Pros
The company believes in promoting from within when possible. This allows you to start as an hourly associate and promote into management and from there into senior management. The Marriott believes in consant training of it's work force to ensure their associates are kept up to date with the latest in hospitality. There is still a sense of family in most hotels and associates and managers tend to genuinely care about each other. There has definitely been some improvement over the past 5 years in the concept of balancing work and family life. Some are allowed to telecommute or work remotely, however this could be embraced by more of their hotels.
Cons
The company does not pay as competitively and tends to pay on the lower end of the scale. This can make it difficult for those that are single parents, or working in high cost of living areas. The company also seems to be losing focus on the core values that built the company into what it is today. Mr. Marriott Sr. believed that you take the best care of your associates and they in turn will take the best care of your guests. The guests will return because of the hospitality and service they received which will provide the revenues needed for the stockholders and investors. The company is now at the point where the bottom line is really all that matters, at the expense of their associates and customers. It's a shame that this company seems to be losing sight of why we are in the hospitality business.