ABSTRACT
In 1989, Marriott was at the top of the food and lodging business. Few companies, let alone family-operated ones, had achieved Marriott’s stature and maintained a deeply felt sense of history and security. In its 62-year history, Marriott had earned a level of shareholder trust that no other hospitality company had even approached. Yet as a premier services company, Marriott’s success depended on the people who actually delivered the service—the maids, janitors, kitchen workers, porters, waiters, delivery people, telemarketing representatives, and front desk clerks—the fastest growing and least appreciated segment of the U.S. labor force. Under pressure to please value-driven customers, Marriott was forced to scramble to hire, train, and retain average people capable of performing extraordinary service with a smile. To fill most of these low-level service jobs, Marriott did not need workers with high levels of education, experience, or technical expertise. Instead, in an era of flattening hierarchies and heightened expectations, Marriott needed low-wage-earning people who were also resilient and resourceful— skills previously demanded only of managers. In the 1990s, Marriott faced the challenge of not only finding, but also retaining people willing to work for low wages with few benefits.
