Marriott ends 2018 ahead despite data breach, strikes

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.