MARRIOTT OPENS PROPERTIES IN THAILAND AND DUBAI ON DECEMBER 15

Openings Span Three Lodging Brands

Marriott International (NYSE:MAR) will open three properties in Thailand and Dubai on December 15 spanning three lodging brands and offering 581 rooms. The new properties are:

the 265-room JW Marriott Phuket Resort and Spa, Thailand
the 144-villa Marriott’s Phuket Beach Club, Thailand
the 172-unit Dubai Marriott Executive Apartments, United Arab Emirates

“We are excited by these additions to our lodging portfolio,” said Ed Fuller, president and managing director of international lodging for Marriott International. “They are all spectacular properties and represent their respective brands exceptionally well.”

The JW Marriott Phuket Resort and Spa is the second hotel in Thailand to carry the JW Marriott designation. It is owned by a joint venture between Royal Garden Resort Plc. and Marriott International. The resort is located on Mai Khao beach on the Andaman Sea, approximately 15 kilometers north of the Phuket International Airport. It was carefully designed around existing vegetation and features lush tropical gardens and foliage, three swimming pools, fresh water ponds and natural preserved coastal wetlands and a world-class Mandara Spa which opens in January. The opening rate is US$190 per night through February 22, 2002, with the exception of the holiday period of December 22, 2001 through January 5, 2002 when it is US$370. The general manager is Jerry Phelps and the director of marketing is Jeff Crowe.Marriott’s Phuket Beach Club is adjacent to the JW Marriott Phuket Resort and Spa and is the first Marriott Vacation Club International resort in Asia. Guests can enjoy the resort’s spacious two-bedroom/two bath villas at an introductory rate of $250 per night, which is available January 4 through March 31, 2002, subject to availability.

The Dubai Marriott Executive Apartments is the first example of this Marriott lodging brand for extended stay business or leisure travelers in the Middle East and the sixth Marriott International hotel in Dubai. It is owned by Union Properties PSJC, an established real estate developer in the United Arab Emirates. It is centrally located on Maktoum Street and offers excellent views of the water, Dubai’s premier golf course and enjoys direct access to the city’s business district along Sheikh Zayed Road. Apartments range in size from one to three bedrooms and feature hotel-like amenities, full kitchens, 24-hour security, a dedicated work area and desk, double telephone lines with voicemail and PC hook up and VCR as well as the flexibility of short-term leases. Introductory rates are US$219 (80,000 Dhms) for a one-bedroom apartment; US$693 (190,000 Dhms) for a three-bedroom unit and include covered parking. The general manager is Elaine Watson and the director of marketing is Georgina Evagora.

For more information and reservations, travelers should contact their travel professional or call toll-free in their local market. All introductory rates quoted here are commissionable to travel agents.

JW Marriott branded hotels are the most elegant and luxurious hotels carrying the Marriott brand name. They cater primarily to individual business and leisure travelers, who value a higher level of personal service and a casually luxurious environment that is both understated and tasteful. Currently, 19 hotels in 10 countries carry this designation; another four properties are under construction in Egypt, Puerto Rico, Venezuela and China.

Offering travelers residential accommodations with hotel-like amenities, Marriott Executive Apartments are designed to meet the housing needs of business or leisure executives on an overseas assignment of 30 days or more or who require the spaciousness of an apartment. There are currently five Marriott Executive Apartment hotels in five countries. Four additional properties are under construction in China, Thailand and Japan.

Marriott Vacation Club International, the vacation ownership division of Marriott International, has a portfolio of 52 resorts in 29 destinations stretching around the globe.