Inside Marriott’s $600 Million Hotel-Inspired Headquarters | WSJ Open Office

Marriott’s new headquarters is part office and part lab. With space for a mock-up hotel room and flexible seating for collaboration, Marriott’s $600 million space is a bet on the physical office. WSJ takes a tour with the project’s leaders to see how it could draw workers back.
Photo: Zach Wood for The Wall Street Journal
Open Office
Offices are as unique as the companies they house. This WSJ series takes viewers inside standout spaces to show the amenities-and quirks-that separate them from the rest, as designers and company executives explain the reason behind it all.
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[@venom5809]

Herman Miller got paid by Marriott, their furniture is everywhere in this place.

[@deshawnc4342]

They will literally do everything but pay employees more 😭

[@ap6471]

underrated comment

[@7medo7]

Well, Marriott has one of the most satisfied employees out there. So it looks like they probably pay pretty good money. 💰

[@sxerosie]

Dropping $600 million on one office & betting people will want to come back is insane

[@Bumeism]

Exactly

[@bngr_bngr]

A lot of companies created these hoteling spaces 5-10 years ago.

[@emerald39]

Looks like they are using it to prototype room ideas not begging workers to return to office, besides there doesn't seem to be many desks

[@VictorTechG]

Don't need to bet they want to come back, just RTO policy lol.

[@1plaintext]

Thinking that couches will make people want to go to the office, is, insane. All these designers who push for these designs, i always wonder, whether they have ever worked in an office themselves.

[@Jasper-nk5fo]

I absolutely expected that the HQ would be this amazingly beautiful styled hotel-esque working environment but there was nothing about it that suggested the Marriott brand. It kind of looks like every international company hired the same architects, designers and furniture suppliers.

[@spooky.-]

Cubicles are underrated. Bring them back.

[@carlmiller369]

I'm proud to have taken a major part of the construction of this project.

[@science5923]

what was your part here ?

[@TheArtificiallyIntelligent]

So out of touch. People don't want hoteling and open office. I just started a new job and it took me a couple days to get the monitor, chair, desk height, etc. dialed in so it felt right. I can't imagine having to do that every time. Or not having somewhere to put my stuff.

[@farhajhassan8516]

What a great video, interview and subject. Amazing visuals throughout. Great work.

[@acash93]

I remember a brand new office area which had a cafe vibe with warm lamp colours and all the hype associated with it. However, I came back to that place 6 years later and it was musty, no different from the rest of the building. It was cleaned everyday, but it still became musty. So, I always imagine how a cool building will be like in 6 to 10 years.

[@pelangos]

Incredible! Beautiful design, and the workspaces look really good!

[@Acer113]

So I guess 6 inches could really make a difference in how a hotel room feels, right? 😅

[@rudiruttger]

it would sure make a difference in how a commercial flight feels!

[@TomNook.]

oh baby

[@gus473]

That's what she said....? 🤔

[@alexdubois6585]

They really should invest in VR to feel their prototype rooms... maybe then build what they've designed in these rooms. I suspect she did not speak about it but would be amazed if they haven't thought about it...

[@rvb6516]

Went straight to the comments when I heard that 😂

[@sudhikapradhan7220]

With the 30 + brands options, the moto of Marriott to give a travellers choices is amazing. I love how each brand has their unique standards. However, the individual property struggles to follow the new & updating brand standards as set by the corporate.

[@burper-oe6tm]

Plot twist: they just didn’t realize they had to switch to building an office building so they re-purposed an almost finished the hotel at the last minute

[@invalice123]

i'm very curious to see how they justify the spend internally. The idea generation will need to be in the billions in value.

[@ihmpall]

@@ThereIsN0Sp00n this isn’t China here we see ROI and not do things to please the supreme leader

[@kiprotichsalat2460]

They’re now the largest & most profitable hotel franchise in the world. They’ve definitely done something right. And I’m sure what they’ve spent on this idea generation is just a few decimals on the cash pile

[@creightonstarbuck2000]

What if they care about their employees and want to give them a fabulous place to work?

