Article: J.W. Marriott Jr.(Marriott Motor Hotel)(Company overview)

By J.W. Marriott Jr.

I remember when we opened our first hotel in 1957. Back then, our company was known as Hot Shoppes Inc., and we were primarily a foodservice company with more than 70 Hot Shoppes drive-in restaurants in operation. But the lure of the hotel business was great. We decided to embark on a new adventure.

In January 1957, we opened the 365-room Marriott Motor Hotel in Arlington, Virginia, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. We wanted this hotel to be like no other, so we introduced a few novel concepts. Guests registered at a drive-up window and were then led to their rooms by guides on bicycles. The hotel had a barber shop, beauty shop, gas ...

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