October 30, 2025 at 10:55 am

You’ve Been Saying “Marriott” Wrong And The Chairman Of The Board Of Marriott International Explains The Proper Pronunciation

by Michael Levanduski

Marriott hotel name

Shutterstock, TikTok

Everyone has heard of the iconic hotel chain Marriott. It is a global brand that offers some of the best places to stay in the world.

Apparently, however, most people say the name of the hotel incorrectly, and the Chairman of the Board of Marriott International, David Marriott, is here to explain the correct pronunciation.

Mr. Marriott is being interviewed, and after being asked how to say it, he replies, “I will respond to either “Marry-IT” or “Marri-OTT” but I’m going to give you a little tutorial on the correct way to say it, and I love this story. My wife used to be a school teacher; she taught English when we were living out in Utah together.”

Ok, this should be interesting.

Marriott CEO on pronunciation of Marriott

TikTok/jakewsmith

He continued with the story, “And, she taught at East High, actually, which is famous because it’s where High School Musical was filmed, so my kids love that their mom taught at High School Musical.”

That is a fun little anecdote.

Marriott CEO on pronunciation of Marriott

TikTok/jakewsmith

Then he gets into the real point of the story, “But when she was a teacher out there, she had a student named Eliott, and he kept calling her Mrs. ‘Marri-OTT’ and she finally sat Eliott down one day and she said, ‘Eliott, how do you pronounce your name?’ And he said it’s Eliott.’ And she said, ‘That’s right, it’s Eliott, it’s not EliOTT.’ It’s the same way with Marriott, it is not EliOTT, MarriOTT, it is Eliott, Marriott.”

Oh, interesting. I’ve always been prouncing it wrong.

Marriott CEO on pronunciation of Marriott

TikTok/jakewsmith

He finishes his answer by saying, “So, the correct way to say it is actually ‘Marry-IT.'”

Wow, I bet most people say it wrong.

I’ll have to keep that in mind next time I go on vacation.

Check out the full video below to see and hear it for yourself.

@jakewsmith

David Marriott, Chairman of the Board of Marriott International, on the correct way to pronounce Marriott! #marriott #marriottbonvoy #memberday #bonvoy

♬ original sound – Jake | Travel & Points ✈️

Not surprisingly, this video got a lot of comments. Here are a few of the top ones.

This commenter makes a good point.

Comment 1 125 Youve Been Saying Marriott Wrong And The Chairman Of The Board Of Marriott International Explains The Proper Pronunciation

I mean, she isn’t wrong.

Comment 2 125 Youve Been Saying Marriott Wrong And The Chairman Of The Board Of Marriott International Explains The Proper Pronunciation

Neither have I, up until now.

Comment 3 124 Youve Been Saying Marriott Wrong And The Chairman Of The Board Of Marriott International Explains The Proper Pronunciation

Apparently, I’ve been wrong my whole life.

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