Spanning 785,000 square feet and housing 3,500 employees, Marriott International’s new headquarters in downtown Bethesda, Maryland, has an unquestionable impact on the market, earning it a CoStar Impact Award.
The property at 7750 Wisconsin Ave. now represents the largest office building in the city of Bethesda, according to CoStar data, but its development was not a simple process. The hospitality giant announced six years ago its plans to move into a larger headquarters space, and the four-year construction period was studded with pandemic-related headwinds.
Marriott conducted a two-year search before selecting the site in 2017 just north of the Bethesda North station that connects back to Washington, D.C. The $600 million headquarters support more than 8,100 hotels internationally.
Designed by Gensler, the office features a 20-foot-tall moving work of digital art that is visible from the outside. It is owned by the Bernstein Cos. and Boston Properties. Hensel Phelps served as the project’s general contractor for its core structure. Rand Construction served as the project’s general contractor for the interior.
The development also led to two spin-off projects in Bethesda. Next to its office campus, Marriott developed a 245-room hotel that opened in March, about six months prior to the headquarters’ opening. The company also sold its former headquarters at 10400 Fernwood Road to Erickson Living, a developer that plans to convert the offices into a retirement community.
About the property: Along with 2,842 workspaces, a fitness center and a childcare facility, the property incorporates Marriott’s Design Lab. The lab is an 8,400-square-foot research and design hub with a test kitchen and 13 model hotel rooms that are customizable to reflect different brands.
What the judges said: “This spectacular mixed-use project reflects a transformational effort by all parties, while further augmenting Marriott’s commitment to maintain their corporate HQ in Maryland,” said Bill Stevens, a regional vice president at The RMR Group.
They made it happen: From Boston Properties, James Hart and Greg Rooney worked on this project. The lead architect was Jared Krieger, a principal and managing director at Gensler. Stacey Cohen, vice president of facilities at Marriott, oversees property management. Brandon Johnston from Hensel Phelps worked on general contracting.