TQM: THE SECRET BEHIND MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL'S SUCCESS

Introduction

Marriott International is known worldwide for their service in the hospitality industry. As of early 2020, Marriott has over 7,642 franchises all over the world and has been in service since 1927. Over the years, Marriott was able to put their name on top of the list and is recognized by hoteliers as one of the best firms in the industry. Stated in their core values, Marriott aims to pursue excellence in customer service, put people first at heart, and embrace the changes in innovation with new global trends and experiences. Marriott International continues to improve their customer service over the years so they could provide customers with the high-life luxurious and unforgettable experiences.

Task
  • By the end of this WebQuest, you should be able to:

    • Know and understand more what Marriott International is;

    • Determine what achievements Marriott International received for the services they provide and;

    • Identify what TQM activities they did that helped them receive such achievements.

 

TASK: 

You are tasked to create an infographic showing the TQM activities Marriott International did and the achievements they received.

 

GOAL:

Convince and prove to your classmates how Total Quality Management can help a company become successful by showing how it helped Marriot International be a success. 

 

How to Make an Infographic In 9 Simple Steps [2021 Guide]

Process

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STEP 1: HAVE A GENERAL OUTLOOK OF MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL

  • Learn about Marriott’s Vision, Mission, and Core Values

  • What are the strategies and organizational activities that Marriott used to apply total quality management?

 

Marriott International has been serving its customers and ensured the continued success in the hospitality industry for almost a hundred years on the global stage by following the vision and mission of the company’s founders.

 

The company's vision statement for Marriott International is as follows:

“To be the World’s Favorite Travel Company.” and “Spirit to serve the customer.”

 

And the mission statement for Marriott International is as follows:

“To enhance the lives of our customers by creating and enabling unsurpassed vacation and leisure experience.”

 

Marriott International never stops looking for innovative ways to serve its customers, create opportunities for its employees and grow its business. The company that originally served as a Nine-seat A&W Root Beer Stand is now recognized as the best employer and is recognized for its excellent business operations, which it conducts based on five core values: put people first, pursue excellence, embrace change, act with integrity, and serve our world.

 

Marriott International's Strategies:

Service Strategy

The vision of Marriott International in terms of service delivery is based on their slogan “Spirit to serve the customer.”​​, focusing on customers and their satisfaction. Marriott's philosophy is to provide service to their customers through their employees, because they believe that if the employees are well-treated and guided by management, they will also take good care of their customers. In addition, the Marriott Hotel communicates with guests through the feedback form. This allows the management to understand what needs to be improved in the hotel, whether it is the service or it can also be used to evaluate the opinions that the management has received from the different guests staying in the hotel on its service.

 

Marketing Strategy

1. The M Live Studio

M Live enables Marriott to interact more personally with guests and engage in one-on-one conversations on social platforms where travelers are already active, which also allows Marriott to build customer loyalty. According to Matthew Glick, Senior Director of Global Creative and Content Marketing, “We’ve turned the tables from creating general content distributed to thousands of guests to listening and leveraging a single moment that’s relevant and shareable between thousands of guests.”. He also stated that, “Not only are we able to discover these moments to engage with consumers quickly, but also identify opportunities by brand, by discipline, by market and by channel to create memorable and shareable experiences.”.

 

2. The launch of “Snapisodes”

Marriott Rewards, an award-winning loyalty program from Marriott International, Inc., decided to partner with Snapchat and introduced to social media their four-part original Snapchat series called ‘Six Days, Seven Nights’, which showcases Marriott’s new and luxurious properties. The new, four-part original series “Six Days, Seven Nights” was created specifically for the fastest growing social media network and to attract the attention of the younger generation.

 

3. Creates loyal customers through Marriott’s app

     The app is designed to allow guests to check in and check out easily. Marriott is constantly striving to innovate and provide better services to make the guests’ experience memorable and fulfilling.

 

Visit Marriott’s official website to learn more about them: 

https://www.marriott.com/marriott/aboutmarriott.mi

 

STEP 2: EXPAND YOUR KNOWLEDGE ON TOTAL QUALITY MANAGEMENT

  • What is Total Quality Management?

  • Why is it important in the tourism and hospitality industry?

  • How does Total Quality Management affect the company’s success?

Total quality management includes the company's general quality measures, such as quality development, quality control, and the most important thing is to ensure the quality assurance of the services provided by the company. TQM can have an important and positive impact on the development of employees and organizations. Companies can establish and maintain cultural values ​​and create long-term success for customers and the company itself. TQM’s focus on quality also helps to identify employee skills gaps and the necessary training, education, or guidance to address these gaps. 

 

Total quality management has played an important and major role in the success of Marriott International. The company’s vision, mission, and core values ​​are based on efforts to improve quality and performance to meet or exceed customer needs such as striving to achieve continuous improvement, good customer care, making use of a qualified and diversified workforce, and providing one of the best accommodation services. By implementing this quality management approach, Marriott International is able to maintain its success and continues to provide one of the best performing product portfolios in the industry.

