Marriott.com Celebrates its 16th Birthday by Thanking Customers with the Ultimate Travel Sweepstakes

Marriott.com Hits 100k Reservations in One Day

Marriott International, Inc.'s world renowned website (www.marriott.com) announced today that it will celebrate its 16th Birthday by thanking customers with a one-of-a-kind travel sweepstakes. The global hospitality brand is celebrating the continued success and growth of www.marriott.com by launching this exciting sweepstakes for its guests. By booking on Marriott.com in May, travelers will be automatically entered for the chance to win an exclusive stay at one of Marriott’s signature Lifestyle properties within the Renaissance Hotels or Autograph Collection brands.

Marriott International, Inc. created the sweepstakes to thank guests for making Marriott.com one of the largest hotel websites on the internet. Marriott.com continues to expand each and every year, now offering more than seventeen brands across 3,700+ properties. The site recently hit a major milestone exceeding 100,000 reservations in a single day. 

The sweepstakes offers the chance to win one of ten two-night stays at designated Renaissance Hotels and Autograph Collection properties. An exclusive grand prize includes a seven night stay at the Renaissance Hotel of the winner’s choice with airfare for two, ground transfers and spending money. Renaissance Hotels is the signature lifestyle brand of Marriott International, inspiring guests to Live Life to Discover in more than 150 hotels in 34 countries. The Autograph Collection is an evolving ensemble of strikingly independent hotels. Each destination has been selected for its bold originality, rich character and uncommon details. From near to far, iconic to historic, the result is an array of properties that is nothing less than completely unique, nothing short of collectively exceptional.

Sweepstakes details include:

• 10 Two-Night Stays At Renaissance Properties, including Eden Roc Renaissance, la Concha Renaissance Resort, The Lodge at Sonoma Renaissance Resort & Spa, The Carlton and more
• Grand Prize: A seven-night stay at a Renaissance of the winner’s choice, airfare for two, ground transfers, hotel credit and spending money.

For full terms and conditions and to enter the sweepstakes, please visit http://www.marriott.com/marriott/100k_sweepstakes.mi

Visit Marriott International, Inc. (NYSE: MAR) for company information. For more information or reservations, please visit our web site at www.marriott.com, and for the latest company news, visit www.marriottnewscenter.com.
 
Connect with catherine.leitner@marriott.com

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Marriott.com/gaytravel Expands Its Global Welcome

Refreshed Web Site Promotes Deals and Destinations in Five Languages.

Marriott International, Inc. (NYSE:MAR) announced today the relaunch and fresh new look for their popular site www.marriott.com/gaytravel, the first hospitality portal tailored for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) customers worldwide in English and four other languages: French, Spanish, German and Portuguese. [Photo: Phuket is an island paradise where you will find the JW Marriott Phuket on Mai Kao Beach.  The west coast of Phuket features the Royal Paradise Complex located in Patong Beach and has many LGBT-friendly bars, nightclubs and entertainment.]

First developed in 2010, the “redesigned website is our way to express Marriott’s loyalty and commitment to all our guests,” said Randy Griffin, Vice President, Global Sales, Marriott International, Inc.  “In 2012, our aspiration will be to ensure www.marriott.com/gaytravel is the trusted and welcoming source for leisure, business and group travel for the LGBT community as we do for all our customers.”

Like marriott.com, the renewed site will introduce new hotel openings and special events, destinations and ongoing deals and promotions.  The site also offers unique hospitality, wedding and honeymoon packages showcasing popular destinations and resorts worldwide. Marriott’s premiere hotels from coast-to- coast frequently host galas and events on behalf of LGBT community leaders including the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), GLAAD, PFLAG, the National Center for Lesbian Rights, and Out & Equal Workplace Advocates, among others.
[Photo: Marriott hotels and resorts take pride in joining you to celebrate unforgettable events in the world's most exciting destinations such as The annual White Party at the Renaissance Palm Springs is known as the largest gay dance music festival in North America.]

Marriott remains among the corporations earning high marks by the HRC Corporate Equality Index year after year, and for several years, it also has been a member of the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce, committed to diverse suppliers including LGBT businesses.

For more information about Marriott’s global diversity and inclusion initiatives, visit www.marriott.com/diversity.

Visit Marriott International, Inc. (NYSE: MAR) for company information. For more information or reservations, please visit our website at www.marriott.com, and for the latest company news, visit www.marriottnewscenter.com.  

Connect with felicia.mclemore@marriott.com

 

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Marriott's Website Named Fastest in Industry by USA Today Study

Top-Ten Consumer Website Ranked #1 in Performance.

When booking a hotel room online, marriott.com users are experiencing the best the Internet has to offer.  According to a recent USA Today-commissioned study, Marriott International (NYSE: MAR) beat all others as the fastest and best performing lodging website.

By winning the top spot, marriott.com (http://www.marriott.com) earned the Gold Award for “Best of the Web.”  This designation came from USA Today’s partner in the study, Compuware.  The study’s metrics included speed, navigation and room details.  Extensive testing found that marriott.com loads quicker than two seconds.  Other hotel websites were sluggish, some taking up to eight seconds to load. 

For our guests, booking a room online is the beginning of their hotel experience and this study validates our own customer surveys.  Our guests give marriott.com high marks.