[@TreDogOfficial]

I really like the Marriott's attention to detail. I stayed at a room for allergy sensitive people which had an air filter and shower water filter. It was right beside a Whole Foods and I felt like a million bucks and had a great sleep

[@SoCalFreelance]

1/3 of people who use the bathroom don't wash their hands. The thought of communal office spaces, keyboards, mice grosses me out.

[@ruttatata2023]

I prefer work from home over this place

[@matilobrim]

Imagine dropping 600mil paying workers. Would WSJ be interested in the story

[@Baby-Box]

They actually pay extremely well

[@Randomcomment7699]

People don’t like office main reason is toxicity.. until any fundamental issues are addressed these are titanic projects

[@drmode]

Not commuting is a companies best benefit

[@PaulHo]

I love this series. Mostly because I love the host. 🥺

[@uscsca]

Hilton's worldwide headquarters in Beverly Hills, California used to be a wonderful place to work. This is before Hilton moved to Virginia.

[@mrpeel3239]

The layout and decor looks like the World's largest Airport lounge!

[@johnl.7754]

Where’s the “hotel” bar?

[@spencertseng276]

Does it really matter how new Marriott's offices are when 90% of all Marriott hotel rooms are old and dingy?

[@Chad-wb7du]

Ah yes, tiny tables to work on your tiny screen laptop like you’re in college again is what we want

[@ACBMemphis]

I worked at a hotel company where we had fully-built-out model hotel rooms in the corporate office. As an April Fool's joke, we took a toilet from one of those rooms and put it in somebody's cube! While there's some merit in the model room concept for research purposes, those office layouts seem impractical in the long run. The work area described at 3:07 has no advantage over working at home in your own comfortable chair with a large monitor and keyboard. The "unassigned office" model at 4:30 is even worse, since you have the appearance of your own office, but none of the benefits. How does anyone know where you are if you need to meet in person? What if you need to leave a phone charger or a can of soup with your desk? This will lead to vagabond style workers, inefficient communications, and drive all the introverts home.

[@NicksDynasty]

Their new credit cards need work..

[@ChrisCoombes]

Shared space would discourage me being in the office because I wouldn’t feel I had a place at work that was mine.

[@gus473]

👍🏼 Pretty cool, but I sure miss the original Courtyard by Marriott and the big breakfast.... 😐

[@ml48963]

That is an awesome office!

[@yokoono42]

In true Marriott Fashion they should charge $20 for the food and $7 for each coffee for the real experience 🤣

[@youtindia]

No thanks. I'll take my work from home. I have a perfect desk, monitor, keyboard and most importantly an entire room for myself which no office will give me.

[@TheCelticsAREboss]

You'll just get fired

[@brandonmellors9161]

Thank you

[@LMays-cu2hp]

Thank you for sharing..

[@gozeenpinjar]

Wow, just 👌 wow

[@aarononeal9830]

The Wallstreet Jornal needs to talk about Ecosia they are a search engine that plants trees

[@AtillatheFun]

It's garbage nonsense. Planting trees is not the solution to anything. You would have to plant trillions of trees, which has never been done and never will be.

[@ShonTolliverMusic]

Why

[@AsAbovesobelow952]

Sometimes I work near the HQ of Mariot and I went to park and Mariots has bought both of the public parking lots around the area. Bethesda used to be my favorite place, I lived there for 5 years now you can't see the sunlight due to high-rise buildings. Anyways the Mario's building is actually nice, parking sucks though...

[@Tobi-ln9xr]

0:01 Why is there a picture of the German Reichstag on the right?

[@dsanchez9703]

Nice

[@tdrvch]

4:29 Corey from Pawn Stars

[@dtvfan24]

Love how even the HQ is like a hotel , so on brand. Love it

[@zarpeter_1]

doing everything imaginable instead of just paying the people more lol

[@a55tech]

can u put in the description which city it's in?

