"My vision is to take an already great sales organization and continue its journey to become world-class," said Linnartz. "Our strategy is clear: we have to think and act globally, be innovative and in touch with the new ways our customers are doing business, and continue to keep our customer relationships at the center of everything we do."

In her most recent assignment as senior vice president, sales and marketing planning and support, Linnartz helped to launch Sales Force One which significantly expands the company's ability to cover more customer accounts and increase revenues and profits.

"Stephanie is a proven leader with demonstrated results, and is the ideal candidate to champion the sales organization, which is such a vital asset to our company," said McPherson.

Linnartz joined Marriott in 1997, working in finance and business development. She later held management positions in revenue management and sales and marketing.

As the daughter of Daniel and Valerie Coleman, owners of the Phoenix Park Hotel and Dubliner Irish Restaurant and Pub in Washington, D.C., Linnartz grew up in the hotel business. She served as sales manager at the Phoenix Park Hotel before moving to sales and catering roles at Hilton hotels in Honolulu and Washington, D.C.

Linnartz graduated from Holy Cross College in Worcester, Mass., with a bachelor's degree in political science and earned her master's in business administration from the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Va. She resides in Chevy Chase, Md., with her husband and two children.

MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL, Inc. (NYSE:MAR) is a leading lodging company with more than 3,000 lodging properties in the United States and 66 other countries and territories. Marriott International operates and franchises hotels under the Marriott, JW Marriott, The Ritz-Carlton, Renaissance, Residence Inn, Courtyard, TownePlace Suites, Fairfield Inn, SpringHill Suites and Bulgari brand names; develops and operates vacation ownership resorts under the Marriott Vacation Club, Horizons by Marriott Vacation Club, The Ritz-Carlton Club and Grand Residences by Marriott brands; operates Marriott Executive Apartments; provides furnished corporate housing through its Marriott ExecuStay division; and operates conference centers. The company is headquartered in Bethesda, Md., and had approximately 151,000 employees at 2007 year-end. It is ranked as the lodging industry's most admired company and one of the best companies to work for by FORTUNE(R), and has been recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with the 2007 Sustained Excellence Award and Partner of the Year since 2004. In fiscal year 2007, Marriott International reported sales from continuing operations of $13 billion. For more information or reservations, please visit our web site at http://www.marriott.com/. 

Marriott International, Inc. 
Stephanie Hampton, +1-301-380-1217,
[email protected]