Marriott International

Maryland
Consumer Services

Risk Level:

Rating - Danger
High Risk

Summary:

Marriott International fired a social media manager who liked a tweet mentioning Taiwan and China as separate entities. It does not protect employees from viewpoint discrimination but does pledge to vet vendors for LGBTQ policies. It has funded Planned Parenthood and donated to the Equality PAC. Marriott also frequently involves itself in politics, supporting the Equality Act while opposing RFRAs and Florida's Parental Rights in Education bill. For these reasons, Marriott International receives a "High Risk" rating.

Criteria
Risk Level
Rationale
Corporate Weaponization
Criteria

Has denied service to customers, suppliers, or vendors due to their political views or religious beliefs OR corporately boycotts, divests, or sanctions regions, people groups, or industries.

Risk Level
Rationale

Marriott fired a social media manager for using the company’s Twitter to like a tweet thanking Marriott for recognizing Tibet and Taiwan as separate entities from China. Marriott allegedly fired the employee in order to smooth over business relationships in China (1)(2). Marriott received a score of 100 on the Corporate Equality Index from the Human Rights Campaign. Among other requirements, this means the company has pledged to vet vendors based on LGBTQ policies (3).

Criteria

Charitable giving (including employee matching programs) policies or practices discriminate against charitable organizations based on views or religious beliefs.

Risk Level
Rationale

Marriott will not donate to faith-based charities or organizations “for the purpose of benefiting their own membership” (1). It is unclear whether Marriott would fund faith-based charities ameliorating the causes the company cares about.

Criteria

Employment policies fail to protect against discrimination based on political affiliation/views and/or religion.

Risk Level
Rationale

Marriott does not protect employees from viewpoint discrimination (1).

Corporate Governance and Public Policy
Criteria

Uses corporate reputation to support ideological causes and/or organizations hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level
Rationale

Marriott signed an open letter in support of the Equality Act (1). Marriott was one of the companies opposing both the 2014 Arizona Religious Freedom Restoration Act (religious freedom bill) and a similar bill in Georgia in 2015 (2)(3). Marriott signed an open letter opposing a bill in Florida that would prevent the teaching of sexual orientation and gender identity to kids in K-3rd grade (4).

Criteria

Uses corporate funds to advance ideological causes, organizations, or policies hostile to freedom of expression.

Risk Level
Rationale

Marriott corporately donated to Planned Parenthood (1). It partners with the National LGBT Chamber of Commerce and the National Urban League, among other ideological organizations (2).

Criteria

Uses corporate political contributions for ideological, non-business purposes.

Risk Level
Rationale

Marriott has donated to the Equality PAC, an ideological PAC boosting progressives (1). The company also suspended donations to Republican election objectors (2).

All links were last accessed and all information was updated on:
March 23, 2023

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