Ed Fuller to receive ALIS Lifetime Achievement Award

Longtime Marriott International executive Ed Fuller will be the recipient of this year’s ALIS Lifetime Achievement Award during the 24th annual Americas Lodging Investment Summit (ALIS) in Los Angeles.

The award is presented to an individual who has made significant contributions to the hospitality industry through their actions, deeds and great accomplishments.

“The award is something that I had always thought about when I saw it being presented while attending past meetings,” Fuller told Hotel Business. “I think of the significant people who received it, like Bill Marriott, and I’m very proud to join that group of people.”

Jeff Higley, president, The BHN Group by Northstar, which organizes ALIS and sister event ALIS Design+, said of Fuller, “Ed’s influence on the global hotel landscape and his lead-by-example approach have had a major impact on many people in the hotel community overall and the way it conducts business. In many ways, the global hotel industry wouldn’t be where it is today without Ed’s diligence, passion and ability to capture the human spirit that drives it.”

Fuller spent 40 years with Marriott and held positions in marketing, sales and operations, including chief commercial officer. He became president/managing director, international lodging in 2021, overseeing global operations, international expansion, crisis management and strategic development. He retired from the company in March 2012 after spending more than 21 years in that role.

Among his career highlights were “working with fabulous people who I could trust while working long distance or close together,” he said. “Marriott had a team quality that you didn’t find in any other business that I was aware of.”

He added, “Becoming head of marketing was also a highlight. Serving as chief marketing and sales officer and then going into operations was continuing that process. However, the job I always wanted was international because of the opportunity that I saw. I had 40 years with what I thought were just spectacular opportunities.”

Today, he is president of Laguna Strategic Advisors, “a conglomeration of retired executives—friends, former employees and educators—who work together when we see an opportunity or when people are looking for consultants,” he noted. The company’s areas of expertise include hospitality development, acquisition, finance and management to strategic planning, branding, sales and marketing.

Fuller is also an accomplished author. His first book, “You Can’t Lead with Your Feet on the Desk,” was published in 2011 and has been translated into Chinese and Japanese editions.

“It talks about the need for personal relationships in management and sales and marketing, and getting to know your customer and the people you work with so you can be supportive of their needs,” he said. “That’s why you’re not with your feet on the desk to ensure your people know they have your support and are available when they need help.”

He is also co-author of “The Red Hotel” thriller series of three books—with another coming out in February—whose hero, a former Army intelligence officer, is an international hotel executive. Fuller, himself, served in Germany and Vietnam as a captain in the U.S. Army and was awarded the Bronze Star and Army Commendation Medal, among other service medals.

He said that many of the incidents in the books were based on “my time in the U.S. Army when I was in Vietnam, all the way through Marriott, but primarily the challenges we had with crisis management in the international arena.”


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