Marriott Hotels & Resorts Announces Global Pipeline of Nearly 50 New Hotels and Resorts -- Focus is on Emerging Destinations Worldwide

BETHESDA, Md., June 6, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Marriott International's (NYSE: MAR) signature brand, Marriott Hotels & Resorts, announced today its global pipeline of nearly 50 new hotels and resorts to open in the next four years, representing a multi-billion dollar investment in the brand by owners and franchisees worldwide.  With more than 500 hotels and 180,000 rooms currently open in 54 countries, Marriott Hotels & Resorts is the company's most widely distributed brand, with a concentration of hotels in the U.S., U.K., Canada, Europe, China and Mexico.  Hotels under development will be mostly in emerging business and leisure destinations, with 24 hotels in the Asia/Pacific region, nine in the Middle East/Africa, four in Europe and 12 in the Americas.

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"We are thrilled to announce this major growth trajectory of new hotels, each with its own unique design and sense of place but the same high standard of service and amenities that Marriott Hotels & Resorts provides to discerning and high-achieving business, meeting and leisure travelers worldwide," said Paul Cahill, senior vice president, brand management for Marriott Hotels & Resorts.  "Look for our hotels and resorts in many emerging  business and leisure destinations, such as Jaipur, Cartagena, Algiers, Marrakech, Accra (Ghana), Kigali (Rwanda) and Vietnam."

The brand is also featuring new designs to its lobbies, restaurants, fitness facilities and guest rooms.  The most remarkable new amenity is the new, reinvented Marriott Hotels & Resorts lobby.  The social center of every hotel, this versatile, multi-purpose space allows guests to meet friends and colleagues, grab a bite to eat, plug in their devices and work either in small groups or alone but still be close to the action – any time of the day or night.  

The following six hotels are expected to open this year:

• The 295-room Shanghai Marriott Luwan, opening this month on the Huangpu River in the popular Luwan district, is close to Xintiandi and surrounded by parks, shopping complexes, office buildings and the Mercedes Benz Arena. Most guest rooms have a breathtaking river view; hotel amenities include six restaurants and lounges, 24-hour health club, and 1,510 sq m/16,300 sq ft of meeting space.
• The 364-room Jaipur Marriott Hotel opens this month, Marriott International's first hotel in Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan.  Jaipur is known as the Pink City and recognized as one of the 10 most beautiful cities of India. The Jaipur Marriott will have the largest room inventory in the city, seven restaurants and a nightclub, a signature Quan spa, and the largest ballroom in India, measuring 3,395 sq m/43,000 sq ft.  
• The five-star, 720-room Shanghai Marriott Hotel City Centre opens this summer, a major addition to the city's finest meeting and convention hotels, with more than 2,000 sq m/22,000 sq ft of dedicated event space in the heart of downtown, within walking distance to Nanjing Road Pedestrian Street, People's Square and the Bund.   Other amenities: five restaurants and lounges and fitness center and spa.
• The 319-room Guangzhou Marriott Hotel Tianhe opens this fall, is located in the Tianhe district of Guangzhou, China's third largest city just 75 miles northeast of Hong Kong.  The new hotel will have three restaurant outlets, lobby lounge, 1,200 sq m/13,000 sq ft of meeting facilities, and a spacious fitness center .
• The 199-room Rayong Marriott Resort & Spa, opening in late fall, is expected to put Rayong on the map as a new, international leisure destination. Situated on the Gulf of Thailand, Rayong has lush forests, waterfalls, botanical gardens and spectacular beaches. Guest rooms and villas at the resort will have panoramic views of the Gulf of Thailand, and amenities include four restaurants, a lobby lounge, 880 sq m/9,500 sq ft of meeting space, a fitness center and spa, kid's club and a water sports pavilion.
• The 392-room Haikou Marriott Resort and Spa opens late fall, as part of the new Hainan International Conference & Exhibition Center, located on the west coast of Hainan Island in the capital of China's Hainan province.  Haikou is Hainan's hub for commercial, leisure, tourist activity and high-end residential. The hotel will offer three restaurants, lobby bar and lounge, 1,351 sq m/14,500 sq ft meeting space, a fitness center, spa and tennis courts

Breaking New Ground

Marriott Hotels & Resorts expects to grow in emerging business and leisure travel destinations around the globe.   In the Asia/Pacific, these include Nha Trang, on Vietnam's central coast, with one of the world's most beautiful bays; Hoi An, at Cua Dai Beach on the South China Sea in Vietnam, in close proximity to three UNESCO World Heritage sites and Da Nang International Airport; and Xi'an, in mid-west China, one of Four Great Ancient Capitals, and home to the famous Terracotta Army, dating back to 210 B.C., and discovered in Xi'an.  

In the South America, Marriott properties are under development in Cartagena, Colombia, on the Caribbean Sea, and in Guyana's capital city of Georgetown.

In Europe, hotels are under development in Espoo, Finland's second largest city, and one of the fastest growing areas in the EU, just 10 minutes' drive from Helsinki; in dynamic and modern Krasnodar, Russia, situated on the River Kuban, 120 km north of the Black Sea; and in Skopje, Macedonia's ancient political, economic and cultural center with a mix of cultures -- from Roman to Byzantine, Ottoman to Yugoslav.

In the Middle East/Africa, Marriott Hotels & Resorts are planned for Algiers; in Accra, Marriott International's first hotel in Ghana and in sub-Saharan Africa; in Marrakech, one of the four imperial cities in Morocco, dating back to the ninth century; and in Kigali, the company's first in Rwanda, with a fast growing knowledge-based economy and a niche in eco-tourism.

