MARRIOTT’S AWARD-WINNING COURTYARD BRAND SETS ITS SIGHTS ON GLOBAL EXPANSION

Courtyard’s Presence Outside the U.S. to Quadruple Over the Next Nine Years

Courtyard by Marriott, Marriott International Inc.’s award-winning lodging brand in the moderate-price category, announced today that it is embarking on a rapid globalization program that will more than double its presence outside the continental United States to over 90 properties by the end of 2004 and over 200 hotels by 2009. The announcement was made at a celebration in Hannover, Germany designating the Hannover Courtyard by Marriott the brand’s 500th hotel and 40th Courtyard property outside the U.S.

“We see tremendous global opportunity for Courtyard,” said Mike Hutter, brand vice president for Courtyard. “After more than eight years of operating this brand in a number of countries and markets around the world, we are convinced that the same dynamics that propelled Courtyard to its preferred status in the U.S. exist globally.”

He pointed to a growing group of middle managers, entrepreneurs and leisure travelers who travel extensively within their own countries and abroad and who want the assurance that their lodging choice will consistently provide the amenities they desire at a moderate price.

“The key dynamic of Courtyard is its consistent delivery of service and value,” Mr. Hutter said. “While a Courtyard hotel in one country might vary from one in another country, all Courtyard hotels share the same attributes: superior quality guest rooms that are usually larger than rooms provided by other hotels in its category; in-room business amenities such as dataport, a large work desk and good lighting and amenities and services that are appropriate to the needs of the guest in the host country. These attributes have universal appeal, especially when coupled with a room rate that represents good value.”

Mr. Hutter said that Marriott International is not targeting any single region for the brand’s expansion program, although Europe offers considerable opportunity. “The European economy is good, business conditions continue to be promising and Marriott International is firmly established in many of the major cities in Europe,” he said, indicating that the company marked its 25th year of operations in Europe earlier this year.

The first of Marriott International’s lodging brands to reach the 500 property milestone, Courtyard was introduced in 1983 in the United States. The first Courtyard hotel outside the U.S. opened in May 1992 at Slough/Windsor near Heathrow International Airport in the United Kingdom. Today, 500 Courtyard hotels are in operation in eight countries, all but 40 of which are located in the U.S.

Since the first of this year, four Courtyard hotels have opened outside the U.S. They are the 258-room Niagara Falls Courtyard by Marriott (Canada), the 75-room Buenos Aires Courtyard by Marriott (Argentina), the 114-room Graz Courtyard by Marriott (Austria) and the 154-room Hannover Courtyard by Marriott (Germany).

Four additional Courtyard properties are under development and scheduled to open outside the U.S. in the next 18 months. They are the 100-room Petra Plaza Hotel (Jordan) which will be rebranded to Courtyard later this year following an extensive renovation program that will add 32 rooms to the property; the 146-room Dusseldorf Courtyard by Marriott (Germany) and the 218-room Courtyard by Pudong Shanghai Marriott Hotel which are both scheduled to open in 2001; and the 300-room Roissy Park Courtyard by Marriott (France) which is expected to open in 2002. Additional Courtyard properties are planned for Germany by the Seidler Hotel Group.