from existing competitors, and
develop strategies to gain a competitive advantage. In the instance of Marriott International,
the company is implementing a differentiated strategy in the hopes of gaining a competitive
edge by placing a primary emphasis on the contentment of external stakeholders. What
Marriott International, Inc. can learn from firms like Wal-Mart and Nike is how to build
relationships with suppliers whose livelihoods are entirely dependent on them, resulting in
suppliers with much less leverage in negotiations. Fern Fort University. (2019). After the
Covid epidemic, the hospitality business took a downturn, which has only heightened
competition among hotel brands. However, in terms of the total number of hotel rooms
planned for development around the world, Marriott International has a significant head start
over its rivals. Team, M. S. (2022).

SWOT Analysis is a tool used to assess an organization's internal strengths and weaknesses,
as well as external opportunities and threats. Marriott International can use this tool to
understand its internal capabilities and resources, as well as potential opportunities and
threats from the external environment. Besides, Marriott can identify its strengths,
weaknesses and identify potential opportunities, such as targeting emerging markets, and
threats, such as the global pandemic. In the instance of Marriott International, the company
has qualities such as a worldwide presence as well as strategic alliances in the hospitality
industry. The organization monitors worker compliance with its policies and demands that
they provide the highest possible level of service to customers. In addition, the organization
makes available to its clients a variety of different reward schemes for their convenience. On
the other side, the organization is focusing its efforts on the high-income group rather than
broadening its present market, which is a weakness, and it is also dealing with a worldwide
epidemic, which is a danger. Covid-19 caused a global recession in 2020. After the outbreak,
thousands lost their jobs. Lockdown, economic closure, and social isolation continue.
Pandemic hit the corporation worst. The chain hotel brand's annual revenue and net
profitability fell significantly. Marriott's legal issues harmed its marketing. Marriott was fined
$600,000 by a client for obstructing his Wi-Fi security. If Marriott provides them with
individualized and tailored services that are tailored to the specific needs of each individual
customer. It would provide a significant competitive advantage to the hotel and restaurant
brand, which would enable the company differentiate itself from its competitors. Shaw.
(2021)

Internal Capabilities Analysis is a tool used to assess an organization's internal environment.

It can be used to identify an organization's resources, capabilities, and weaknesses. As an
example, Marriott International can use this instrument to assess its strengths such as its
global reach and talented staff and weaknesses such as its dependency on high-income
consumers. The Marriott brand is well known in the industry for being a family-run company.
On the other side, young people who are now in their millennial years are the company's
future. They believe the family-owned business uninspiring, and this is one of the most
significant flaws in the brand's positioning. This tool can help the company better understand
its internal environment and leverage its resources to develop effective strategies.
Question 4: What should Marriott International do in order to be one of the best
tourism brands in the world.

In my opinion, Marriott International should focus on four key areas in order to become one
of the best tourism brands in the world. First, the company should focus on creating a positive
customer experience by providing top-notch service and amenities at all of its properties. This
includes investing in modernizing its hotels, offering a variety of services and amenities, and
improving its customer service. Additionally, Marriott should continue to invest in
technology in order to make its properties more efficient and reduce its environmental
footprint. This could include investing in renewable energy sources, such as solar and wind
power, and implementing energy-saving technologies. Additionally, the company should
focus on innovating its products and services in order to stay ahead of the competition and
providing value to its customers. Marriott International has to prioritize maximizing the use
of their in-house talents and resources if they want to become one of the most successful
tourist companies in the world. To broaden their potential customer base and expand their
income streams, the company should concentrate on expanding the variety of their product
offerings. In addition, Marriott should work on enhancing employee happiness and
minimizing staff turnover rates by developing training programs for employees and offering
employee awards programs. Both of these objectives may be accomplished via increased
employee engagement. Similarly, in order to become one of the best tourism brands in the
world, Marriott must continue to focus on its sustainability efforts, integrating its various
acquisitions and properties, and improving its security measures to protect customer data.
Marriott should also focus on developing and improving its loyalty programs. By offering
exclusive rewards and discounts to its most loyal customers, Marriott can encourage them to
continue booking with the company and increase customer loyalty. Finally, Marriott should
focus on developing a strong corporate social responsibility (CSR) program. This could
include partnering with local non-profits, investing in community initiatives, and developing
programs to reduce its environmental impact. By demonstrating its commitment to corporate
social responsibility, Marriott can attract more customers and become a leader in the tourism
industry. The need for effective leadership is essential in today's highly competitive business
environment, and the hospitality industry is not an exception. On the contrary, the need for
effective leadership is even more important in the context of internationally renowned luxury
hotels such as Marriott, which are known for providing the highest level of service standards
and customer care. Managers in the hospitality business are recognized for possessing a
distinct personal and professional charm in addition to the characteristics that are required to
be a successful hotel manager. The capacity to lead from the front by establishing an example
for others to follow, the ability to take initiative, and charisma to influence the employees in a
positive and innovative manner are first and foremost among the necessary qualifications. A
hotel manager is someone who has the ability to comprehend people's requirements, the skill
to handle issues, and the capacity to inspire others even in the most trying circumstances.
Resilience and a burning desire to achieve one's goals, and, last but not least, personality and
cognitive performance. Mest, E. (2017).

Question 5: Concluding summary based on case study and the previous questions.

Marriott International is a leading hospitality company with a long history of providing

exceptional experiences to its guests. This case study of Marriott International provided a
comprehensive overview of the organization, its strategy, and the issues it faces. It was found
that Marriott has adopted a sustainable strategy to reduce its environmental impact, is focused
on empowering its employees and communities, and is implementing niche marketing to
target high-income customers. Additionally, it was also found that Marriott faces several
strategic issues which include a decline in revenue and profits, data breaches as well as
increasing its sustainability efforts. In order to become one of the best tourism brands in the
world, Marriott should focus on four key areas. First, the company should focus on creating a
positive customer experience by providing top-notch service and amenities at all of its
properties. This includes investing in modernizing its hotels, offering a variety of services
and amenities, and improving its customer service. Second, Marriott should continue to
invest in technology in order to make its properties more efficient and reduce its
environmental footprint. This could include investing in renewable energy sources, such as
solar and wind power, and implementing energy-saving technologies. Third, Marriott should
focus on developing and improving its loyalty programs. By offering exclusive rewards and
discounts to its most loyal customers, Marriott can encourage them to continue booking with
the company and increase customer loyalty. Finally, Marriott should focus on developing a
strong corporate social responsibility (CSR) program. This could include partnering with
local non-profits, investing in community initiatives, and developing programs to reduce its
environmental impact. By demonstrating its commitment to corporate social responsibility,
Marriott can attract more customers and become a leader in the tourism industry. These four
areas are essential for Marriott International to become one of the best tourism brands in the
world. By focusing on customer experience, technology, loyalty programs, and corporate
social responsibility, Marriott can stand out from the competition and attract more customers.

References

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