Marriott expands presence in India with Hotel in Hyderabad

Marriott's presence in India is to grow in 2004 with the conversion and expansion of the 168-room Viceroy Hotel to the 308-room Hyderabad Marriott. The hotel, which will be the fifth property in Marriott's portfolio in India, is owned and operated by Viceroy Hotels Ltd. An extensive refurbishment program is scheduled prior to the rebranding.

The Hyderabad Marriott is located east of Hussain Sagar Lake, approximately a 10-minute drive from the airport. Hyderabad is a center of information technology in India with companies such as Oracle, Microsoft and Toshiba having a large presence in the city. Pharmaceutical production in Hyderabad accounts for more than 30 percent of India's drug production, making it another important industry in the city. In the past five years, a number of multi-national companies including Baan and GE Capital have located in the city. Hyderabad is also home to several large Indian business groups such as Sujana, Surana and Pennar as well as several non-IT multi-national companies such as Agrotech, VST Industries and Voith India. Beginning in 2007, Hyderabad will be part of the Formula One car race circuit.

"We are thrilled to have a presence in Hyderabad, one of India's most important business centers," said Ed Fuller, president and managing director for international lodging at Marriott. "We are confident that the hotel will be enormously popular with domestic and international visitors to the city."

For dining and entertainment, the Hyderabad Marriott will have a variety of restaurants and bars including a coffee shop, an Indian restaurant, a lobby bar and a bar. Other amenities will include an executive floor and lounge, retail shops and a business center. Recreational amenities will include a health club and an outdoor swimming pool.

For conferences and social events, the hotel will have 3,083 square meters of space consisting of a 968-square meter ballroom and 14 additional rooms in a variety of configurations.

Currently, the Marriott lodging brand is represented in India by the 371-room JW Marriott Hotel Mumbai, the 153-room Goa Marriott Resort and the 286-room New Delhi Marriott. Additionally, the Marriott International portfolio in India consists of the 286-room Renaissance Mumbai Hotel and Conference Center, the 179-unit Lakeside Chalet-- Marriott Executive Apartments in Mumbai.