John Willard Marriott was born to Hyrum Willard Marriott and Ellen Morris at Marriott Settlement, Utah, September 17, 1900. He was the second of eight children and spent his early years helping with the family sheep ranching business. In 1918 he left for Connecticut and Vermont to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

When he returned from his mission he attended Weber College from 1920 to 1922, and later enrolled at the University of Utah. In order to pay for his education, he worked during the summers selling woolen goods to lumberjacks in the Pacific Northwest. He graduated from the University of Utah in 1926, and spent the following year teaching English and working as treasurer of Weber College.

Mr. Marriott purchased the rights to sell Allen and Wright (A & W) root beer in Washington, D.C., and on May 20, 1927, he opened a root beer stand with Hugh Colton. A few weeks later he traveled back to Salt Lake City to marry Alice Sheets, June 9, 1927, in the Salt Lake Temple.

After the wedding, they returned immediately to Washington, D.C., and a few weeks later they opened their second shop. By winter they realized that they would need something other than cold drinks in order to keep the business running. However, it was prohibited to sell food in A & W franchises. The Marriotts received permission from Allen and Wright to add hot food to the menu. They decided to specialize in Mexican and Southwestern food, and the chef at the Mexican embassy graciously supplied them with a few recipes. Because the Marriotts were worried about the risk of losing their patronage if they closed the shop to make the changes needed for food service, they made preparations ahead of time so that it took only one night to convert the store. They finished just in time to open the next morning as The Hot Shoppe.

In 1928 Hugh Colton decided to sell his half of the business and return to Utah. The Marriotts purchased the other half of the business for $5,000.00 and they became sole owners of The Hot Shoppe.

The 1930s were a time of tremendous growth for the company and the Marriott family. The Marriotts' first child, J. Willard Marriott, Jr., was born in 1932. By 1934 the corporation had added drive-in restaurants with "running boys" that provided customers with in-car service. In addition, the Marriotts had pioneered the world's first in-flight airline catering service. In 1939 the Marriotts' second son, Richard Edwin Marriott, was born.

Much of the company's expansion efforts came to fruition in the 1940s and 1950s. The corporation built several new restaurants and opened numerous industrial, defense plant, and school cafeterias. A corporate recipe card system was developed and a test kitchen was built to standardize food preparation and portions. In 1957 the corporation expanded into the hotel industry with the first Marriott Motor Hotel in Arlington, Virginia.

The company continued to grow under Mr. Marriott's control until 1964, when he turned over the company presidency to his son, J. Willard Marriott, Jr. Mr. Marriott continued to be heavily involved with the corporation as chairman of the board.

However, corporate affairs did not wholly absorb Mr. Marriott's interest during these years. He was actively involved in religious, academic, political, and community organizations throughout his life.

He played an important part in the administration of the affairs of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon) in Washington, D.C. In 1948 he was called to be president of the Washington Stake, a position he held until 1957, when he was appointed chairman of the General Chaplains Committee of the Mormon Church. He was actively involved with the Nauvoo Restoration Project and had a keen interest in the archaeology of the Book of Mormon. He also was instrumental in raising money for many building funds and served as an important liaison to church headquarters in Salt Lake City for the construction and dedication of the Washington, D.C. Temple.

The Marriotts retained close ties with academic institutions in Utah. In 1969 they made a substantial gift to the newly opened University of Utah Library which was subsequently named the Marriott Library. They later made another generous gift, this time to Brigham Young University, for the Marriott Activities Center which was dedicated in 1973. Mr. Marriott received honorary doctorate degrees from both institutions, as well as from Weber State College.

As a loyal Republican, Mr. Marriott formed close friendships in the national political arena. His list of friends included Dwight D. Eisenhower (a frequent customer of the Hot Shoppes), Richard Nixon, and Ronald Reagan. He was appointed by Nixon to chair both the 1969 and 1973 inaugural committees and served as chairman of the executive committee for Honor America Day for many years, along with committee members Billy Graham and Bob Hope. The Marriotts were life-long contributors to the Republican National Committee and supporters of George Romney and Richard Nixon's bids for the presidential nomination. Mr. Marriott also served on the board of governors for the United Service Organizations.

Mr. Marriott was always held in great esteem by his colleagues. He served as president of both the Washington Restaurant Association and the National Restaurant Association, and received numerous awards in the food and lodging industries. Throughout his life, he was affiliated with many business and civic organizations including the Burning Tree Club, the Indian Creek Country Club, Bald Peak Colony Club, Columbia Country Club, Capitol Hill Club, Federal City Council, the Washington Admirals, the National Association of Manufacturers, Riggs National Bank, the American Historical and Cultural Society, American Motors Corporation, Chesapeake and Potomac Telephone Company, and the Acacia Mutual Life Insurance Company.

Mr. Marriott died of a heart attack on August 13, 1985, at his summer home in New Hampshire.