Development Pipeline

The Americas (12 hotels)

• 223-room Marriott Mexico City – Santa Fe, Mexico (2012)
• 425-room Chicago Marriott Naperville, USA (2012)
• 200-room Milwaukee Marriott Downtown, USA (2012)
• 278-room Cartagena Marriott Hotel, Colombia (2013)
• 201-room Marriott Hotel Georgetown, Guyana (2013)
• 250-room Atlanta Marriott Sugarloaf Parkway, USA (2013)
• 232-room Marriott Memphis Southeast, USA (2013)
• 284-room Peoria Marriott Downtown, USA (2013)
• 1,175-room Washington Marriott Marquis, USA (2014)
• 252-room Louisville Marriott Southeast, USA (2014)
• 17-room Cartegena Marriott Residence, Colombia (2014)
• 306-room St. Kitts-Marriott Residences at Frigate Bay,  Saint Kitts and Nevis (2015)

Asia/Pacific (24 hotels)

• 295-room Shanghai Marriott Luwan, China (2011)
• 720-room Shanghai Marriott Hotel City Centre, China (2011)
• 319-room Guangzhou Marriott Hotel Tianhe, China (2011)
• 365-room Jaipur Marriott Hotel, India  (2011)
• 199-room Rayong Marriott Resort & Spa, Thailand (2011)
• 392-room Haikou Marriott Resort and Spa, China (2012)
• 328-room Shanghai Marriott Jinqiao Pudong, China (2012)
• 418-room Wuxi Marriott Hotel, China (2012)
• 324-room Bangalore Marriott Hotel Whitefield, India  (2012)
• 320-room Xi'an Marriott Hotel, China (2012)
• 261-room Mumbai Marriott Hotel Kurla (2012)
• 310-room Marriott Zhuhai/Jida, China (2012)
• 280-room Nha Trang Marriott Hotel, Vietnam (2012)
• 118-room Mulu Marriott Resort, Malaysia (2012)
• 114-room Marriott Residences Koh Samui at Laem Set Beach, Thailand (2012)
• 300-room Bangalore Marriott Golf Resort & Convention Center, India (2013)
• 354-room Shenzhen Marriott Hotel West, China (2013)
• 155-room Koh Samui Marriott Resort & Spa at Laem Set Beach, Thailand  (2013)
• 250-room Hoi An Marriott Resort & Spa, Vietnam (2013)
• 445-room Marriott Resort Xiangshui Bay, Sanya, China (2014)
• 280-room Yiwu Marriott Hotel, China (2014)
• 350-room Marriott Noida, India  (2014)
• 400-room Hangzhou Marriott Hotel Qianjiang, China (2014)
• 330-room Shanghai Marriott Hotel Minhang, China (2014)

Europe (4 hotels)

• 224-room Krasnodar Marriott Hotel, Russia  (2012)
• 152-room Marriott Amburan Beach, Baku, Azerbaijan (2013)
• 272-room Marriott Helsinki Espoo, Finland (2013)
• 180-room Marriott Hotel Skopje, Macedonia (2013)

Middle East/Africa (9 hotels)

• 254-room Kigali Marriott Hotel, Rwanda (2012)
• 294-room Sahl Haseesh Marriott Beach Resort, Egypt (2012)
• 209-room Accra Marriott Hotel, Ghana (2013)
• 540-room Makkah Marriott Hotel, Saudi Arabia (2014)
• 315-room Abu Dhabi Marriott Hotel, United Arab Emirates (2014)
• 222-room Algiers Marriott Hotel, Algeria (2014)
• 355-room Dubai Marriott Hotel Health Care City, United Arab Emirates (2014)
• 187-room Marrakech Marriott Hotel, Morocco (2015)
• 248-room Sharjah Marriott Resort, United Arab Emirates (2015)

Marriott Hotels & Resorts is Marriott International's signature and most widely distributed brand, with more than 500 hotels and resorts in 54 countries.  Marriott continues to inspire performance and a balanced life on the road for discerning and high-achieving business and leisure travelers, offering warm, professional service; sophisticated yet functional guest room design; lobby spaces that facilitate working, dining and socializing; restaurants and bars serving international cuisine prepared simply and from the freshest ingredients; meeting and event spaces and services that are gold standard; and expansive, 24-hour fitness facilities. All Marriott hotels participate in the award winning Marriott Rewards frequent travel program that allows members to earn hotel points or airline miles for every dollar spent during each stay. For more information, visit www.MarriottHotels.com.  Follow Marriott Hotels & Resorts on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MarriottHotels.

Visit Marriott International, Inc (NYSE: MAR) for company information. For more information or reservations, please visit our website at www.marriott.com , and for the latest company news, visit www.marriottnewscenter.com

Note on forward-looking statements: This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of federal securities laws, including statements concerning the number of lodging properties we expect to add in the future, the locations of those properties, the year in which particular properties will open, and similar statements concerning anticipated future events and expectations that are not historical facts. We caution you that these statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, including those we identify below and other risk factors that we identify in Marriott International, Inc.'s most recent quarterly report on Form 10-Q. These risks include changes in market conditions; the continuation and pace of the economic recovery; supply and demand changes for hotel rooms; competitive conditions in the lodging industry; relationships with clients and property owners; and the availability of capital to finance hotel growth and refurbishment. Any of these factors could cause actual results to differ materially from the expectations we express or imply in this press release. We make these forward-looking statements as of the date of this press release, and undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

SOURCE Marriott International, Inc.