David Marriott, chairman of the board of directors at Marriott International, revealed we’ve been saying the name of the hotel chain wrong this whole time.
Marriott was speaking during Marriott Bonvoy’s first-ever Member Day event on Sept. 23, according to the company and videos posted on social media, when he shared a story about how his wife, a former teacher, explained how to pronounce their last name to a student.
“She had a student named Elliott, and he kept calling her Mrs. Marriott,” he said, emphasizing the “ott” sound.
“And she finally sat Elliott down one day, and she said, ‘Elliott, how do you pronounce your name?’ He said, ‘Elliott.’ She said, ‘That’s right, it’s not Elliott,'” Marriott said, once again emphasizing the “ott.”
Marriott said it’s the same way with his last name, and that it’s pronounced “Marry-ette.”
“And so the correct way to say it is actually Marriott,” he said, using the “ette” sound at the end and the emphasis on the first syllabe.
He then clarified to the crowd: “But again, I will respond to either.”
A spokesperson for Marriott International told TODAY.com David Marriott was speaking to 75 Marriott Bonvoy members earlier this month during sessions in which the company “welcomed their feedback on current and future projects across loyalty, digital and experiences from wellness to the outdoors.”
TikTokers in the comments of the videos had mixed reactions to the name revelation:
- “Unfortunately this is not something I have edit access to in my brain.”
- “Thanks I’m going to throw away this new memory”
- “this will forever blow my mind and not stick in my brain 😂”
- “I’m just gonna ignore this and continue saying it how I’ve said it my entire life 🫡 I appreciate your effort tho david”
- “Sorry, don’t like how that sounds. I’ll continue saying Mary-ott 😂”
Marriott Bonvoy, the company’s loyalty rewards program, also left a comment: “No hard feelings if you’ve ever pronounced Marriott wrong,” adding a red heart emoji.
Debbie Marriott Harrison, a company director and David Marriott’s sister, also cleared up the pronunciation of their name in 2022.
“A lot of people mispronounce our name. Well, I’m here to help,” she said in a TikTok. “It’s Marry-ette like chariot, like lariat, like carry it, or even like marry it. When in doubt, rhyme it out.”
This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:
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