Tony Capuano: CEO Of The World’s Largest Hospitality Company | E77

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Welcome to another episode of In Search of Excellence. It’s a true pleasure to have Tony Capuano as our guest today! Tony is the President and CEO of Marriott International, the world's largest hospitality company with nearly 8,600 properties in 139 countries and over 31 brands, including JW Marriott, St. Regis Hotels & Resorts, BVLGARI Hotels & Resorts, The Ritz-Carlton, Westin Hotels and Resorts, and Sheraton Hotels & Resorts, among many others.

Marriott also has the travel industry's largest customer loyalty program, Marriott Bonvoy, which has more than 186 million members. Tony serves on the board of directors of McDonald's Corporation and Save Venice, a nonprofit organization dedicated to preserving the artistic heritage of Venice, Italy, which since its founding in 1971, has funded the conservation of nearly 2,000 individual artworks.


01:56 Tony’s family, childhood and early years

The importance of work ethic
The impact of Tony’s father and grandfather
His parents divorced, lived with his father
Very self-sufficient from an early age
Played lacrosse at school
First job as a pot washer at Toby’s Dinner Theatre
Fell in love with the hospitality business
There are no bad jobs, everything can be a learning opportunity


09:39 Interns and the operating side of the business

Tony’s experience with his interns
A member of the Dean's Advisory Board at the Hospitality School at Cornell
Students who have a passion for the operating side of the business
Tony has a lot of optimism for the future of the industry


12:58 Job interviews after graduation

Cornell School of Hotel Administration
After 8 job interviews, got 7 offers and 1 rejection from Marriott
The importance of humility
Tony had deep admiration for the Marriott Company
Joined them in 1995


16:24 Working in a consulting firm

“A and B work” message from his boss that changed his perspective
Your work impacts your team, customers, and investors
Catchphrases from Bill Marriott and his father
Success is never final


22:02 Joining Marriott during their hardships

Worked at Kenneth Leventhal as a consultant
Got to do significant international work
But he had a burning desire to be inside the projects
Was always impressed with Marriott’s intellect, integrity, and innovation


24:36 The importance of being in the right place at the right time

Working until 10 pm
Raised with a strong work ethic
Carol Wagner and a trip to New York
Working until the job was done



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