“We design our websites to please our guests, who are looking for speed, rich content, features and ease of use,” said Shafiq Khan, Senior VP e-commerce, Marriott International.  “Delivering on all of these simultaneously is a difficult balancing act, made even more challenging by the fact that we have practically re-invented our website in the last 18 months.”  

“Marriott’s commendable site performance is proof that it puts its customers’ online experiences front and center,” said Bruce Reading, Senior Vice President, Compuware.

Marriott.com has more than 12 million visits monthly and growing.  It is among the top ten consumer retail sites in the world in revenue.  Through its main website, users can access home pages for more than 3600 hotels globally.  Marriott’s multilingual websites are supported by services and technology from www.translations.com.

Compuware, a technology performance company, tested 47 hotel booking sites using its “Gomez platform.” Click here to read the study methodology: http://bit.ly/jaIqSE

Visit Marriott International, Inc. (NYSE: MAR) for company information. For more information or reservations, please visit our web site at www.marriott.com , and for the latest company news, visit www.marriottnewscenter.com.

COMPUWARE
For nearly 40 years, Compuware has led the way on solutions for application performance management, business portfolio management and mainframe solutions. Its “Gomez” benchmarks are the industry leader in comparing websites.  Compuware makes the world’s most important technologies perform at their best. When technology performance really matters — and it matters now more than ever — organizations, including 46 of the top 50 Fortune 500 companies and 12 of the 20 most visited U.S. web sites, turn to Compuware.

Connect with sarah.lee2@marriott.com 

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Marriott International’s Annual Report “Opens Doors” to Stunning Hotels Worldwide

Video Message for 2010 Report Showcases Company’s Global Reach

Marriott International, Inc. (NYSE: MAR) features some of the most eye-catching hotels in the world in its just-issued interactive 2010 Annual Report online at www.marriott.com/investor. 

The report includes an executive discussion of the company’s business, a comprehensive overview of Marriott’s 18 brands, and easy-to-navigate financial and performance information.  Another highlight—exclusive to the online version— is a 5-minute engaging video with Chairman and CEO Bill Marriott and President and COO Arne Sorenson, who along with Marriott’s global team of associates, virtually “open doors” to some of the company’s global portfolio of hotels.    

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Loved The Bed During Your Latest Vacation?

Now You Can Buy it For 20 Percent Off!

The annual Bed & Bath Sale is here. ShopMarriott.com, ShopCourtyard.com and CollectRenaissance.com are featuring sheets, pillows, mattresses, duvets, pillows, robes, bath products and much more at 20 percent off their regular price. In addition, Marriott Rewards members receive a $50 BonusBuck to spend on a future purchase for every $250 spent. To receive the BonusBucks enter code Summer10 plus your Marriott Rewards number. After September 9, everything goes back to full price. 

For more questions go online http://www.shopmarriott.com/saleentry.aspx or call 1.800.311.0708.

Connect with laurie.goldstein@marriott.com

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Marriott Reservation System Ready for Global Growth

CIO Magazine Honors Marriott With 2010 CIO 100 Award

International Data Group's (IDG) CIO magazine has announced that Marriott International, Inc. is a recipient of the 2010 CIO 100 award for the eleventh time.  The 23rd annual award program recognizes organizations around the world that exemplify the highest level of operational and strategic excellence in information technology (IT). 

In an effort to support hotel operations and profitability Marriott leverages electronic distribution channels to distribute room inventory to a broad cross-section of customers. Read more

Marriott's Collection of Large Meeting Hotels & Resorts Launch New Tools to Make Searching, Planning and Billing Easier for Planners

Marriott’s new Innovention Network, a premier collection of 60 of the company’s largest meeting and convention hotels and resorts, is set to revolutionize the meetings industry with a new brand of service.  The pre-convention to post-convention conveniences, including a streamlined billing system; a new meeting-focused website; and new communications procedures between the customers, event managers and general managers, will ensure a seamless meeting experience. 

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The Marriott News Center Debuts on Marriott.com

Your Front Door to Marriott Global News and Conversation

Marriott International invites you to check out the Marriott News Center (www.MarriottNewsCenter.com) - your front door to all global news and conversation.  With this new social and multimedia hub on Marriott.com, which welcomes 12 million unique visitors a month, there’s just one single place to connect for all Marriott online news, photos, videos, blogs, Twitter feeds, and more. Plus, we’ve made it easy for you to share breaking news with your own friends and followers, and share your own thoughts and opinions, too.

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Marriott Refreshes the Marriott.com Experience

Now Easier for Customers to Find, Book Hotels, and Earn Marriott Rewards® Points -- With Over $6 Billion in Annual Gross Revenue, Marriott.com is the 7th Largest Online Retail Site*  
 
Marriott International (NYSE:MAR) has unveiled the new look of Marriott.com, the world’s 7th largest online consumer retail site.*  It is the first in a series of improvements to Marriott.com that will make it easier for guests to find and book hotels and manage their Marriott Rewards® account online.  Customers will also continue to earn Marriott Rewards® points, get the lowest rates backed by Marriott’s Look No Further® Best Rate Guarantee, and incur no cancellation fees on most reservations.

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