Marriott International to Introduce Two Luxury Hotel Brands in Beijing in 2007

BEIJING, Apr 23, 2004 /PRNewswire-FirstCall via COMTEX/ -- Marriott International, Inc. (NYSE: MAR) will introduce two of its luxury hotel brands in Beijing in 2007 under a management agreement announced today by Beijing Guohua Real Estate Co., Ltd.

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Located on the eastern edge of the city's Central Business District on Changan Avenue, Beijing's most famous thoroughfare, the hotels are the 320- room The Ritz-Carlton, Beijing and the 591-room JW Marriott Hotel Beijing. Both properties will be part of a massive development complex that will include more than 230,000 square meters of office space, eight residential towers, 160,000 square meters of retail shopping space and a large park and sports center. Construction on both hotels is expected to start later this year.

"We are truly delighted to have this opportunity to further grow our lodging portfolio in China," said William J. Shaw, president and chief operating officer for Marriott International. "These two hotels will be sensational, and we are honored to have Beijing Guohua Real Estate Co. as our partner in this impressive project."

                          The Ritz-Carlton, Beijing

For dining and entertainment, The Ritz-Carlton, Beijing will have three restaurants, including a cafe, a Chinese restaurant offering six private dining rooms and a specialty restaurant with one private dining room. Additionally, the hotel will have a lobby lounge and The Ritz-Carlton Bar. Recreational facilities will include an indoor swimming pool, a health club and a spa with six treatment rooms. Other amenities will include an executive level and Club Lounge, a business center, a gift shop and a concierge desk.

For meetings and social events, The Ritz-Carlton, Beijing will have 1,245 square meters of flexible conference space, including a 700-square-meter ballroom, divisible into three sections; two 160-square-meter meeting rooms that will each be divisible into two sections; two additional conference rooms and a board room.

                        The JW Marriott Hotel Beijing

For dining and entertainment, the JW Marriott Hotel Beijing will have three restaurants, including a cafe that will offer a permanent grand buffet; a Chinese restaurant with 10 private dining rooms; and a specialty restaurant with one private dining room. The hotel will also offer a lobby lounge and a quiet bar.

Recreational amenities will include an indoor swimming pool, a health club and a spa with eight treatment rooms. Other planned amenities include an executive level and lounge, a gift shop, a bakery shop, a concierge desk; and a business center.

For social events and conferences, the hotel will have 2,255 square meters of flexible meeting space, including a 1,200-square-meter grand ballroom, divisible into five sections; a junior ballroom, divisible into two sections; two 130-square-meter meeting rooms, each of which will be divisible into two sections; five individual meeting rooms offering 75 square meters of space each; and a board room. One of the largest hotel operators in China, Marriott International is currently represented in the country by 34 hotels, including its Ritz-Carlton, JW Marriott, Marriott, Renaissance, Marriott Executive Apartments, Courtyard by Marriott, Ramada International and New World lodging brands. Six hotels are currently under construction and will open over the next 24 months in Wuyishan, Tianjin, Wuhan, Suzhou and Beijing. Additionally, the company's first Marriott resort in China will open in June in Sanya.

In Beijing, Marriott International is represented today by the 155-room Beijing Marriott West, the 212-room Renaissance Beijing Hotel and the 293-room New World Courtyard Beijing.

In China and Hong Kong, Marriott International currently operates 34 hotels across all brands.

MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL, INC. (NYSE: MAR) is a leading worldwide hospitality company with over 2,700 lodging properties in the United States and 68 other countries and territories. Marriott International operates and franchises hotels under the Marriott, JW Marriott, The Ritz-Carlton, Renaissance, Residence Inn, Courtyard, TownePlace Suites, Fairfield Inn, SpringHill Suites and Ramada International brand names; develops and operates vacation ownership resorts under the Marriott Vacation Club International, Horizons, The Ritz-Carlton Club and Marriott Grand Residence Club brands; operates Marriott Executive Apartments; provides furnished corporate housing through its Marriott ExecuStay division; and operates conference centers. Marriott is also in the synthetic fuel business. The company is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and has approximately 128,000 employees. In fiscal year 2003, Marriott International reported sales from continuing operations of $9 billion. For more information or reservations, please visit our web site at www.marriott.com.

                                    IRPR#1

SOURCE Marriott International, Inc.

John Wolf of Marriott International, Inc., +1-301-380-5718, or
john.wolf@marriott.com
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