My Marriott Hotel(TM) Opens its Doors on Facebook

Marriott Uses Social Media Gaming to Help Attract Tens of Thousands of Employees

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Jun 09, 2011, 12:49 ET

BETHESDA, Md., June 7, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- With as many as 50,000 jobs to fill worldwide by the end of the year, Marriott International, Inc. (NYSE: MAR) will be the first in the industry to tap into the exploding popularity of social media gaming to help generate interest in hospitality careers. At My Marriott Hotel™ on Facebook (www.facebook.com/marriottjobsandcareers), gamers will first manage a "virtual" hotel restaurant kitchen before moving on to other areas of hotel operations. The game will be available in English, Spanish, French, Arabic and Mandarin.

To view the multimedia assets associated with this release, please click: http://multivu.prnewswire.com/mnr/marriott/47961/

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110607/MM13912 )

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20090217/MARRIOTTINTLLOGO )

My Marriott Hotel is similar in concept to the highly popular Farmville and Cityville games, which have grown to a combined 135 million monthly active users.(1) Gamers can create their own restaurant, where they'll buy equipment and ingredients on a budget, hire and train employees, and serve guests. They'll earn points for happy customers...and lose points for poor service. Ultimately, they'll be rewarded when their operation turns a profit.

"As Marriott expands in growth markets outside the U.S., and as we seek to attract more Millennials – those between the ages 18 and 27 – to our workforce, we must find new ways to interest them in hospitality careers," says David Rodriguez, Executive Vice President of Global Human Resources, Marriott International. "This game allows us to showcase the world of opportunities and the growth potential attainable in hospitality careers, especially in cultures where the service industry might be less established or prestigious."

Worldwide, online games have surpassed personal e-mail to become the second most popular activity on the web, accounting for 10 percent of time spent online. Social networking sites such as Facebook, which has more than 500 million active users(2), now account for more than 25 percent of time spent online.(3)

Launched just a month ago, Marriott's Jobs & Careers page on Facebook (www.facebook.com/marriottjobsandcareers) already has more than 12,000 active users and more than 270,000 page views. So far, most active users are from the United States, Egypt and India.

Watch Marriott employees in India, the United Kingdom and the United States play My Marriott Hotel for the first time—and share their pride in working with the Marriott family of brands..

With a corporate heritage of nearly 85 years, Marriott International has a culture of putting people first, and providing opportunities for advancement and career growth for its 129,000 employees worldwide. The company has been named an "All Star" by FORTUNE magazine, having been on its "Best Places to Work" list every year since it was created in 1998. Marriott was also recognized by BusinessWeek as one of "The Hottest Employers of 2010." For a full list of the company's awards, visit http://news.marriott.com/awards-and-recognition.html.

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

(1) MTV.com (http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2011/05/10/zynga-bringing-lady-gaga-to-farmville-with-gagaville/)

(2) Facebook.com (http://www.facebook.com/press/info.php?statistics)

(3) ZDNet (http://www.zdnet.com/blog/google/facebook-has-25-of-all-internet-pageviews-time-for-google-to-worry/2651)

SOURCE Marriott International, Inc.