[@Dakid015]

They said it's in Bethesda, Maryland

[@slidedeckfinance]

Of course you could just stay at an airbnb for cheaper and more amenities but Marriot has the brand and reputation for a clean, comfortable stay

[@helendelarosa3811]

Lovely

[@JohnPaul-fp2wk]

I've visited the new building and I have to say I was impressed it was done quite well. The rooftop bar is especially fantastic.

[@memalabby]

He looks like Avenger's Hulk. Timestamp. 3:00

[@jago09]

Yes give them option.... except 100% working remotely 😅🤣 these tyoes of businesses will die off

[@candyfloss184]

Another we work disaster in the making.

[@PhilippZ]

Where is this HQ?

[@cusodha1]

This is how my father asks tons of question when i buy useless stuff.

[@heylookarealdinosaur]

Funny that the only thing employees might need to experience in person, isn't located in the giant office building, but in the hotel next door.

[@sotonyekoko3553]

You should tour capital one !

[@dweb2275]

That PPE is comical when there is literally now construction going on..

[@auro1986]

how is this possible when wsj never paid any room rent?

[@user-uc9fx4ru7p]

Would rather stay somewhere like this than air bnb.

[@lostinmuzak]

No!! Not going back in the office. May be once a month for a drink. Just shows they are making and wasting a lot of money.

[@WillArmstrong-s6m]

9046 Kub Villages

[@ScrapMetalWorks]

Great concept but they could also spend some cash in bringing back shuttle services, daily room cleanings without having to beg for it and oh yeah please improve the “included breakfast”. Breakfast has become so poor quality, inconsistent and unhealthy that I no longer do it and even avoid staying at Marriotts after 25 years of loyalty.

[@SM-si2ky]

That is pretty cool haha

[@cboy0394]

I've never heard anyone pronounce Marriott the way you do. Mary et instead of Mary ott very strange dude.

[@frankwc0o]

Maybe 1% of industries will make this effort, but still any personal rooms for each employee? Nope.

[@ravindertalwar553]

Almighty God bless everyone 🙏🙏

[@steadymobbin.]

Steady Mobbin

[@olab7781]

I live right next to the building

[@austinduke8876]

If you want to excite me about coming into the office give me 300$ each time I do.

[@AtillatheFun]

You can stay at home. The tradeoff is that you will be skipped for promotions and have no connections. That's what the office is for.

[@austinduke8876]

@@AtillatheFun Trust me, if I thought it was in my interests to go to an office; I would. If you hold everything else equal and had me drive to work today that would cost me personally about 1 gallon of gas per day ($70/month), plus wear tear on my vehicle (~$50/month), plus the unpaid time traveling two and from work of lets guess 30mins per day; I make $78/hr so that's $390 in unpaid time a month. The privilege of going into the office will cost me $530/month and this assumes I place 0 value on things like all the little chores you can get done at home between meetings or during lunch.

[@fod1855]

6 inches can certainly make a big difference...

[@sotonyekoko3553]

Funny how Stephanie Linnartz left

[@luckieoleary6459]

I mean its alright

[@itstayayg193]

Reason why society is increasingly materialistic and nature continues to become depleted and rot away due to excessive pollution. Artificial beauty (like the buildings shown in this video) drags attention away from real world problems, like greed fueled capitalism.

[@BlRD4MAN]

Maybe they can use some of that money to upgrade the old and dingy Courtyard brand….

[@PhillipRemulak]

There wasn’t a single sentence that designed jordan Goldstein said that wasn’t more than 50 percent utterly meaningless jargon.

[@Bumeism]

A gross attempt to justify in office work. What a waste of $

[@kattengat2]

I wonder if they have way overpriced food and a tremendous number of taxes on that food and space just like their properties? They say they like hybrid work, but they must want the business travelers in planes again and in offices.

[@luckieoleary6459]

AH yes the Instagram Influencer Attraction, never fails to draw in revenue.

[@johniii8147]

I hate the hotelling model for desks.

[@Musamecanica]

I don't care if they put hot tubs on each desk, I'm NOT coming back to the office. Nothing pays for the comfort, time and money I save by not having a commute.

[@GreenMountian]

Marriot is still around huh?

