Major Expansion for Marriott in Asia Pacific / Australia Region

Marriott International's lodging portfolio in the Asia-Pacific-Australia Region is to grow by 19 properties through the end of 2006 with hotels in 10 countries scheduled to open.

Included are the company's first resorts in China and Fiji, its first hotels in New Zealand and Taiwan, its first Courtyard-branded hotel in Hawaii and the expansion of its Courtyard brand in Australia.

"We're excited about this growth which will bring our portfolio in the region by the end of 2006 to over 100 hotels across eight lodging brands," said J. W. Marriott Jr., chairman and chief executive officer. "This expansion is a remarkable achievement considering we opened our first hotel in Asia just 15 years ago."

Scheduled to open over the next 36 months are the following hotels:

Australia/New Zealand

In Australia and New Zealand, Marriott's expansion features its moderately-priced Courtyard brand.

· Sydney. A new 196-room Courtyard by Marriott North Ryde will open in the Sydney suburbs at North Ryde later this year under a management agreement with Ryde Hotel Pty., Ltd. It will be the third Courtyard-branded and ninth Marriott International property in Australia.

· Manakau City. When the 224-room Courtyard by Marriott Manakau City opens in 2006, it will be the company's first hotel in New Zealand. It will be managed by Marriott under an agreement with Manukau Hotel Joint Venture.

"Courtyard is a wonderful hotel product that has been warmly embraced by travelers around the world. We are delighted by its acceptance in Australia and to be establishing a presence in New Zealand with this fine brand," Mr. Marriott said.

First introduced more than 20 years ago, Courtyard hotels are aimed at business and leisure travelers who need consistent, high quality accommodations and services at moderate, affordable prices.

In addition, the company's Ramada International Hotels & Resorts brand will open three properties in Australia through the end of 2005.

China

Marriott's first resort in China, three Renaissance-branded hotels and a new Marriott Executive Apartments property will all debut in the country by year end 2006.

· Currently under construction, the 453-room Sanya Marriott Resort will open later this year on the southern coast of Hainan Island which boasts approximately the same latitude as Hawaii and is renowned for its tropical weather, sandy beaches and clean air and water. The property is owned by Sanya Jahwa Resort Development Co., Ltd. and will be operated by Marriott under a long-term management agreement. It will be the company's first resort in China.

Under the Renaissance brand, Marriott International will open three properties through 2006 in China:

· The 284-room Renaissance Tianjin TEDA will open later this year under a management agreement with Tianjin TEDA Hotels Development company, Ltd. When opened, it will be the second Renaissance hotel in Tianjin and sixth in China.

· The 289-room Renaissance Wuhan opens in 2005 under a management agreement with Hubei Electricity Development Company and is planned to be one of the city's premier properties.

· The 380-room Renaissance Suzhou opens in 2006 under a management agreement with Suzhou Industry Park Nisheng Investment Co., Ltd. Currently under construction, the hotel will overlook a lake and will be part of an industrial part that is home to more than 950 international companies, of which 41 are listed in the Fortune 500.

Additionally, Ramada International will open a 105-room hotel in Wuyishan later this year, bringing its portfolio in the country to 11 properties.

Fiji

Now under construction, the 250-room Fiji Marriott Resort will open in 2006 under a management contract with Unitava Limited as the first Marriott property in this popular resort destination. The property will be located on Momi Bay and will include an 80-berth marina, a Town Center providing retail facilities and an 18-hole championship golf course that will be managed by Marriott Golf. Twenty-two of its rooms will be over-water bungalows and suites. The resort will include a wedding pavilion and a fitness center and spa as well as two resort-style swimming pools.

Malaysia

Two Marriott branded properties will open this year in Malaysia. They are the 291-room Kota Kinabalu Marriott and the 225-room Miri Marriott Resort & Spa, bringing Marriott's portfolio in the country to nine properties.

Other hotels that will open in the region through 2006 include:

Hawaii, USA: the 312-room Courtyard by Marriott Kauai, the first Courtyard-branded property in Hawaii and the 10th Marriott hotel in Hawaii, opens later this year. The hotel is a conversion of an existing property and will be rebranded following an extensive refurbishment project.

India: the 308-room Hyderabad Marriott opens later this year as the seventh property in the Marriott portfolio in India.

New Caledonia: the 165-room Ramada Hotels & Suites Noumea opens next year as the first property in New Caledonia for Marriott International.

South Korea: the 245-room Ramada Hotel Seoul opens later this year and will be the sixth hotel for Marriott in the country.

Taiwan: the 417-room Taipei Marriott Hotel opens in 2006 as Marriott's first property in the country.