For those who have had the pleasure of knowing Steve Weisz both personally and professionally, all will agree that “Weisz” and “Marriott” go together like love and marriage. After a 50-plus year career with Marriott, it is a well-earned comparison.
Marriott Beginnings
Steve Weisz decided to join Marriott after a personal encounter with Bill Marriott himself. Weisz had interviewed with the company during his last semester at the Hotel School. While he was interested in Marriott, he was not sure about the company’s interest in him. That’s because when Hotel Ezra Cornell (HEC), the students’ annual showcase, rolled around in April, Weisz had still not heard from the company, which had misplaced his application.
Weisz was managing director of HEC that year, and in that capacity he interacted with several Marriott executives, including Bus Ryan ’54, Bud Grice ’53, and Bill Marriott personally, who was serving on a panel at the event. At one point during the weekend, Grice and Ryan pulled Weisz aside and asked if he was joining the company. When Weisz replied that he did not have a job offer, they were dumbfounded. They assured Weisz that he did, in fact, have an offer.
At the end of the weekend, Weisz drove Marriott to the airport. As Marriott got out of the car, he said to Weisz, “What Bus and Bud told you last night, that comes straight from me.”
At that point I knew I was going to work for Marriott,” says Weisz, who thereafter rose to become president of Marriott Vacation Club.
From Hospitality Goes Global, by Bill Summers
A Celebrated Career with Marriott
After the spin-off from Marriott International in 2011, and prior to assuming the role of CEO of Marriott Vacations Worldwide, Steve Weisz served as executive vice president of Lodging Brands. In that role he was responsible for the growth and positioning strategies for all Marriott Lodging brands, which included Marriott Hotels, Resorts and Suites; Renaissance; Courtyard; Fairfield Inn; Springhill Suites; Residence Inn; Townplace Suites and Marriott Conference Centers.
Of Steve’s 50-plus year career, 39 years were with Marriott International. At Marriott, he held several key executive management positions: senior vice president, Sales and Marketing for Marriott Hotels, Resorts and Suites; regional vice president for the Mid-Atlantic Region; vice president of Revenue Management; senior vice president of Rooms Operations and Related Services, and general manager, Bethesda Marriott in Maryland.
Tribute from Steve Lipinski ’72 and Bill Minnock ’79
In the fall of 1968, the SHA Class of 1972 met one another for the first time. I remember specifically one gregarious, out-going, robust classmate. “Hi! I’m Steve Weisz. I’m going to work for Marriott.” Admittedly, those might not be his exact words, but we all knew soon, and I mean soon, that Steve had a plan and a means of execution. It turns out the neighbors on each side of his childhood home were Marriott executives. The names Schoff and Grice stick in my mind, and their inspiration and mentorship to our good friend resulted in a stellar and unparalleled career of 52 years leading Marriott at every level.
It wasn’t Steve’s only plan. Exposed for the first time that fall and spring to Hotel Ezra Cornell, the premier annual event of the Hotel School created by students and presented for industry leaders, I’m sure we were referred to as “house members,” the lowest rung on the HEC ladder. After supporting what was certainly “The Best Ever,” Steve set his sights on the job of Managing Director for our senior year. I was proud to serve HEC 47 under his leadership.
Steve was focused on life and business success. Firm with his path to hospitality with Marriott and steeped in the business of hotel operations and marketing and REVPAR and you-name-it, Steve thought he needed to dip a toe into a commercial kitchen to fully understand the “romance” intrinsic to true hospitality. Hot, sweaty kitchen romance! That summer, preceding our senior year, Steve and I roomed for the summer at Cedar Point Amusement Park, where Steve worked at 6 a.m. every morning in our commissary preparing food, some days for in excess of 10,000 guests. This was only the first iteration of recognizing where he desired to strengthen his skills. When you gaze the width and breadth of his career, you’ll see, in the midst of a successful corporate career path, he insisted on becoming a GM for a Maryland Marriott to better understand the day-to-day challenges of a property GM.
Steve Weisz (middle) at the NYSE the day VAC was first listed on the exchange.
As CEO of Marriott Vacations Worldwide (NYSE VAC), Steve led the strategic initiative to acquire Interval Leisure Group, Inc. (ILG). The combined company with 20,000 associates grew to more than 120 resorts and over 720,000 owners and members in a diverse portfolio that included seven vacation ownership brands. It also included exchange networks and membership programs comprised of nearly 3,200 resorts in over 80 nations and nearly 1.6 million members.
Tribute from Jan deRoos ’78
Steve is responsible for changing “timeshare” into “vacation ownership.” He built the industry into a respected and respectable part of hospitality in North America, building on the work of Bob Miller after Marriott’s purchase of American Resorts Company in 1984. His impact on the timeshare sector is that of someone who changed public perception of the industry as well as someone who changed industry practice for the better. He brought management science as well as a human touch to his work. As someone who follows the timeshare industry and having taught (and co-taught) university level courses in timeshare, I have come to appreciate how fundamentally Marriott changed the industry. First, Marriott’s resorts were simply better, with superior units for guests, more amenities, and a staff devoted to helping owners have their “best vacations ever.” In addition, Steve is unwavering in his support for the School of Hotel Administration and Cornell. I commend him for his service and for being someone who changed things for the better.
A Leader in Industry and Community
Steve is a past member of the Advisory Board of Directors of the University of Central Florida’s Rosen School of Hospitality Management; a past board member of the Maryland Hotel/Motel Association; a member of the Board of Directors and past chair of the Board of Trustees of the American Resort Development Association; past chairman of the Board of Directors of InMoment; a past member of the Board of Directors of the Orlando/Orange County Convention and Visitors Bureau; past chairman of the Board of Governors of Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals and past chairman of the Board of Trustees; and a member of the Board of Directors of Ronald McDonald House Charities of Central Florida.
Cornell is a Family Affair
Steve has generously supported the Hotel School in multiple ways. His two children, Scott ’01 and Kristen ‘04, are both graduates of the School. In the Weisz family tradition, both Scott and Kristen followed in their father’s footsteps as Managing Director of HEC. Steve was a guest lecturer and taught structured courses at the School throughout his career. The prestigious “Wall of Honor” in the lobby of the Statler Hotel displays the $1,000,000 Steuben plate recognizing the generosity of the entire Weisz family.
Scott and Kristen – early dreams of Cornell.
The School’s Hotel Leadership Development Program (HLDP) provides students with invaluable hands-on leadership experience. Rigorous and rewarding, the program offers intensive exposure to the full range of hotel operations and on-the-job mentorship from industry leaders.
In January 2011, HLDP students spent five busy days in Washington, D.C., where they met with executives from Marriott International, Hilton Worldwide, the Clyde Group, ThinkFood Group, Interstate Hotels, LaSalle Hotel Partners, the American Hotel and Lodging Association, Restaurant Associates, and the Bernstein Companies. Steve Weisz and his family sponsored this annual trip in support of students with career aspirations in hospitality operations.
Excerpt from the SHA Annual Report 2010-2011
Steve Weisz is a proud 1972 graduate of the School of Hotel Administration and a dedicated Cornellian. He is listed among the 90 influential Hotelies profiled in the 90th anniversary issue of Hotelie magazine. In 2001, Steve received an honorary doctoral degree in Business Administration in Hospitality Management from Johnson and Wales University.
Linda and Steve Weisz at a Marriott Vacations Worldwide board dinner in Phoenix, AZ. September 2022
Steve and Linda Weisz, surrounded by their loving family: daughter Kristen and husband Dirk with their son, Grayson; son Scott and wife Stephanie with their three children, Graham, Claire, and Brooks.
