Welcome Home to the New Marriott Executive Apartments Manama, Bahrain

Residential living with the services of a 5-star Marriott Hotel, opening November 28

Marriott International, Inc (NYSE:MAR) announced today that the Marriott Executive Apartments Manama, Bahrain (www.meabahrain.com) will welcome its first guests on 28th November 2008. The apartments will be the first Marriott branded property to operate in Bahrain and is designed for extended-stay business travelers and long family holidays.

Strategically located in Al Fateh/Juffair, near to the diplomatic area, the city’s financial district, Bahrain International Airport and Bahrain International Investment Park, the luxury serviced apartment hotel offers 188 elegantly appointed one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments overlooking the Kingdom skyline and Arabian Gulf.

General Manager Hossein Garan said the Marriott Executive Apartments Manama, Bahrain offers a high-end quality residence, a comfortable environment for both executives and families. “It is a truly home away from home, an ideal combination of home style living with the luxury services of a 5 star Marriott Hotel,” he said. “Bahrain is booming, with multi-billion dollar investments and mega projects in all sectors, particularly oil, technology and property. And we know that those investments will generate a specific market -- people who will relocate to Bahrain and spend considerable time here.”

Citing the Bahrain government’s extensive promotion of the kingdom with the campaign “Business Friendly Bahrain,” Hossein said that the hotel supports the campaign by offering a very convenient environment to do business. “We welcome you to Bahrain and welcome home to Marriott,” he said.

Positive Response
According to hotel Director of Sales Marwan Haddad, demand for luxury apartments is growing throughout the Kingdom, and bookings from outside of Bahrain are also increasing. “We’ve received a lot of positive interest from business and leisure travelers from GCC and European countries,” Haddad said. The corporate market, primarily executives staying more than one month, will make up 70-80 percent of guests, with the rest taken by individual, short stay guests. “Besides executives and businessmen, reservations from leisure travelers, particularly those staying for more than a week are also showing significant interest. “Here at Marriott, everyone is welcomed,” said Haddad.

Each apartment in the hotel features a beautiful living room complete with multimedia and entertainment centre (LCD satellite TVs, Hi-Fi system and DVD player), a fully equipped kitchen (refrigerator, freezer, stove, dish washer, water heater, crockery, cutlery and silverware), a spacious dining area, high-quality and comfortable furnishing, individual temperature control, dedicated area with cordless phone/voice mail, wire and wireless high speed Internet access, in-apartment safe, hair dryer, iron and ironing board, laundry machine, and 24/7 fire and safety systems.

Facilities include resident’s lounge, Skyw@lk Café, state-of-the-art fitness centre with latest technology, separated sauna and steam room, and temp-controlled swimming pools. Other services include in-apartment dining service, housekeeping, grocery services and dedicated underground parking for each apartment.

Marriott Executive Apartments, the upscale serviced apartment brand of Marriott International (NYSE: MAR) will nearly double in size in the next 36 months to respond to a growing need in many emerging markets for long-term stay lodging for executive expatriates needing spacious housing and hotel amenities. Including Bahrain, Marriott operates 17 Marriott Executive Apartments in 14 countries outside the U.S., and 14 more hotels are planned in countries such as Qatar, Thailand, Egypt, China, India, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia.