MARRIOTT LAMENTATIONS 216: "What is Marriott? Has Marriott junked responsibility? The management of confusion and deceit - (PART 2)

Time for questions, time for answers: Nobody seems to?know?what Marriott International?is anymore. To many, Marriott is a conundrum. There is much confusion, which?may well be Marriott's intention. Confusion can enable the evasion of responsibility. Sadly,?hotel guests are the ones?forced to 'pay the price', to suffer the consequences of confusion and?the Marriott 'responsibility scam'

a) Marriott is?too big, too inaccessible.?It's too big for executives to manage honourably.?Its too big for guests to penetrate. Size only helps those reaping the rewards. Today's 'bigger but lesser'?Marriott has abandoned?the?delicate balance between high quality service?and profit-ability.?Power and greed have triumphed over human (supposedly Marriott) values

b) Adding to the?confusion, Marriott consistently claims to be something that it isn't - a company of integrity that puts people first.?This?holier-than-thou?rhetoric 'lies'?a considerable?distance from the reality. By failing to walk?the talk, Marriott executives are increasingly?exposing?the extent?of their scam

c) Marriott crows about transparency and accountability?but offers neither. Corporate officials?go?out of their?way to avoid moral or legal responsibility for any negative or harmful issues that may arise. Huge legal teams are employed to plaster over the fissures. Silence?acts as the?back-up tactic.?On the other hand, executives boastfully?accept?responsibility for all?awards and?plaudits that come their way (most of which are?'bought in' and?undeserved). In this?highly unregulated industry, Marriott has?exempted itself from the requirements?of?ethical practice?and compliance

d) So what exactly is today's?Marriott? Corporation or cult? Hospitality company? Online booking agency? Franchiser? Hotel management company? Hotel?training school? Marketer of brands? Loyalty club? Fee-collecting?charlatan and scammer? Nobody seems to know anymore. Opinions differ

Under-lying all Marriott endeavours?is a strategy for?rapid growth and easy profit; one which promotes profit over people and growth over integrity. Hotel owners, hotel management companies?and investors (all of whom bear?complementary?'core values')?benefit from this (most of the time) at the expense of guests, lower-level associates and communities. Nonetheless,?Marriott is the chief beneficiary. And to camouflage its?rapacious and narcissistic self-absorption, Marriott?strives?to be everything to everyone, failing?dismally (despite the propaganda) and creating enormous ill-will in the process

e) Who really is running the show? Marriott? Not so, it seems.?Third party partners??Institutional investors? It's?time?for Marriott to come clean. It's time for executives to declare?publicly?that, in line with?statements made regularly to those who complain (and as?confirmed by former CEO Arne Sorenson when I met him), the company accepts no responsibility for?its hotels or the actions within them, and that the Marriott logo hanging on all its?properties?is meaningless.?At the same time, executives?must?pledge to refuse any further?hotel or best employer awards for?things?it claims to have no responsibility for. Fair's?fair. No responsibility means?no responsibility. If that's not acceptable to Marriott, then?we return to the original question. What is Marriott? Who really is in charge? Who IS responsible?

f) Why isn't any of this 'indefinity' being picked up?by regulatory bodies? Why is compliance?being allowed?to fester so manifestly? How come?due diligence, risk management and brand compliance have been?so easily?side-stepped??Why is hotel industry corruption?prospering? Why is no authority stepping up in support of the 'consumer'?

Anyone out there in the ether willing to provide some credible answers?

[To be continued]

John Shepherd (Marriott victim and hunger striker)