Blood, sweat, and tears: The exec who launched Marriott in India tells Business Insider what it takes to open a hotel

• John Toomey is Marriott's chief commercial officer for Asia Pacific, excluding China. • He joined Marriott in 1996 and has been with the hospitality giant for nearly three decades. • "The most difficult job for a hotelier is opening a hotel from zero," Toomey told Business Insider.

Blood, sweat, tears, and great team members.

That's what it takes to launch a brand new hotel, Marriott International's chief commercial officer, John Toomey, told Business Insider.

"The most difficult job for a hotelier is opening a hotel from zero, where you don't have one guest in your hotel," Toomey said.

Toomey joined Marriott International in 1996 and has been with the hospitality giant for nearly three decades. In his current role, he oversees over 650 hotels run by Marriott in the Asia Pacific,