For the third consecutive year,
DiversityInc magazine named Marriott International one of the “Top
50 Companies for Diversity.“At number 22, Marriott is the highest
ranking lodging company on the list and the only lodging company to win
in two important categories: the Top 10 Companies for Recruitment &
Retention and the Top 10 Companies for Executive Women. A total of 256
companies competed in the survey.

According to DiversityInc, the Top 50 Companies for Diversity survey is
the most in-depth empirical analysis of corporate diversity management
and planning. This year’s ranking is based on more than 200 detailed
questions analyzing CEO commitment, unbiased retention, supplier
diversity and diversity training, and communications programs.

“The diversity of our workforce, owners and suppliers is a key component
of our success at Marriott International,” said J.W. Marriott, Jr.,
chairman and chief executive officer. “Our commitment to diversity is
what makes ours one of the most desirable companies to work for and to
do business with. It helps us keep our competitive edge as we continue
to set the standard for the entire hospitality industry.”

Marriott’s highly diverse workforce evidences its longstanding
commitment to diversity—60 percent of Marriott associates are
minorities and 54 percent are women. Of the new managers hired in 2005,
26 percent were minorities and 48 percent were women. Marriott also
achieved its highest number ever of minority college recruits—30
percent were minorities and 16 percent were African American.

Also in 2005, through its company-wide supplier diversity program,
Marriott purchased more than $347 million with 11,000 minority- and
women- owned suppliers, which represents nearly 12 percent of the
company’s total spending and puts the company ahead of schedule to reach
its goal to spend more than $1 billion with diverse suppliers by the end
of 2009. The company has also implemented numerous initiatives to double
the number of its minority and women owners and franchisees to 500 by
2010.

“Marriott International has consistently ranked in our Top 25 over the
past few years,” said Luke Visconti, partner and co-founder of
DiversityInc. “Competition for the Top 50 list gets more severe every
year, but the company’s substantive employee programs and its efforts to
attract diversity in every area from suppliers to stakeholders, ensure
it a place on the list and cement the company’s place as leader in the
hospitality industry when it comes to diversity.”

Marriott has received broad recognition for its diversity initiatives.
Black Enterprise magazine named Marriott one of the “30 Best Companies
for Diversity” in 2005. Additionally, FORTUNE magazine has recognized
Marriott as one of the “100 Best Companies to Work For” for the past
nine years.
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