Marriott returns World Trade Center flag to NYC

The third tower to collapse in New York on Sept. 11, 2001, was the World Trade Center Marriott Hotel. The 825-room hotel was at full capacity and was hosting the National Association for Business Economics annual conference when American Airlines Flight 11 crashed into the North Tower, and the landing gear fell into the roof of the hotel. The hotel was destroyed by the South Tower’s collapse, but the Marriott flag that once flew atop that 22-story hotel was recovered from the debris. The flag has hung in the lobby of Marriott International Corporate Headquarters in Bethesda, Md., for the past 10 years. On Aug. 25, the flag was moved to the New York Marriott Financial Center until it becomes part of a permanent display in the 9/11 Memorial Museum when it opens.