The Marriott company rose from a small root beer stand in Washington, D.C., in 1927 to a chain of family restaurants by 1932, to its first motel in 1957.

By the time he died in 1985, the Marriott company operated 1,400 restaurants and 143 hotels and resorts worldwide, including two theme parks, earned US$4.5 billion in revenue annually with 154,600 employees.

As a child, "Bill", as J. Willard was called, helped to raise sugar beets and sheep on his family's farm.

He heard about a cousin's A&W Root Beer franchise and, remembering his experience seeing so many people suffer through the brutal summer heat of Washington, D.C., he decided to look into a venture there.

With the approach of cooler Autumn months, and with the addition of Mexican food items to the menu, the stand became The Hot Shoppe, a popular family restaurant.

During the Second World War, the business expanded to include the management of food services in defense plants and government buildings, such as the U.S. Treasury.

While serving as home to the BYU Cougars men's and women's college basketball teams, the center also hosts various cultural events and religious devotionals.

Alice was actively involved in the business, starting as the bookkeeper at the root-beer stand and eventually becoming vice president of Marriott Corporation.

Alice was also active in numerous charitable and civic organizations, including serving as a trustee for the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.

The family friendship is trans-generational as evidenced by Bill Marriott donating $1 million personally to Restore Our Future, a Romney PAC.