Financing Marriott ends 2018 ahead despite data breach, strikes

Abstract

Marriott International is happy to leave 2018 in the past. During the company’s earnings call for the fourth quarter and full-year 2018, the company displayed positive metrics as it completed the integration of Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide into its systems and launched a new loyalty brand, Marriott Bonvoy, that consolidates Marriott and Starwood’s loyalty programs. But the conversation frequently returned to the company’s data-breach woes—which have already cost it $28 million in expenses during Q4 2018 alone—and a series of labor strikes that dogged eight of the company’s properties.