J. Willard Marriott

J. Willard Marriott (John Willard Marriott Sr.) was an American entrepreneur and businessman who founded the Marriott Corporation, the company that evolved into Marriott International. In 1927, he and Alice S. Marriott opened a nine-seat root beer stand in Washington, D.C. which grew into the Hot Shoppes restaurant chain and later expanded into hotels, including the first one in 1957 in Arlington, Virginia. He was born in Marriott Settlement (now Marriott-Slaterville), Utah, attended Weber State University and the University of Utah, and later became a prominent figure in U.S. hospitality and food service.