MARRIOTT’S UK PRESENCE EXPANDS WITH THE FIRST SWALLOW HOTEL CONVERSION

Marriott International, Inc. (NYSE:MAR) expands its presence in the United Kingdom with the opening of the 231-room-London Marriott Hotel West Hampstead, the first of 27 former Swallow Hotels to be converted to a Marriott-branded hotel. Whitbread PLC, Marriott International’s franchise partner, purchased these quality-tier hotels in January of this year.

Once the conversions are complete, Marriott International will have more than 10,000 rooms in the UK, including seven hotels in London, as well as hotels in other UK cities, including Birmingham, Bristol, Manchester, Liverpool, Edinburgh and Sheffield.

“Marriott’s partnership with Whitbread PLC has allowed Marriott brand hotels to gain a strong foothold in the U.K. We are thrilled to be adding these additional properties which will go a long way towards our goal of becoming the brand of choice for business and leisure travellers in the U.K.” said Ed Fuller, president and managing director of international lodging for Marriott International.

The London Marriott Hotel West Hampstead is located at Plaza Parade, Maida Vale, London NW6. It is 10 minutes from Oxford Street, Regents Park and Lords Cricket Grounds. It has two restaurants - Fratelli, which serves Italian cuisine and Café Maurice, which offers sandwiches, snacks and hot meals as well as two bars.

Guests will have access to the hotel’s swimming pool, two gyms, beauty salon, sauna and steamroom. In addition, there is a range of meeting rooms, the largest of which holds 200 people, as well as a business center.

The next hotel to be converted will be the Huntingdon Marriott, which will open July 4, 2000. It will be followed by the Bristol Marriott Royal, the Northampton Marriott and the Birmingham Marriott.