Bill Marriott: Success is Never Final-His Life and the Decisions That Build a Hotel Empire by Dale Van Atta may on the surface sound dull, but quite the opposite is true. I found this book to be well-researched, very informative, and entertaining. The only thing I knew about the name Marriott was that it is a large hotel chain, but in reading this book I learned the story behind the business. I loved learning about the beginnings and that there is a lot more to Marriott than just the hotels. Two fun facts I learned were that Marriott built Great America, an amusement park I visited numerous times as a teen, and considered buying Disney. This was an interesting read that I would highly recommend.

I was provided an e-arc from netgalley to read and review

I unfortunately missed the opportunity to read

"Hard work will pay off but success is never final".


What an inspiring biography! A really empowering biography about Bill Marriott that I came to respect so much as an exemplary businessman, husband, father and leader in his church. It was so inspiring to see how he built his empire, how he navigated the tragic events in his family and at the world at large. A fascinating read with a lot to learn from.

This book hooked me from the start with the exciting history of the Marriott family, but then started to lose me about half way through. There were a lot of great details about the family's life and success, but it almost started to be too much detail to absorb. Still, giving this 3 stars since it was pretty comprehensive and well-written, just didn't hold for me.

Thoroughly researched and accessibly written, this detailed biography of Bill Marriott was both entertaining and informative. The son of J Willard Marriott who started what became the Marriott hotel chain, he spent his working life in the family firm and oversaw its growth into the international business we know today. I did feel that the book verged into a hagiography at times, but nevertheless it was perceptive and insightful, especially about Bill Marriott’s Mormon faith and how it informed his business decisions, and next time I stay in a Marriott Hotel it will certainly be with an added layer of interest.

Fascinating Look At a Fascinating Man
The author is obviously quite impressed with Mr. Marriott. And rarely presents his life in other than glowing terms. The book often goes back to the immigrant ancestors of Bill Marriott and the hardships they faced not only because of their immigrant status but also their LDS faith. There is a treasure of behind the scenes revelations as the business grew. Most of the book is truly fascinating. Because being a member of The Church Of Jesus Christ of the Latter-Day Saints (LDS) is a huge part of the entire Marriott family, it is part of nearly every page. Most of the book is about J.W. Marriott and his relationship with his son Bill. It is this relationship that created the structure of Bill Marriott's life. The intricacies of this enormous corporation are broken down into each acquisition and segment of the business. Fascinating! The anecdotes about his interactions with major political figures like Dr. King and his wife Coretta, presidents of universities and of the United States, Shieks, Emirs and royal families but he is not a name-dropper or party-goer. The book is a little slow-going, but there is so much to look at in this man's life. His faith, entrepreneurial spirit, humility, humanitarianism … there is just a lot to talk about in this man's life story. At nearly 500 pages, I don't think the editor could have cut anymore without losing important parts of this man's life. I received this ARC book for free from Net Galley and this is my honest review.
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Marriott hotels are so ubiquitous, so who wouldnt want to know about their story. Humble beginnings and the peddling story , the initial experiences at the food shop and how from a hungry airport goer, the business was extended into selling food to airlines, great growth story, The family background and especially the story of the ancestor who worked on the ship when she ran out of money goes a long way to show how the endless world unfolds for a person who will make ends no matter what. I recognised a piece of this go-getter in the Goldman stories. Great gift for undergrads who can see how a person can start an empire.

I found this a really inspiring and interesting read with plenty to learn throughout for entrepreneurs, a must read!

I was delighted to read a pre-release copy of the well-known journalist Dale Van Atta's book on J. Willard Marriott, Jr titled, "Bill Marriott: Success Is Never Final" thanks to NetGalley. #BillMarriottSuccessIsNeverFinal. This is being published by Shadow Mountain Publishing and is scheduled to be released in September 2019. You can pre-order it on Amazon.

All of us have images of the quintessential American tycoon from stories we have read or what we have seen on television. In this book, the author gives us an intimate and in depth view of what it is to be born in a family of a leading American businessman of his times. J. Willard Marriott, a first generation entrepreneur, was the founder of the Marriott group of enterprises, and a pioneer in many senses. Like the children of every super star, be it in business, in sport or in the movies, J. Willard Marriott, Jr ( the subject of this book) had to face the crushing burden of family and society's expectations of him. Their relationship was often stormy leading to severe stress the son faced at the hands of a domineering father. It is of immense credit to Bill Marriott, now aged 87, that he grew the business empire he inherited from this father multifold to what it have become today. The Marriott International chain is the largest hotel chain in the world by far with 7000 properties in 130 countries with 176,000 employees all over the globe. It had revenues of $ 20.75 billion in 2018 with net income of $ 1.5 billion.

More than just the story of his business successes, the book throws light on the personal characteristics that made Bill Marriott so successful. He lives a life following a set of sound values, many inherited from his parents. Of course, there were differences too, some very significant. The senior Marriott was a product of his times. He had seen the miseries brought about by the Great Depression of the 1930s at close quarters. This led him to shun debt of any kind. The younger Marriott realized that debt in itself was not evil. On the contrary one could leverage the debts depending on the rates of interest and the business opportunities open elsewhere to make investments. He had a flair for innovation and took what his father felt were too many risks that could be avoided. To young Marriott's credit, most of the business decisions he took were the right ones.

The book also tells us of the Marriott family's upbringing in the Mormon faith with their own values, traditions and cultural practices. Throughout his career Bill Marriott,  even as he had major business responsibilities, never hesitated to play a leading role in church activities. He believes his steadfastness to his religion helped him overcome health issues on many occasions. These include a dramatic fire accident which could have killed him in 1985 only a few weeks after the death of his father.

Overall, I enjoyed the book and found it quote absorbing. I would recommend it to those who wish to gain insight to how Marriott grew his business to its present position of eminence in the world of hospitality. It also underscores how Marriott consistently made profits while displaying the highest standards of customer service and integrity.

Any trivia or minutiae you want to know about Bill Marriott’s childhood, friends, family or life, you will find in this tome by Dale Van Atta. You can read about his shopping trip to the Boy Scout “super store” in Manhattan or his playground foibles or his ancestors’ quirks back into the early 1800’s.

Growing the business of the Hot Shoppes and later the Marriott hotels seems more like a side issue than the crux of the story. Central to everything is his Mormon faith and the contacts (such as the Romneys) that he had through his faith.

In spite of its 528 pages, this biography is [mostly] written in short declarative sentences so as to be easily read and understood by readers of all ages.

I received this ARC from NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I am a sucker for stories about hard work and determination helping others reach their dreams. The story of Bill Marriott is just this. One thing I really liked about this story however that truly set this apart was they showed what obstacles Bill had to overcome to get where he was. This showed me that life for the Marriott's was far from easy it took determination and willpower to overcome and keep pushing towards his goals.