JW MARRIOTT HOTELS RECOGNIZED AS BRAND EXTENSION IN MARRIOTT’S LODGING PORTFOLIO

Customer Research Reveals Latent Demand Exists Between Quality and Luxury Tiers

Marriott International, Inc. (NYSE:MAR) has announced that it has designated its growing portfolio of upscale JW Marriott Hotels as a brand extension within its Marriott lodging portfolio.

The announcement was made in conjunction with the grand opening of the 497-room JW Marriott Hotel Seoul, the 11th property in the Marriott lodging system to carry the “JW” designation. This new focus on the JW Marriott Hotel portfolio is based on both accumulated market experience and global customer research that reveals latent demand for a lodging choice between the quality and luxury lodging tiers.

Simultaneously, Marriott announced that the company has been awarded contracts to manage two additional JW Marriott Hotels. They are the 371-room JW Marriott Hotel Mumbai in India and the 265-room JW Marriott Hotel Phuket in Thailand. Both hotels will open next year, bringing the JW Marriott Hotel portfolio to 19 properties.

“We are very proud of the enthusiastic reception our JW Marriott branded hotels have received over the years in their respective markets and from their loyal guests,” said Ed Fuller, president and managing director of Marriott’s international lodging division.

“As our lodging portfolio continues to globalize, an important segment of our customer base has told us that they want a hotel option that offers more services and amenities in a more elegant setting than properties in the quality tier traditionally offer. At the same time, this group has indicated they do not require the opulence typically associated with luxury tier hotels.

“Our JW Marriott Hotels meet the criteria of these customers,” Mr. Fuller continued. “JW Marriott Hotels extend the traditional Marriott culture of warm, genuine hospitality and dependability in a more luxurious environment with upgraded amenities and high levels of personal service.”

Mr. Fuller said Marriott is very optimistic about the future of its JW Marriott Hotels. “Eight additional JW Marriott Hotels are in the pipeline, and we will continue to develop in major gateway cities and emerging resort markets,” he said. He added that JW Marriott Hotels are currently located in Ecuador, Hong Kong, Korea, Malaysia, Mexico, Thailand, United Arab Emirates and the United States.

The first JW Marriott Hotel was opened in 1984 in Washington, D.C., to honor the founder of Marriott Corporation, predecessor to Marriott International. The first JW Marriott Hotel outside the continental U.S. was the 604-room JW Marriott Hotel Hong Kong, which opened in 1989.

“At the time we developed our first JW Marriott Hotel, our lodging portfolio consisted primarily of our flagship Marriott brand,” Mr. Fuller said. “In the intervening years, we introduced a number of other lodging brands, all of which have been in response to evolving customer needs and expectations.” He said that, today, Marriott’s lodging portfolio consists of more than 2,000 hotels offering a lodging choice for virtually every trip purpose at virtually every travel budget.

The eight additional JW Marriott Hotels scheduled to open in the next 18 months are:
- 296-room JW Marriott Hotel Miami, U.S. (2000)
- 450-room JW Marriott Hotel Cancun, Mexico (2001)
- 347-room JW Marriott Hotel Mirage City Resort Cairo, Egypt (2001)
- 363-room JW Marriott Hotel Shanghai (2001)
- 269-room JW Marriott Hotel Caracas (2001)
- 371-room JW Marriott Hotel Mumbai (2001)
- 350-room JW Marriott Hotel Jakarta (2001)
- 265-room JW Marriott Hotel Phuket (2001)