Last Updated:
2/28/21 5:26 PM
overall rating:
keep going
Marriott
Internal Representation & Support
59%
Public Commitment
44%
External Communication
76%
To evaluate this pillar, we take into consideration a range of factors, including but not limited to:
- Employee representation
- Diversity, equity, & inclusion (DEI)
We weigh a company’s degree of public commitment primarily on their monetary contributions to DEI matters or organizations fighting racial injustice.
Forms of monetary support we look for:
One-off donations
Recurring donations
Grant initiatives
Employee donation matching
Highlights
Upon President and CEO Arne Sorenson's death in February 2021, the Marriott Foundation announced a $20M endowment in his honor to launch a center for hospitality leadership at Howard University.
Lowlights
Marriott stated that they contributed financially to their partners in support of racial equity, but they did not share the dollar amount. In addition, Marriott does not share its workforce diversity statistics.
We scour the company’s website and official social media channels to determine what message they are sending around racial injustice, how they are communicating it, and whether their communications are perceived as genuine or performative.
Public statement: We verify that companies have made a formal statement regarding racial injustice.
Social media: We consider how a company uses their platform(s) beyond performative allyship.
Representation: For companies that have the opportunity to showcase diversity in their feed, we consider whether they have adequate Black representation and BIPOC representation across their models.
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Deep Dive
I. Internal Representation & Support:
Board of Directors:
> 15% Black, 26% - 30% BIPOC, 36% - 40% Women
Executive Leadership:
10% - 11% Black, 36% - 40% BIPOC, 36% - 40% Women
Information not publicly available
Workforce:
An appointed DEI senior leader and/or a dedicated DEI organization
DEI Support:
II. Public Commitment
Marriott has pledged a donation of Unspecified contribution amount towards racial injustice, specifically for Black lives. Additionally, Marriott has engaged in actions that advance racial justice and/or uplift BIPOC communities, such as partnerships with nonprofits or mission-based organizations, and co-branded partnerships with other companies. Marriott is also an advocate for the LGBTQ+ community, immigrants, and people living with disabilities.
III. External Communications
Marriott has issued a public statement, both on social media and in a public memo, addressing racial injustice The public statement acknowledged that they can be doing better to combat racial inequality within their company, included specific calls to action, and explicitly stated "Black Lives Matter." Since June 2020, 10% - 20% of the brand's social media content has been centered around racial injustice with posts seeking to continue the momentum of BLM. While the brand does not feature models regularly in their social media posts, they have shown support of the LGBTQ+ community beyond Pride on social media but there is little to no evidence of inclusivity towards other marginalized communities.
