Marriott International is coming into its own as the world’s largest hotel company with its latest update: the ground breaking of a new Marriott International headquarters and Marriott Hotel in downtown Bethesda, Md.
Relocating from its current suburban location to a more accessible, downtown environment is a big move for the company, making it easier for employees to commute to and from the office. Apart from its location, the headquarters office building will also feature modern technology and be built to LEED Gold. Its more than 785,000 sf of office space will hold approximately 3,500 employees and feature an abundance of natural light as well as a childcare center, a fitness center and cafeteria. Similar to the open design of the hotel company’s newer properties, it will also incorporate several flexible and collaborative workspaces.
Even more important for meeting planners will be the 244-room Marriott Hotel opening in the same location. A rooftop bar and lounge, coffee shop and neighborhood restaurant will add to the downtown scene, while also offering groups more than 8,000 sf of meeting space.
“We are thrilled to be recommitting ourselves to Maryland and investing in Bethesda,” says Marriott International President and CEO Arne Sorenson. “This location places Marriott in the heart of a vigorous, educated and diverse community. We firmly believe downtown Bethesda is a vital economic engine with a very bright future and a great place to call home.”
In true Marriott fashion, the company and development team provided ground-breaking ceremony guests commemorative root beer mugs filled with root beer, a nod to the company’s history as an A&W Root Beer stand in Washington, D.C., in 1927. The company has since reached the “world’s largest hotel company” status after officially acquiring Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide in September 2016, and it now operates more than 6,500 properties across 127 countries worldwide.
While construction is scheduled to begin next month, the Marriott Hotel plans to debut in early 2022, with the new headquarters to follow suit by mid-2022.
