BETHESDA, Md. — Marriott International officially kicked off a massive project in downtown Bethesda, Maryland, Thursday during a groundbreaking ceremony for the company’s new headquarters.
The hotel company is building its headquarters along Wisconsin Avenue near the Bethesda Metro station. It should be open by the middle of 2022.
“It’s a very exciting achievement for Bethesda, Montgomery County and the entire state,” said Gov. Larry Hogan. “Marriott has shown such loyalty and commitment to Maryland.”
Marriott employs more than 10,000 people in Maryland and adds $430 million in revenue to the state’s economy every year, Hogan said.
The new headquarters, which will include a hotel with 244 rooms, will bring about 4,000 employees to downtown Bethesda.
“What we want to do is stay in Maryland,” said Marriott CEO Arne Sorenson. “This is home.”
Marriott has been headquartered in Montgomery County for more than 60 years. Its current location is on Fernwood Road in Bethesda, near Interstate 270 and the Capital Beltway.
Marriott announced it would be staying in Bethesda in 2016, after Maryland and Montgomery County offered the company a $60 million incentive package.
“We could not be more proud that the largest hotel company in the world is headquartered right here,” Hogan said.
Building the new headquarters is expected to be a $600 million project.
“It is one thing to have a large number of jobs. It’s another to have a family — a corporation — committed to the community,” said Montgomery County Executive Isiah “Ike” Leggett. “That is what Marriott stands for.”
