Unveils technology and design for an intuitive workplace

After six years of planning, design and construction, Marriott International has opened its global headquarters in downtown Bethesda, Maryland. The 21-story, 7,85,000-square-foot, LEEDv4 Gold-certified building is the new workplace for corporate associates, supporting over 8,100 hotels in 139 countries and territories around the world.

“We are thrilled to be welcoming associates to our new headquarters,” said Anthony Capuano, Chief Executive Officer of Marriott International. “The campus has been designed to better connect our global workforce in support of our hotels and teams around the world. Empowering associates and accelerating innovation were our key priorities and central in every decision we made to deliver a compelling environment for associates to work, learn and thrive.”

Marriott’s new HQ campus, which includes the new Marriott Bethesda Downtown at Marriott HQ hotel next door, is designed to enable connectivity, collaboration, growth, ideation and well-being through diverse and dynamic spaces and state-of-the-art technology. The new building will also serve as a global hub for Marriott’s research and development operation, featuring its Innovation and Design Lab, a premium test kitchen and beverage bar, as well as “model” hotel rooms in the adjacent Marriott hotel, where new concepts, design elements, service approaches, and amenities will be tested for potential use across the company’s portfolio of 30 brands.

“Unveiling our new global headquarters is an exceptional way to celebrate our 95 years of culture and innovation,” said David Marriott, Chairman of the Board, Marriott International. “This campus honours our storied history and roots in the local community, while showcasing Marriott’s exciting next chapter of growth as we remain dedicated to our purpose of connecting people through the power of travel.”

Accelerating Innovation Through State-of-the-Art Research and Design Facilities

Since its founding, Marriott has made innovation a key priority and the company’s new headquarters underscores this commitment. Marriott’s Design Lab is an 8,400 sq ft research and design lab for the hotel industry, where Marriott’s partnerships and collaborations with forward-looking companies that touch every aspect of hospitality – from textiles to technology to service – are explored, product-tested and further developed for scaling, first within its hotel brands, and eventually throughout the industry. Room27, the main Design Lab space, is named after the year of the company’s founding in 1927. It will be co-located with the F+B Design Studio, an approximately 4,400-square-foot fully functioning test kitchen and bar space, designed studio-style for onsite educational presentations, virtual food and beverage demonstrations and testing the latest trends in culinary and beverage innovations from hotels around the world.

The Marriott Bethesda Downtown at Marriott HQ, located directly next door, will serve as an extension of Marriott’s Design Lab, containing 13 sample “test rooms”, each customisable to reflect different brands. Dubbed Floor57 after the year the company first entered the lodging business, these active rooms are ready to deploy design, technology and new product and service offerings with customers and other key stakeholders.

Marriott’s new headquarters has several features that are designed to enable interaction between the company and the Bethesda community where the new HQ is located. The company intends to name the outdoor public plaza between the hotel and new headquarters building Sorenson Plaza, in honour of the Company’s late Chief Executive Officer, Arne M. Sorenson, who passed away in 2021. Arne was highly involved in the design of the new headquarters and was excited about the prospect that the plaza would be a gathering place for associates and a vibrant space for the community. In addition, a portion of the main lobby is also open to the public. The lobby features a public Café, which offers interior and open-air seating that extends into the plaza, and an eye-catching “Cabinet of Curiosities,” a collection of historic and compelling items from Marriott’s past and present. This space leads into the main lobby of the building, serving as an entryway for associates, as well as a food and beverage, retail, and future pop-up space for special events.

By the Numbers: New Marriott HQ Features

Marriott’s new headquarters includes several unique elements:

• 7,600 sq ft of outdoor garden space accessible by associates on the 20th floor; additionally, the building has a green, planted roof
• Associate cafeteria, named The Hot Shoppe in a nod to the company’s first restaurant, with 9,500 sq ft for dining, including 350 indoor seats and 100 outdoor seats
• Grand floating staircase with mixed seating allowing for large-scale gatherings
• 20-ft-tall moving work of digital art in an ultra-high-resolution video wall that wraps around the elevator bay. The digital art wall is visible from the outside and provides immersive experiences with places and environments from around the world
• 2,842 workspaces, including offices, workstations and flexible spaces
• 180 conference rooms
• Daylight in majority of occupied spaces
• Nearly 20,000 sq ft of open, flexible, modular and virtually collaborative workspace for individuals or group meetings
• Proximity to the Bethesda Metro Station, Capital Crescent Bike Trail, and multiple bus routes.
• Five levels of parking under the building, including 66 EV charging stations
• Lockable bicycle parking inside garage for 100 bikes; dedicated locker rooms adjacent to bike storage for cycling commuters
• Certified LEED Gold Core and Shell, LEED Gold Commercial and Interiors (pending), and Fitwel 3-star certification
• Design Team

The building was designed by Gensler, a global design firm and workplace strategy partner. Gensler is the project architect of record, with Hensel Phelps serving as the project’s general contractor for the building’s core structure. Rand Construction, a woman-owned business, served as the project’s general contractor for the building’s interior. The building is owned by The Bernstein Companies and Boston Properties. Marriott officially celebrated the completion of its phased move-in on September 19, 2022, in a ribbon cutting celebration.