Courtyard by Marriott Reaches 100,000-Room Milestone With Opening of 218-Room Hotel in Moscow

WASHINGTON, Dec. 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Courtyard by Marriott, Marriott International's moderately-priced lodging brand, reached the 100,000-room milestone today as the 218-room Courtyard by Marriott Moscow City Center opened within a 10-minute walk from the Kremlin. It is the first Courtyard by Marriott hotel in Russia.

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In a ceremony held today at the hotel which offers spectacular views of the Kremlin, room 713 was designated as the "official" 100,000th guest room. A plaque commemorating the milestone was placed at its entrance. Marriott Rewards Gold member, Mr. Curtis Howes, was selected as the first guest to stay in the 100,000th room. "I am thrilled to have been chosen to help celebrate this very special milestone for Courtyard by Marriott hotels here in Moscow. As a frequent business traveler I have come to rely on the service and hospitality that Courtyard by Marriott hotels offer around the world," said Mr. Howes. Guests staying at the hotel, as well as local members of the community and a number of Marriott executives, were invited to attend the celebration co-sponsored by Delta Air Lines.

Introduced in 1983 in Atlanta, Ga., Courtyard by Marriott now ranks as the 13th largest lodging chain in the world, represented by nearly 700 hotels in 42 states in the United States and located in 22 countries and territories world-wide. As Marriott's fastest-growing brand, two of every five Courtyards in the next three years will be located outside the continental United States. Currently, the brand offers more than 10,000 rooms outside the United States.

"When we brought the first Courtyard onto the market it was a break- through lodging product that was an instant success as travelers and hotel developers embraced its concept of consistently high-quality accommodations and services in a comfortable atmosphere at moderate prices," said Chad Waetzig, senior vice president of brand management, select service brands, at Marriott International.

He said that Courtyard was the result of more than two years of in-depth market research that probed traveler needs and interests. The brand has evolved over the years to reflect changing customer preferences, and today, it is a hotel chain that easily adapts to and reflects regional global tastes.

The Courtyard by Marriott Moscow City Center is located at Voznesenskiy Pereulok 7, in the heart of the city between Tverskaya and Nikitskaya Streets and is being operated under a lease-management agreement with BSK-Baltic Construction Company. It is the fifth Marriott International-branded property in Moscow and seventh hotel in Russia. Nearby are Red Square, GUM department store, the Bolshoi Theater and other well-known points of interest. Sheremetyevo International Airport is 30 kilometers away.

Room rates between Dec. 18, 2005 and January 14, 2006 start at $295 USD plus tax. A special weekend package, "Stay for Breakfast," is being offered at $225 USD plus tax.

For dining and entertainment, the Courtyard by Marriott Moscow City Center offers several options including the Terraneo-Cuisine of the sun, an all-day dining restaurant with a Mediterranean flavor, and Flat Iron Bar & Road House, featuring casual dining and beverage in a rustic, oak-wood setting. Other amenities include a state-of-the-art health club, a business center, 24-hour room service, a currency exchange office, an ATM, limousine service, underground parking, same-day laundry and dry-cleaning service, and complimentary newspaper and morning coffee/tea in the lobby between the hours of 6 a.m. and 9 a.m.

Guest rooms feature high-speed Internet access, two-line phones, a work desk, satellite television and radio, individual climate control, alarm clock, in-house movies, mini-bar, safe, and iron and ironing board. Wireless LAN is available in public areas.

For social events and small conferences, the Courtyard by Marriott Moscow City Center has four conference rooms offering a total of 300 square meters of space capable of accommodating up to 150 people. In addition, the hotel has the Grand Courtyard Atrium with 360 square meters of space for up to 400 persons. Ethernet and wireless LAN access is available in all function space.

General Manager is Marco Fien; director of sales is Vanja Desmonde.

The Courtyard by Marriott Moscow City Center, along with 2,400 other hotels, participates in the highly acclaimed Marriott Rewards(R) frequent guest loyalty program.

There are 27 Courtyard by Marriott properties operating in eight countries in continental Europe. Another eight are under construction and scheduled to open over the next two years. They include:

* 100-room Courtyard by Marriott Venice Airport which is scheduled to open in mid-January 2006 approximately one kilometer from Venice Marco Polo Airport and offering easy access to Venice City Centre-San Marco by public boat from Darsena. The hotel will have complimentary shuttle service to and from the airport and will offer an indoor swimming pool; sauna; steam bath; fitness center; and a mini-spa offering massage, reflex zone therapy and physiotherapy. * 161-room Courtyard by Marriott Prague, Czech Republic, opening in 2006 * 241-room Courtyard by Marriott Munich City Center, Germany, opening in 2006 * 150-room Courtyard by Marriott Colombes, France, opening in 2006 * 198-room Courtyard by Marriott Gelsenkirchen, Germany, opening in 2006 * 118-room Courtyard by Marriott Vienna Schonbrunn, Austria, opening in 2006 * 235-room Courtyard by Marriott Prague Airport, Czech Republic, opening in 2007 * 195-room Courtyard by Marriott Plzen, Czech Republic, opening in 2007

The Marriott International portfolio in Moscow currently includes three Marriott-branded properties and a Renaissance-branded hotel. Elsewhere in Russia, the portfolio offers Renaissance-branded hotels in Samara and St. Petersburg.

Marriott International is a leading lodging company with more than 2,700 lodging properties in 66 countries and territories. Marriott International operates and franchises hotels under the Marriott, JW Marriott, Renaissance, Bulgari, The Ritz-Carlton, Courtyard, Residence Inn, SpringHill Suites, TownePlace Suites, and Fairfield Inn brand names; develops and operates vacation ownership resorts under the Marriott Vacation Club International, The Ritz-Carlton Club, Grand Residences by Marriott, and Horizons brands; operates Marriott Executive Apartments; provides furnished corporate housing through its Marriott ExecuStay division; operates conference centers; and manages golf courses. The company is headquartered in metropolitan Washington, D.C. It is ranked as the lodging industry's most admired company and one of the best places to work for by Fortune magazine. In fiscal year 2004, Marriott International reported sales from continuing operations of $10 billion, and the company had approximately 133,000 employees at yearend 2004. For more information or reservations, please visit our website at http://www.marriott.com/.