 

You may visit the following websites to further understand the concept of TQM:

 

What is Total Quality Management:

https://asq.org/quality-resources/total-quality-management

 

Total Quality Management:

https://searchcio.techtarget.com/definition/Total-Quality-Management

 

STEP 3: RESEARCH & ANALYSE THE TQM WITHIN MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL

  • Examine how the concept of TQM is reflected to the management and organizational structure of Marriott International

  • Identify what certain TQM activities Marriott International implemented in their operations.

 

You may refer to the information given below to give you an idea what to look up on the Web.

 

TQM Activities: How Marriott's Core Values are Reflected in their TQM Activities

  1. Acting with Integrity

 

Marriott International gives full commitment to only set high ethical and uncompromising legal standards on every aspect of their business, from  human rights to environmental and social sustainability. With that being said, to ensure that they offer quality products and services, they stick to their principles at all times. 

 

You may refer to the attached link below for more information or you can make your own research too:

https://graduateway.com/total-quality-management-of-marriot-international/ 

 

  1. Putting People First

Marriott International believes that treating workers as a family and treating them with respect is important since the corporation would not be able to function without them. Their key to success is providing equal opportunity for their employees to flourish in order for the firm to succeed as well. As soon as they are hired, Marriott gives intensive training to all area managers. The main goal is to guarantee that the company's management is well-informed on how to provide high-quality services. 

Despite certain strong societal headwinds that may have slowed its development, Marriott's people-centric strategy has persevered. The Great Depression struck just a few years after J.W. and Alice Marriott launched their company. As a result, J.W. and Alice employed a staff doctor to ensure that their employees were well-cared for. There were two reasons behind this. They were concerned about their employees' well-being and desired a dependable and healthy staff. They thought that if their staff had access to quality medical care, they would be able to offer their consumers the kind of service they desired.

Marriott is a top employer for veterans, ethnic minorities, people with disabilities, and other underrepresented groups in the modern workforce. The organization also ensures that work-life balance is met by providing up to 15 weeks of paid parental leave to birth moms and eight weeks to spouses and adoptive parents.

To ensure that new workers have the skills they need to function effectively, the program begins with a new hire orientation program for all employees. The program's goal is to familiarize new workers with the Marriott brand, culture, and their individual hotel/region.

Each hourly employee, according to Marriott, receives 15 minutes of training each day. The training focuses on the fundamental skills and knowledge areas that employees must learn in order to do their duties, such as culinary, room operation, and buying.

 

You may refer to the attached links below for more information or you can make your own research too:

https://www.forbes.com/sites/rasmushougaard/2019/03/05/the-power-of-putting-people-first/?sh=713170a1aff8

https://www.forbes.com/sites/serenitygibbons/2020/04/30/3-things-you-can-learn-from-marriott-about-taking-care-of-employees/?sh=5845c51a2bca 

https://www.hotelmanagement.net/human-resources/hr-marriott-employee-training-and-development-program 

 

  1. Embracing Change

Life and people change all the time, which is why the hotel business faces so many problems; Marriott hotels create fresh experiences for their guests to keep them coming back. Despite the fact that Marriott has been in the market for a long time, they have consistently accepted contemporary total quality management methods in order to meet the problems that arise during difficult economic times. Marriott is motivated to constantly innovate and adapt to change in order to provide new experiences, new brands, and other ways to meet the requirements of its customers.

During their downtime or relaxation time, Marriott’s staff engages in discussions aimed at improving the company's services. Another practice that has contributed to the success of this holistic system is the delivery of education programs to increase the efficiency of all employees. As technology evolves, consumer needs in the business change as well, which is why these education sessions are so vital for staff to remain relevant. Another part is they break down boundaries between employee work areas; if an employee notices that something isn't being done, and the person in charge isn't present, he or she should take care of it first.

 

You may refer to the attached link below for more information or you can make your own research too:

https://ivypanda.com/essays/total-quality-management-report/

 

  1. Serving our World

 

In line with Marriott’s spirit to serve the community, Marriott has taken the path to create a positive and sustainable impact on other businesses. They have a program called 360 Serve. This program is focused on the various ways they can help contribute to achieve the UN's sustainable development goals by year 2025. This is Marriott’s global responsibility, their own way of addressing one of the most critical issues the world faces.

 

You may refer to the attached link below for more information or you can make your own research too:

https://serve360.marriott.com/welcome/

https://www.hospitalitynet.org/news/4102048.html

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/marriott-international-unveils-global-sustainability-and-social-impact-commitments-to-deliver-positive-change-300546546.html

https://www.ecolab.com/stories/marriott-sustainability-goals-for-2025-and-beyond

 

  1. Pursuing Excellence

 

The number one goal Marriott International prioritizes is to exhibit outstanding customer service. Marriott’s spirit to serve their guests simply shows that they value their customers the most. They are open to innovation and creativity when it comes to serving and catering their customers' needs. In fact, they have the pride in the knowledge that their guests can count on Marriott’s unique blend of quality, consistency, personalized service, and recognition almost anywhere their guests travel or whichever Marriott brand their guests choose.

