Research Paper on:
Marriott International

Unformatted Sample Text from the Research Paper:
Matrix 17 4.4 Product Line Stretch 18 5. WHERE TO GO; THE CONCLUSION 18 1. Introduction 1.1 Purpose of the Report The hospitality industry is a growing sector. One of the better known names is Marriott, owner  of a range of brand names including different variations on the Marriott name as well as Courtyard, Fairfield Inn, Horizons, Ramada International Hotels and Resorts, the Ritz Carlton, BVLGART and  Renaissance Hotels and Resorts. This paper looks at the company as a whole using a range of strategic tools to examine the position of the company, to identify their strategy  and give some recommendations for the future. 1.2 About the company. Marriott International started in 1927 with a root beer stand opened in Washington DC by . Willard and  Alice S. Marriott. Today the company it one of the worlds largest hotel and resort chains. Marriott International has operations in 69 countries and territories and nearly 2,800 properties with  more that 490,000 rooms. The properties are a mixture of hotels, holiday resorts and time share properties where Marriott International are the managing agent. The company is currently following a  aggressive growth strategy, 185 properties were added to the portfolio in 2003, with more planned for 2004. The operations are also changing as well as the growth there is  also development with the use of technology, strategic alliances, increased marketing and the seeking of a competitive advantage through differentiation. 2. The current position Marriott International is in a  strong position, but to appreciate this fully we can use a SWOT Analysis. We will look at these individually. 2.1 SWOT Analysis 2.1.1 Strengths The first strength must e  seen in the brand name. This is well established and recognised worldwide. The Marriott brand name is well known, but there is also a spread over other sectors of the