RISK FACTORS
You should consider carefully the following risks and all of the information set forth or incorporated by reference in this prospectus supplement and the accompanying prospectus, including the risks and uncertainties described under the heading “Risk Factors” included in our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 31, 2021 and our Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q for the fiscal quarters ended March 31, 2022 and June 30, 2022, before investing in the notes offered by this prospectus supplement.
Risks Relating to the Notes
We depend on cash flow of our subsidiaries to make payments on our securities.
Marriott International, Inc. is in part a holding company. Our subsidiaries conduct a significant percentage of our consolidated operations and own a significant percentage of our consolidated assets. Consequently, our cash flow and our ability to meet our debt service obligations depend in large part upon the cash flow of our subsidiaries and the payment of funds by the subsidiaries to us in the form of loans, dividends or otherwise. Our subsidiaries are not obligated to make funds available to us for payment of our debt securities or preferred stock dividends or otherwise. In addition, their ability to make any payments will depend on their earnings, the terms of their indebtedness, business and tax considerations and legal restrictions. The notes effectively rank junior to all liabilities of our subsidiaries. In the event of a bankruptcy, liquidation or dissolution of a subsidiary and following payment of its liabilities, the subsidiary may not have sufficient assets remaining to make payments to us as a shareholder or otherwise. The Indenture does not limit the amount of unsecured debt which our subsidiaries may incur. In addition, we and our subsidiaries may incur secured debt and enter into sale and leaseback transactions, subject to certain limitations. See “Description of the Notes—Certain Covenants.”
A liquid trading market for the notes may not develop.
There may be no trading market for the notes. We have been advised by the underwriters for this offering that they presently intend to make a market in the notes after the consummation of the offering contemplated by this prospectus supplement, although they are under no obligation to do so and may discontinue any market-making activities at any time without any notice. The liquidity of any market for the notes will depend upon the number of holders of those notes, our performance, the market for similar securities, the interest of securities dealers in making a market in those notes and other factors. A liquid trading market may not develop for the notes. As a result, the market price of the notes could be adversely affected.
Ratings of the notes may not reflect all risks of an investment in the notes and negative changes in our credit ratings may adversely affect your investment in the notes.
We expect the major debt rating agencies to rate and routinely evaluate our debt. The ratings of the notes will primarily reflect our financial strength and will change in accordance with the rating of our financial strength. As a result of general economic uncertainty and the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak, (i) on March 23, 2020, Moody’s lowered our senior unsecured rating from Baa2 to Baa3, (ii) on April 2, 2020, S&P lowered our rating from BBB to BBB- and placed us on a negative ratings watch, (iii) on April 14, 2020, Moody’s confirmed our Baa3 senior unsecured rating, with negative outlook, (iv) on October 1, 2020, S&P affirmed our BBB- senior unsecured rating, with negative outlook, and removed our ratings from the negative ratings watch, (v) on January 24, 2022, Moody’s changed our outlook from negative to stable, (vi) on May 12, 2022, S&P raised our senior unsecured rating from BBB- to BBB, with stable outlook and (vii) on August 30, 2022, Moody’s changed our outlook from stable to positive. We cannot predict whether these rating agencies may take further actions with respect to our credit ratings as a result of future events, our future performance or otherwise.
Any rating is not a recommendation to purchase, sell or hold any particular security, including the notes. These ratings do not comment as to market prices or suitability for a particular investor. In addition, ratings at
S-4