Marriott International, Inc. is an American multinational company that operates, franchises, and licenses lodging brands that include hotel, residential, and timeshare properties. The company owns over 37 hotel and timeshare brands, with 9,000 locations and 1,597,380 rooms across its network. Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, the company is the successor to the hospitality division of the Marriott Corporation, which was founded by J. Willard Marriott (1900–1985) and his wife Alice Marriott (1907–2000).