Financial Information

PART I

Item 1. Business.

Competition

We encounter strong competition both as a lodging operator and as a franchisor. According to lodging industry data, there are over 1,400 lodging management companies in the U.S., including approximately 21 that operate more than 100 properties. These operators are primarily private management firms, but also include several large national and international chains that own and operate their own hotels, operate hotels on behalf of third-party owners, and also franchise their brands. Management contracts are typically long-term in nature, but most allow the hotel owner to replace the management firm if it does not meet certain financial or performance criteria.

We also compete for guests with large companies that offer online travel services as part of their business model, search engines such as Google and Bing, and online services including Airbnb and HomeAway that allow travelers to book short-term rentals of homes and apartments as an alternative to hotel rooms. We compete against lodging operators and other competitors for guests in many areas, including brand recognition and reputation, location, guest satisfaction, room rates, quality of service, amenities, quality of accommodations, security, and the ability to earn and redeem Loyalty Program points.

During the last recession, demand for hotel rooms declined significantly, particularly in 2009, and we took steps to reduce operating costs and improve efficiency. Due to the competitive nature of our industry, we focused these efforts on areas that had limited or no impact on the guest experience. While demand trends globally have improved since 2009, cost reductions could again become necessary if demand trends reverse. We would expect to implement any such efforts in a manner designed to maintain guest loyalty, owner preference, and associate satisfaction, to help maintain or increase our market share.

Affiliation with a national or regional brand is common in the U.S. lodging industry, and we believe that our brand recognition assists us in attracting and retaining guests, owners, and franchisees. In 2018, approximately 71 percent of U.S. hotel rooms were brand-affiliated. Most of the branded properties are franchises, under which the owner pays the franchisor a fee for use of its hotel name and reservation system. In the franchising business, we face many competitors that have strong brands and guest appeal, including Hilton, Intercontinental Hotels Group, Hyatt, Wyndham, Accor, Choice, Radisson, Best Western, and others.

Outside the U.S., branding is much less prevalent and most markets are served primarily by independent operators, although branding is more common for new hotel development. We believe that chain affiliation will increase in many overseas markets as local economies grow, trade barriers decline, international travel accelerates, and hotel owners seek the economies of centralized reservation systems and marketing programs.

Based on lodging industry data, we have an approximately 15 percent share of the U.S. hotel market (based on number of rooms) and we estimate less than a four percent share of the hotel market outside the U.S. We believe that our hotel brands are attractive to hotel owners seeking a management company or franchise affiliation because our hotels typically generate higher Revenue per Available Room (“RevPAR”) than our direct competitors in most market areas. We attribute this performance premium to our success in achieving and maintaining strong guest preference. We believe that the location and quality of our lodging facilities, our marketing programs, our reservation systems, and our emphasis on guest service and guest and associate satisfaction contribute to guest preference across all our brands.

Properties that we operate, franchise, or license are regularly upgraded to maintain their competitiveness. Most of our management agreements provide for the allocation of funds to be set aside, generally a fixed percentage of revenue, for periodic refurbishment and replacement of furnishings, fixtures, and equipment. These ongoing refurbishment programs, along with periodic brand initiatives, are generally adequate to preserve or enhance the competitive position and earning power of the properties. Properties converting to one of our brands typically complete renovations as needed in conjunction with the conversion.

Employee Relations

At year-end 2018, we had approximately 176,000 employees, approximately 22,000 of whom were represented by labor unions. These numbers do not include hotel personnel employed by our owners, franchisees, and management companies hired by our franchisees. Although we experienced labor disruptions in certain U.S. markets in 2018 in connection with our contract negotiations with unions representing certain of our organized associates in those markets, those contract negotiations and labor disruptions have been resolved and we believe relations with our employees are positive.

Environmental Compliance

The properties we operate or develop are subject to national, regional, state or provincial, and local laws and regulations that govern the discharge of materials into the environment or otherwise relate to protecting the environment. Those environmental provisions include requirements that address health and safety; the use, management, and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes; and emission or discharge of wastes or other materials. We believe that our operation and development of properties complies, in all material respects, with environmental laws and regulations. Compliance with such provisions has not materially impacted our capital expenditures, earnings, or competitive position, and we do not anticipate that it will have a material impact in the future.

Internet Address and Company SEC Filings

Our primary Internet address is Marriott.com. On the investor relations portion of our website, Marriott.com/investor, we provide a link to our electronic filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”), including our annual report on Form 10-K, our quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, our current reports on Form 8-K, and any amendments to these reports. We make all such filings available free of charge as soon as reasonably practicable after filing. The information found on our website is not part of this or any other report we file with or furnish to the SEC.