Travel ban has minor effect on Marriott’s group business

Bethesda, Maryland – 16 February 2017 – 
Marriott International lost a small amount of group business due to travel restrictions under President Donald Trump’s executive order last month, chief financial officer Leeny Oberg said.

“We are aware of a handful of groups who have said, ‘You know what? I’m going to go elsewhere,’” Oberg said in a telephone interview after Marriott announced its fourth-quarter earnings. “Whether there’s a marked impact, I think it’s too soon to tell,” Bloomberg reported.

Group business tends to have a longer lead time, “so it’s going to take a little while to discern the impact,” she said.

Asked whether Marriott plans to join any of the lawsuits seeking to end the travel ban, Oberg said no.