Marriott International Announces 21 New Hotels for it’s Asia Pacific Region

• Projects slated in China, India, Thailand, Vietnam, Philippines & Cambodia.

Bethesda, MD.- Marriott International (NYSE:MAR) today announced the signing of 21 management contracts for hotels and resorts in its Asia-Pacific Region.

The 21 hotels are scheduled to open through the end of 2013, represent four of the company’s lodging brands and will add nearly 7,000 rooms to Marriott’s previously-announced Asia-Pacific pipeline of 37 hotels and 9,400 rooms now under construction. They are part of the company’s global development pipeline of 110,000 rooms.

When opened, the 58 hotels now under development will add over 16,000 rooms to Marriott’s Asia-Pacific portfolio. This growth will bring the company’s presence in the region to 154 hotels offering 51,500 rooms in 18 countries by the end of 2013, ranking it among the largest international hotel operators in China, India and Thailand with 70, 31 and 26 properties respectively in each country.

In addition, The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C. portfolio in the region currently consists of 16 hotels and resorts offering approximately 5,000 rooms with nine properties and 1,500 rooms under development. Included are Ritz-Carlton hotels opening in Shanghai-Pudong and Hong Kong-Kowloon next year.

Hotels covered in today’s announcement are:
• Two luxurious JW Marriott Hotels & Resorts-branded properties in Dalian and Sanya, China. They will join nine previously announced JW Marriott hotels under construction, including the recently announced 450-room JW Marriott Hotel Hanoi and the 106-villa JW Marriott Maldives Gaaskoshibee Resort & Spa which opens in fourth quarter of 2010.
• Ten full service, upscale Marriott Hotels & Resorts-branded properties that will be located in China, the Philippines and Thailand and include the 712-room Shanghai Marriott Hotel City Center and the 256-room Manila Airport Marriott opening later this year.
• Two full-service, upscale Renaissance Hotels & Resorts-branded properties in China.
• Seven upper-moderately-priced Courtyard by Marriott hotels. These will be located in Cambodia, China and India and include the 254-room Courtyard by Marriott Bangalore and Marriott International’s first hotel in Cambodia.

“We are excited by these spectacular, architecturally interesting additions to our already dynamic Asia-Pacific pipeline especially since this growth is occurring in the context of the difficult global economy and tight credit markets,” said Ed Fuller, president & managing director of international lodging. “Clearly, these new hotels are testament to the recognized power of our brands to deliver results even under challenging conditions and to the success our existing hotels are enjoying in the region.”

Mr. Fuller said that each of Marriott International’s hotels in Asia-Pacific ranks at or near the top of its competitive set in customer preference, guest satisfaction and operating results.

“When developers consider a hotel management company for their asset, they know Marriott will deliver,” he said. “We are confident the portfolio of lodging choices we are developing with our local investors and partners here in Asia will be recognized and appreciated for their cosmopolitan amenities, sophistication, state-of-the-art connectivity, inspiring authenticity and good value—whether at the luxury, upscale or upper-moderate tiers of the travel continuum. We are deeply gratified by the acceptance our various hotel brands are enjoying among Asian travelers and those traveling to Asia-Pacific from afar.”

Mr. Fuller concluded, “We’ve made considerable progress since opening our first hotel in Asia-Pacific just 20 years ago here with the JW Marriott Hotel Hong Kong.”