 

You may refer to the attached links below for more information or you can make your own research too:

 

To discover various measures Marriott took to further improve their customer services:

https://silo.tips/download/marriotts-customer-focused-e-business-strategy

https://customerengagementmanagementintourism.wordpress.com/2020/06/05/marriott-hotel-example-how-a-satisfied-customer-can-become-a-loyal-customer/amp/
 

 

To read about Marriott’s customers feedbacks on their services:

https://www.bizjournals.com/bizjournals/how-to/marketing/2014/03/howmarriott-can-make-its-customers-fall-in-love.html

https://putnam-consulting.com/practical-tips-for-philanthropists/what-i-learned-about-customer-service-from-marriott/

 

To know more about Marriott’s dedication to offer outstanding customer services:

https://marriott-hotels.marriott.com/experience/

https://iide.co/case-studies/marketing-strategy-marriott-international/

 

  1. Service Quality

Marriott International has a management structure that recognizes the potential impact of providing high-quality services to consumers. As a result of this awareness, the most competitive companies continue to improve their quality standards on a regular basis. Marriott Hotel International has attempted to use the complete quality management system for numerous years in order to handle and assure long-term survival and growth via customer satisfaction. Several measures have been implemented to guarantee that the holistic approach they have embraced is successful.

The company's productivity rose as a result of enhanced customer coverage, which was accomplished by encouraging all employees to engage and feel like they were a part of the whole. This method motivates employees to contribute to the improvement of the company's different procedures, services, and long-term culture. As part of its Quality Assurance compliance strategy, Marriott International has mandated an annual inspection of each and every property.

 

You may refer to the attached links below for more information or you can make your own research too:

https://ivypanda.com/essays/total-quality-management-report/?fbclid=IwAR0DAty4cSQtGD1Uc_GlhiwCor_ewm1amWLDoGAi68Q2duWZwNFwfFsXCkE

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/quality-hospitality-marriott-hotels-case-study-tsvetan-bankov?fbclid=IwAR0Cmzn3wqBZ-I91gIcbfB-DpUGD1FUYv5OXmdHKIN9DEaSM3ZBUoJYv-NI 

 

STEP 4: RECOGNITIONS / AWARDS OF MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL OVER THE YEARS

  • Research about the achievements of Marriott International 

  • Explain how TQM has helped Marriott International obtain these recognitions/awards

  • Summarize how TQM has contributed to the success of Marriott International

 

You can view the list of recognitions/awards received by Marriott International on this website:

https://news.marriott.com/awards-recognition

 

STEP 5: CREATE YOUR INFOGRAPHIC

  • Input all the necessary information and learnings you gathered on your infographic output.

Evaluation
CRITERIA EXCELLENT MEETS EXPECTATIONS APPROACHES EXPECTATIONS NEEDS IMPROVEMENT CRITERION SCORE
COVERAGE OF THE TOPIC

40 points

Details on the infographic captures the important information about the topic and increases the readers' understanding.

35 points

Details on the infographic include important information but not enough for the readers to fully understand the topic.

30 points

Details on the infographic relate to the topic but are too vague or incomplete. The readers need more specific information to understand the topic.

25 points

Details on the infographic have little to no relation to the topic. 

          /40
ORGANIZATION, LAYOUT AND DESIGN 

30 points

Information is very organized with clear titles & subheading. All information is in focus and can be readable.

25 points

Information is organized with titles and subheadings. Most of the information on the infographic is in focus and the content is readable.

20 points

Information is organized, but titles and subheadings are missing or does not help the reader understand the division of information. Some of the information on the infographic is in focus and the content is readable.

15 points

The information appears to be disorganized. Most of the information on the infographic is hard to read.

          /30
USE OF GRAPHICS

20 points

All graphics used are related to the topic and make it easier to understand. All graphics looks appealing.

15 points

All graphics are related to the topic and most of it make it easier to understand the information given. A few graphics looks distracting and unnecessary.

10 points

All graphics relate to the topic.

5 points

Graphics are not related to the topic at all.

         /20
SOURCES

10 points

All sources (information & graphics) are accurately cited. 

8 points

Most of the sources (information & graphics) are accurately cited.

5 points

Some sources (information & graphics) were cited faulty.

2 points

No sources of information nor graphics were cited at all.

          /10

 

Conclusion

According to FORTUNE, Marriott International is the World’s Most Admired Company with it being ranked no. 1 in terms of innovation, human resource management, asset utilization, social responsibility, quality of management, financial stability, long-term investment value, and global competitiveness. It leads the service industry with remarkable strategies and management which led them into the limelight. Once through with creating the infographic, then and there you’ll know how remarkable Marriott International is in the market. As J. Willard Marriott, the founder of Marriott, said “It’s the little things that make the big things possible. Only close attention to the fine details of any operation make the operation first class.” Congratulations and may you be able to pay close attention to the details of the success of Marriott International.

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Credits

References:

Teacher Page

Course: TOTALQM - OHTM1

Task: Module 3 Deliverables

Submitted to: Ms. Tisha Rianna De Belen

Submitted by:

Abarquez, Danielle 

Aguilar, Enrique Miguel

Oredina, Keila Mariz

Pangan, Aaliyah Gabrielle

Sauza, Nina Caroline