Marriott Opens New Bethesda Headquarters That Celebrates the Hotelier’s Past

Marriott International announced the opening of its new corporate headquarters on its campus on Wisconsin Avenue in Bethesda, Maryland.

The opening of the 785,000 square-foot (72,929-square-meter) building was celebrated with a ribbon cutting on Monday.

The 20-story building encompasses not only work space but a day-care center, a fitness center, a massive test kitchen, and the hotelier’s Innovation and Design Lab.   It opened its doors to employees after six years of planning, design, and construction, and is located opposite one of its newest properties, the Marriott Bethesda Downtown at Marriott HQ.

“Unveiling our new global headquarters is an exceptional way to celebrate our 95 years of culture and innovation,” said David Marriott, the company’s new chairman, who is the grandson of founder J. Willard Marriott, and recently succeeded his father, J.W. “Bill” Marriott, Jr., in that position.

Marriott’s campus and new headquarters building are intended to honor the company’s “storied history and roots in the local community,” Marriott said.

Just off the new building’s lobby is a kind of time capsule, the Cabinet of Curiosities. It’s not, however, a cabinet but a wall that is festooned with relics of the company’s history, featuring “Do Not Disturb” door hang tags, restaurant menus, and a bicycle from the hotel chain’s first property, the Twin Bridges Marriott.

Meanwhile, the new 245-room Marriott Bethesda Downtown at Marriott HQ features mid-century modern details including a grand staircase and guest rooms that feature floor-to-ceiling windows, state-of-the-art technology, and views of the Bethesda skyline.

(Photo: Accura Media Group)