Marriott International has always focused on welcoming all – from our guests to our associates to our hotel owners and suppliers, regardless of race, nationality, gender, gender identity, age or ability. Open arms are in our DNA, which is only natural for a hospitality company.
That’s why it gives me great pride today to see we were named one of the “Best Places to Work for People with Disabilities” as part of the Disability Equality Index (DEI) – a joint initiative of Disability: IN and the American Association of People with Disabilities (AAPD).
The index, which scores companies from 0 to 100, is considered one of the most comprehensive benchmarking tools for disability inclusion in Corporate America. I’m delighted that following an evaluation of Marriott metrics in the areas of culture and leadership, employment practices, community engagement and supplier diversity, we scored 100.
It’s a wonderful recognition and validation but I know our work isn’t done.
Working closely with the disability community, we are currently developing a “Room for All” initiative, where we’re exploring concepts for some of our room designs to dramatically improve the travel experience for guests with disabilities, offering new features such as voice-activated technology to control room temperatures or lights, for example, and room layouts that ensure mobility space for our guests who use wheelchairs.
We are proud to participate in Disability: IN’s Supplier Diversity program, which links disability-owned businesses to us as we seek to further diversify our supply chains.
For 30 years, the Marriott Foundation’s Bridges from School to Work program has helped more than 19,000 young adults with disabilities find jobs in 12 cities nationwide with more than 4,800 employers, including us, of course. And in 2019, we earned the Leading Disability Employer Seal from the National Organization on Disability.
I want to thank Disability: IN and AAPD for today’s recognition. I hope, in some way, we can inspire other companies to join us in our continual efforts to improve our inclusion practices and truly welcome all.
Arne Sorenson
President and CEO, Marriott International
