Earned & PaidMarriott
Marriott spent $999M on advertising and marketing in fiscal 2025, up 0.6% on the year before and +17% since 2019. That's 3.8% of revenue, less than in 2019: the business outgrew its marketing.
Marketing spend by year
Bars: advertising and marketing expense, $B (10-K). Line: spend as a share of revenue.
What they told investors
“that new campaign has generated incredible response from all of the different customers and media touch points.”Leeny Oberg · 2021 Q3 · transcript
Say vs do
We found no statement about the size of Marriott's marketing budget on its earnings calls or in its 10-Ks, so here is its record against its peers.
What they said
No statement about the size of its marketing budget.
What they did
| Year | Marketing spend | Change | Share of revenue |
|---|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | $999M | +0.6% | 3.8% |
| FY2024 | $993M | +25.1% | 4.0% |
| FY2023 | $794M | +25.0% | 3.4% |
| FY2022 | $635M | +35.1% | 3.1% |
| FY2021 | $470M | +70.3% | 3.4% |
| FY2020 | $276M | -67.6% | 2.6% |
Against its peers. Compared with the 5 other Travel advertisers we track (Booking Holdings, Expedia, Airbnb, Royal Caribbean, Carnival): since 2019 its marketing spend went +17% (peer median +26%); its share of revenue moved -0.2 pts (median -2.5); last year +0.6% (median +5.1%).
In interviews, its leaders made 134 statements about marketing: 8 argued for investing in brand and 0 for cutting.
How we check: a statement gets a verdict only when it's clearly about the size of the whole company's marketing budget over a full fiscal year; we compare it with the advertising and marketing expense in that year's 10-K. Statements about one quarter, one brand or channel, or the mix between brand and performance can't be checked against annual filings.
What they say about media
The marketing channels it talks about using for itself on earnings calls and in its 10-Ks and 10-Qs, since 2019; counts are statements, not spending.
- CRM, loyalty & first-party data “We strategically market to this large and growing guest base to generate revenue, and we are focused on attracting and enrolling new Loyalty Program members.” 10-K · Feb 10, 2026 · source
- Sponsorships & athletes · Experiential & events “And we're thrilled that Marriott Bonvoy is now the official hotel supporter of the 2026 FIFA World Cup with our extensive portfolio of hotels across the 16 host cities and curated fan activations poised to provide incredible memorable experiences throughout the 104-match…” Anthony G. Capuano on the earnings call · Feb 10, 2026 · source
- Creative campaigns “And I'm sure you've seen lately we've done a fabulous new campaign that has been on everywhere from airlines to sports, non-sports games, etc., that really emphasize how special it is to be able to travel and to have experiences that open your mind, if you will.” Leeny Oberg on the earnings call · Nov 3, 2021 · source
- Paid search “search engines such as Google ® , Bing ® , Yahoo ® , and Baidu ® to steer guests toward their websites (a practice that has been challenged by various trademark owners in federal court).” 10-Q · Aug 6, 2019 · source
In the news
- The Leela Palace Jaipur Appoints Guneeta Duggal as Director of Sales & Marketing hotelierbuzz.com · Sep 28, 2026 · marketing leader
- JW Marriott Ranthambore Resort and Spa Appoints Devender Rohilla as Director of Sales and Marketing hotelierbuzz.com · Sep 28, 2026 · marketing leader
- Four Points & Marriott Amritsar Appoints New MARCOM Manager safariindia.com · Sep 28, 2026 · marketing leader