By: June Farrell
(26-02-2001)

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Feb. 22, 2001 – Marriott International, Inc. (NYSE:MAR) has been named to manage two new hotels in Puerto Rico, which when opened in the next three years, will bring the company’s lodging presence in the island to five hotels offering 1,700 rooms. The new hotels are:

the JW Marriott Resort Dos Mares near Fajardo, Puerto Rico, which will have 350 guest rooms and casitas units offering an additional 100 rooms. Construction is expected to begin later this year and to be completed in 2004. The resort is being designed by SCF International, a well-known Puerto Rican architecture firm. EDSA, one of the world’s pre-eminent landscape design firms, is performing the site plan and landscape design. Audubon International, the internationally acclaimed not-for-profit environmental organization, is providing leadership toward sustainable development. Owner is Dos Mares, S.E., a single purpose company formed for the ownership of the property. Luis Munoz Marin International Airport is located about 60 miles west of the resort.

the 331-room San Juan Courtyard by Marriott in the Isla Verde section of San Juan. The property will be located about a fifth of a mile northeast of Luis Munoz Marin International Airport. It is owned by Carolina Land Development, Inc., a single-purpose company formed for the ownership of the hotel. Project architects are Langdon S.A. of Madrid, Spain, and Gutierrez y Gutierrez of San Juan. Construction is expected to begin shortly and to be completed in 2003.
“We are very excited to see our presence in Puerto Rico grow,” said Ed Fuller, president and managing director of international lodging for Marriott International. “Both of these properties will complement our existing portfolio in San Juan. They will enable us to serve a variety of different customers, create synergy between all our hotels and offer a range of enriching personal, business and incentive travel experiences in Puerto Rico.”

The JW Marriott Resort Dos Mares will be part of a 650-acre resort project near Las Croabas in northeast Puerto Rico. The project will include the hotel, a mile-long sandy beach, an 18-hole Jack Nicklaus-designed championship golf course that will be a member of Audubon International’s Signature Program, and a residential community comprised of single family houses, townhomes and, potentially, timeshare villas. The El Yunque Tropical Rain Forest and the town of Fajardo are south of the project.

The project is the first in Puerto Rico to be a member of the Audubon International Signature Program. This program is a comprehensive initiative that promotes environmental stewardship through the use of sustainable development approaches in its design, construction and ongoing management. Properties that earn certification in the program are known for their environmental enhancement and stewardship as well as being economically successful. Once Dos Mares achieves Audubon International certification in the areas of environmental planning, wildlife conservation, water quality and quantity management, waste and energy management, and Integrated Pest Management, the property will be designated an Audubon International Signature Sanctuary. Certification will be on an annual basis following a yearly audit.

For dining and entertainment, the JW Marriott Resort Dos Mares will offer two restaurants, a pool bar & grill, a beach bar & grill, a lobby lounge offering live evening entertainment and a spa lounge.

Other amenities will include a 20,000-square-foot full-service spa featuring a fitness center, treatment rooms, beauty parlor and a retail store; an outdoor fantasy pool; tennis courts, a Beach Club and Eco Center; water sports, walking trails and a casino. For children, the resort will offer a children’s swimming pool and Kids Club/Game Room. A business center, complimentary morning lobby coffee service, self and valet parking, room service, in-room safe and mini-bar, two-line telephone with data port and voice mail, airport shuttle, gift shop and other retail outlets round out the amenities.

For social events and conferences, the JW Marriott Resort Dos Mares will offer 20,000 square feet of meeting space, including a 13,000-square-foot ballroom that is divisible into eight sections; individual meeting rooms totaling 5,800 square feet of space and two boardrooms offering a combined total of 1,200 square feet of space. Additional outdoor terraces and pre-function areas will also be available.

The San Juan Courtyard by Marriott will be situated at the intersection of Avenida Isla Verde, Calle Diaz and Boulevard de Los Gobernadores. Its design will be reminiscent of California architecture. Adjoining the hotel will be an upscale Gordon-Biersch micro-brewery and an 8,000-square-foot casino.

For dining and entertainment, the San Juan Courtyard by Marriott will have a casual restaurant and a lobby lounge. Recreational amenities will include a health club with a solarium and whirlpool, an outdoor swimming pool and a roof garden. Other amenities will include a guest library and business center, self and valet parking, room service, in-room safe and mini-bar, two-line telephone with data port and voice mail, and parking for 600 automobiles.

For conferences and social events, the San Juan Courtyard by Marriott will offer 13,000 square feet of meeting space, including a 10,000-square-foot ballroom divisible into six sections and three individual meeting rooms totaling 3,000 square feet of space.

The Marriott International lodging portfolio in Puerto Rico currently is represented by the 525-room San Juan Marriott Hotel & Stellaris Casino; the 414-room Ritz-Carlton San Juan, which is operated as a separate business unit of the company; and the 96-room San Juan Ramada Hotel.
JW Marriott is an extension of Marriott International’s full-service, quality-tier Marriott hotel brand. JW Marriott hotels offer more services and amenities in a more elegant setting than properties in the quality tier traditionally offer. They extend the Marriott culture of warm, genuine hospitality and dependability in a more luxurious environment with upgraded amenities and high levels of personal service. Thirteen JW Marriott hotels are currently open in Ecuador, Hong Kong, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Thailand, the United Arab Emirates and the United States.

Six additional JW Marriott hotels are schedule to open this year. They are:

- the 450-room JW Marriott Hotel Cancun
- the 347-room JW Marriott Resort Mirage City Cairo
- the 363-room JW Marriott Hotel Shanghai
- the 371-room JW Marriott Hotel Mumbai
- the 350-room JW Marriott Hotel Jakarta
- the 265-room JW Marriott Resort Phuket

Courtyard by Marriott hotels are aimed at business and leisure travelers who need consistent, high-quality accommodations and services at moderate, affordable prices. Courtyard was first introduced by Marriott in 1983 in the United States and, over the years, has been the leading choice in its category. There are currently more than 500 Courtyard by Marriott hotels in operation in the U.S., Germany, United Kingdom, China, Canada, Australia, Austria, France, Mexico and Argentina.


NOTE: This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of federal securities law, including statements concerning the number of lodging properties expected to be added in 2001 and business strategies and their intended results and similar statements concerning anticipated future events and expectations that are not historical facts. The forward-looking statements in this press release are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, including the effects of economic conditions, supply and demand changes for hotel rooms, competitive conditions in the lodging, senior living and food service distribution industries, relationships with clients and property owners, the impact of government regulations and the availability of capital to finance growth, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in or implied by the statements herein.

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MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL, INC. (NYSE:MAR) is a leading worldwide hospitality company with over 2,200 operating units in the United States and 59 other countries and territories. Marriott Lodging operates and franchises hotels under the Marriott, Renaissance, Residence Inn, Courtyard, TownePlace Suites, Fairfield Inn, SpringHill Suites and Ramada International brand names; develops and operates vacation ownership resorts under the Marriott, Ritz-Carlton and Horizons brands; operates Marriott Executive Apartments; provides furnished corporate housing through its ExecuStay by Marriott division; and operates conference centers. Other Marriott businesses include senior living communities and services, wholesale food distribution, procurement services and The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company, L.L.C. The company is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and has approximately 153,000 employees. In fiscal year 2000, Marriott International reported systemwide sales of $19.8 billion."