[@TracyZasmr]

Ahhh, explains why my travel expenses have ballooned! The cost saving diminished amenities, .. And the forgiven PPE loans while they still laid off just wasn't enough to build this I guess. (Pssst. Marriott, instead maybe concentrate on actual customers a bit more, you know, the ones who book the rooms you offer? Signed, A yearly Titanium and lifetime Platinum member.) Other brands are happy to status match, just sayin.

[@gaving9463]

Thank you low interest rates

[@Gingerbran]

Good, redesign that awful space they used to have

[@VADACHE]

It’s tax writeoff bc they make a lot of money .. the same Amazon never pay tax but build buildings like in Seattle they build giant glass ball in middle of Seattle ..

[@arthurmorris1795]

How entitled are these office workers us hourly workers are working hard and never complain and keep America working? Office workers should count their blessing that they have all these privileges. Hourly Americans cannot even imagine some of these amenities being offered. They come to work everyday ready to work hard. These spoiled office workers need to stop complaining and get back to work.

[@AtillatheFun]

They are complaining because they expect better. Why are you bragging about your poor working conditions? Maybe try to make them better.

[@TomNook.]

Did I hear that right? A self proclaimed "expert in hotel design" needing to go to tech companies for ideas in hotel design? 🤣🤣🤣

[@uHnodnarB]

I know it might be hard to wrap your head around, but even experts are constantly growing and looking for new ideas.

[@ihmpall]

Yes. If you had an education you would do that rather than spamming KZbin

[@TomNook.]

@@uHnodnarB So by definition, not an expert then. Would you really trust an expert and pay for their services when they are learning from non experts?

[@TomNook.]

@@ihmpall Had an education, have a job, have savings, still spamming KZbin.

[@uHnodnarB]

@@TomNook. I would not trust an expert if they didn't show that they were constantly learning and willing to see how applications/techniques, etc could be adapted to suit their own field.

[@vasilikonstan]

But why does the narrator keep saying "marriy-it." It's pronounced, "marry-yacht." So awkward

[@rudiruttger]

I'd be there every day for sure.

[@jillclarke7264]

Overwhelming message. We are such a terrible employer that we aren't certain our 600 million dollar bribe will be enough. Here's a clue, quit with the profit for corporate and stockholders and pay it forward to your employees. Way to convince me to skip your brands. Besides the Ritz Carlton is old and stuffy.

[@AtillatheFun]

Imagine thinking that they can stop paying shareholders. They have a legal obligation to maximize returns. They also pay their employees what the market dictates. Overpaying for low skilled work is how you start a new economic crisis.

[@JeffersonMartinSynfluent]

Some companies are offering their bedroom slipper hybrid workers an offer they cannot refuse: volunteer to come back to the office full time or volunteer to work somewhere else. I like it.

[@John-Anderson]

Theres homeless people who need small amounts of money to be able to get a job.

[@Kevin_geekgineering]

waste of stolen money

[@AtillatheFun]

Stolen from whom?

[@anyonename8067]

Isn't it a church

[@marcc2473]

6” Inches makes a big difference 😂

[@richardwilliams3839]

I don't get it u pay all this money to stay in these hotels u get a room not even water are a bottle of juice u get in the refrigerator in the rooms no free breakfast now u pay for parking u pay u pay has a customer and u get nothing from the hotel this y u can't beat the carribean at least u get ur money s worth and more

[@Xenon-4300]

I worked at the front office of a JW Marriott Resort and it was the most toxic work envrionment ever, and I have had many jobs.

[@SRDUSA]

And as usual, employees with depressed faces.

[@juliansutherland6364]

Marriott is an excellent company building mediocre.

[@GG-vo5cb]

Had a bad dream at Marriot hotel in Sacramento (gang stalkers) a room as the gas chambers,,. It feel so real .,

[@davidkimoochiiford3314]

Are all of Marriott's execs. female ? All of that borrowed money is rapidly being lost.

[@hussienalsafi1149]

😎😎😎😎😎😎😎😎🤠🤠🤠🤠🤠🤠