MARRIOTT TO MANAGE PETRA PLAZA HOTEL IN JORDAN BEGINNING MAY 1

Following Completion of Renovation Project, Hotel to Become First Courtyard

by Marriott Hotel in the Middle East

Dubai - May 1, 2000 -- Marriott International, Inc. (NYSE:MAR) has been

named to manage the 100-room Petra Plaza Hotel in Jordan beginning today.

The hotel originally opened in 1996. Following completion later this year of

an extensive renovation program that will add 32 more rooms, the hotel will

be rebranded the Petra Courtyard by Marriott, the first Courtyard by

Marriott hotel in the Middle East.

The Petra Courtyard hotel is owned by Business Tourism Company LLC, a

subsidiary of Arab International hotels Company, which is the owner of the

Amman Marriott Hotel.

The Petra Courtyard will be situated on a steep sloping site overlooking the

dramatic and picturesque Petra Valley. The Visitor¹s Center at the entrance

to historic Petra Valley is a short five-minute drive from the hotel. A

transportation service is planned to shuttle visitors between the hotel and

Petra Valley at scheduled intervals.

³We are very excited to see our presence in Jordan grow and are confident

that, coupled with the existing Amman Marriott and the soon-to-open Jordan

Valley Marriott Resort at the Dead Sea, the Petra Courtyard will provide a

comprehensive tourism product in Jordan that will enable us to promote a

variety of travel experiences appealing to a wide range of visitors,² said

Ed Fuller, president and managing director of international lodging for

Marriott International.

³We are equally delighted to be working with Nadim Muasher, chairman of the

board of directors. Our relationship with Mr. Muasher dates back almost 20

years since the opening of the Amman Marriott,² Mr Fuller continued. ³We

have a shared vision for the future of Jordanian tourism and are very

pleased to see this vision come to life.² Mr. Fuller indicated that Mr.

Muasher¹s company also owns the Jordan Valley Marriott Resort.

For dining and entertainment, the Petra Courtyard will have a casual

restaurant and a bar/lounge. Recreational amenities will include a fitness

club with sauna and an outdoor swimming pool. Other amenities will include

24-hour room service with a limited menu, in-room mini-bars, a gift shop and

surface parking.

For social events and conferences, the Petra Courtyard will offer 1,790

square feet of meeting space, which is divisible into two sections.

Aimed at business and leisure travellers who desire consistent, high-quality

accommodations and services at moderate prices, the Courtyard brand was

first introduced by Marriott International in 1983 in the United States.

Over the years, it has been the leading choice in its lodging category.

One of the distinguishing features of all Courtyard hotels worldwide is the

superior quality of the guest rooms, which are usually larger than rooms

offered by other hotels in its segment, as well as in-room amenities such as

a data port, large work desk and good lighting.

At the end of March 2000, there were 478 Courtyard hotels worldwide offering

67,800 rooms, all but 36 of which are located in the United States. In

April, a 114-room Courtyard hotel opened in Graz, Austria. A 154-room

Courtyard is scheduled to open in Hannover, Germany, later this month, and a

160-room Courtyard will open in Beirut later this year.

Outside the United States, Courtyard hotels are located in Argentina,

Australia, Austria, Canada, China, Germany, Mexico and the United Kingdom.

Marriott International celebrated its 2,000th hotel milestone on April 26

with the opening of the Tampa Marriott Waterside Hotel in Florida, U.S.A.