Marriott's Youngest Son Makes His Mark

John Williams, the president of DiamondRock Hospitality, a Bethesda hotel owner, was in the audience when David presented details of SalesForce One. "David has a lot of his dad in him and has always been a very effective communicator," Williams said. "They've been very good about meeting owners' concerns about this so far. But the truth is in the rollout."

Among the Marriott children, David is the most naturally relaxed when put on the spot. He is a free spirit who hasn't let his last name impinge on attempts to have fun. He attended Grateful Dead concerts as a teenager. (His father's musical taste runs more toward Glenn Miller.) More dangerously, when he was 19, he stole Dad's car in the middle of the night. In this case, it was a red Ferrari Testarossa. David wrecked it on Clara Barton Parkway. He said his first thought was: "Why didn't that accident kill me? Now I need to tell my dad what happened."

David wasn't seriously injured, but his parents rushed to the hospital. David said his father walked in and said, "I'm glad you're alive" and then walked out. A few days later, David replaced the car with family money that had been set aside for him. They joke about the accident now, and his dad said recently, "I was more concerned about his health than anything else."

The Marriotts are devout Mormons. The Ferrari episode occurred shortly before David left for his mission, which is two years of proselytizing in a far-off land. (His father didn't serve on a mission; he was in the Navy during the typical missionary age.) Though the mission would have been a decent way for David to avoid his father for a while after the crash, David almost didn't go. He wrestled with the idea for months, unable to come to grips with his religion. "I had really close friends, and none of them were going on a mission at that age," David said. "It was hard. I had been taught the Mormon faith all of my life. But personally in my heart I don't think I was converted to it at that point."

David said he prayed and consulted heavily with his brother John before giving it a chance. He was assigned to England, and he went door to door for two years, telling people about the faith. People are not always welcoming in such situations. "It was a phenomenal experience for me," he said. "It was the first time in my life, as a young 19-year-old, that I really looked outside myself. It taught me how to work and to think about others' interests and needs above mine. It taught me how to be grateful."

David's experience was on his father's mind a few years ago, when the company's global head of sales left for a tourism industry job. David had gone from working in Marriott kitchens to sales positions at hotels in Boston and then the Washington area. His father thought David, then 31, was ready for his big break. "When you're on a mission selling door to door, there's no harder sale than that," Bill Marriott said. "He was fearless. He kept on going. He learned the great importance of determination and strong leadership."

Bill Marriott said he knew what the reaction would be: "He's young, he's getting the job because he's a Marriott. But I knew he was well respected and he learned as much as he could about this job."

McPherson, David's boss, said, "He has worked like a dog, honestly."

So far, the whispers around Marriott headquarters are that David is probably too young to be considered his father's certain successor. The smart money is still on Arne Sorenson, the chief financial officer. But what if Bill Marriott, who has no plans to retire, works another six or seven years? David would be in his 40s by then. For his part, Bill Marriott isn't exactly interested in having the conversation. Asked whether he could see David in his office, he said, "You know I'm not gonna answer that question."

David said he's not worrying about it. "I'll be completely honest with you: When I get to the end of this life and I look back on my life, the first thing I'm gonna ask myself is, was I a good husband and was I a good father?" he said. "And if I can't say that at the end of this life, I will feel like I have failed. And if I get to the end of this life and I look back on it and I was or wasn't CEO of this company, that in my mind is not gonna be a determination for me on whether or not I succeeded or failed in life."