The North Central Group, Owner and Operator 28 Hotels, Earns 22 Awards from Hilton and Marriott During 2009 / May 2010

Middleton, Wisconsin, May 20, 2010 � Hotel owner and developer, The North Central Group, announced today that its managed properties recently earned an incredible 22 awards and honors from Hilton® and Marriott® for the 2009 calendar year. These award-winning hotels represent the best of the best in their respective brands.

Each hotel brand within the Hilton and Marriott families recognizes its top performing hotels each spring based on the prior year�s accomplishments. For The North Central Group, the recognition spans across several of the hotels within their portfolio of 28 properties.

Dennis Clark, General Manager of Courtyard by Marriott - Madison East, Wisconsin, was the only General Manager selected from all of North America�s 600 Courtyard by Marriott hotels as the 2009 General Manager of the Year. This top honor has stringent criteria related to team development, leadership, financial management and community service. Clark�s hotel was also 1 of only 11 Courtyard by Marriott hotels in the world to receive the brand�s Diamond Award. This award is earned by hotels at the pinnacle of hotel performance, adhering to rigorous criteria in guest satisfaction, hotel operations, and RevPAR Index (fair share of revenue compared to its competitors).

Hilton�s highest honor, the prestigious Connie Award, was presented to two hotels within The North Central Group family: Homewood Suites by Hilton - Phoenix North/Happy Valley, Arizona, and Homewood Suites by Hilton - Omaha Downtown, Nebraska. This award is earned by the top 1% of all Homewood Suites hotels based on guest satisfaction scores and product quality.

Additional awards and honors for The North Central Group hotels include:

Hampton Inn & Suites Omaha Southwest/LaVista, Nebraska, was honored with the brand�s Lighthouse Award. This esteemed award designates the chain�s top 5% in guest satisfaction and product quality among more than 1,800 Hampton hotels.

Three hotels within The North Central Group family earned the Circle of Excellence Award which goes to the top 10% of the entire Hampton brand in product quality and guest satisfaction:

Hampton Inn - Minneapolis Eagan/Mall of America Area in Eagan, Minnesota
Hampton Inn & Suites - Madison West, Wisconsin
Hampton Inn & Suites - Omaha Downtown, Nebraska

Hampton Inn � Appleton/Fox River Mall Area, Wisconsin, received the highest guest loyalty scores for 2009, earning the hotel the Loyalty Champion Award from the Hampton brand.

Hilton Garden Inn � Madison West/Middleton, Wisconsin, earned the Problem Resolution Award presented to the Hilton Garden Inn hotel with the highest overall service recovery scores for 2009.

Gerry Goldfarb, General Manager of Hampton Inn � Minneapolis Eagan/Mall of America Area in Eagan, Minnesota, was selected as 1 of only 14 General Managers from more than 1,800 hotels to participate in the Circle of Leadership Program through the Hampton brand.

Linda Saron, Regional General Manager of the Omaha Downtown Homewood Suites and Hampton Inn & Suites, was a Merit Award Winner and finalist for General Manager of the Year for Homewood Suites.

Bernadette Jenkins, Regional Sales Manager for the Omaha Downtown Homewood Suites and Hampton Inn & Suites, was a finalist for Director of Sales of the Year for the Homewood Suites brand.

Courtyard by Marriott - Madison West/Middleton, Wisconsin, is 1 of only 21 Courtyard by Marriott hotels in the world to earn the Platinum Award from the brand, an award granted to hotels achieving 90% or higher Overall Guest Satisfaction Score for 2009. The hotel also scored in the top three of all North American Courtyard hotels in Front Desk Friendliness, Breakfast Quality, and Staff�s Local Knowledge.

Courtyard by Marriott � Phoenix West/Avondale, Arizona, received the brand�s Gold Award, given to the top 15% in Overall Guest Satisfaction for all Courtyard by Marriott hotels.

Residence Inn by Marriott � Madison West/Middleton, Wisconsin, was honored with the Gold Award, granted to only the top 15% of all Residence Inn properties worldwide in Overall Guest Satisfaction. One of the hotel�s team members, Kari Thompson, was also chosen to participate in the brand�s Service So Memorable DVD.

Fairfield Inn & Suites � Madison West/Middleton, Wisconsin, earned the Silver Award, which goes to the top 25% of the brand in Overall Guest Satisfaction.

�We are incredibly proud of our team members and truly honored to be recognized like this by our Hilton and Marriott franchise partners. These awards and honors certainly validate our commitment to exceptional guest service and highest overall quality,� said Jonathan D. Bogatay, President and Chief Operating Officer of The North Central Group.

About The North Central Group
Built on enduring principles and an unbridled passion for hospitality and real estate development, The North Central Group is a Middleton, Wisconsin-based developer, owner and operator of �focused-service� hotels. The company currently operates 28 hotels under the Hilton and Marriott franchise brands throughout Wisconsin, Illinois, Nebraska, Minnesota, Iowa and Arizona. To learn more about The North Central Group and its hotels, visit www.ncghotels.com or call (608) 836-6060.

About Hilton Worldwide
Hilton Worldwide is the leading global hospitality company, with more than 3,500 hotels in 81 countries, including more than 135,000 team members worldwide. The company owns, manages or franchises some of the best known and highly regarded hotel brands including Hilton®, Conrad® Hotels & Resorts, Doubletree®, Embassy Suites Hotels®, Hampton Inn®, Hampton Inn & Suites®, Hilton Garden Inn®, Hilton Grand Vacations�, Homewood Suites by Hilton®, Home2 Suites by Hilton� and The Waldorf=Astoria Collection�. For more information or reservations, please visit www.hilton.com.

About Marriott International, Inc.
MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL, INC. (NYSE:MAR) is a leading worldwide hospitality company with more than 3,400 hotels or timeshare resorts across 18 brands in 68 countries and territories. Marriott International operates and franchises hotels under the Marriott® Hotels and Resorts, JW Marriott®, The Ritz-Carlton® Hotel Company, Bvlgari Hotels & Resorts®, Ritz-Carlton Reserve®, Edition Hotels, Autograph Collection Hotels, Renaissance® Hotels, Residence Inn by Marriott®, Courtyard by Marriott®, TownePlace Suites by Marriott®, Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott®, SpringHill Suites by Marriott®, Marriott Vacation Club®, The Ritz-Carlton Destination Club®, Grand Residences by Marriott®, Marriott ExecuStay®, Marriott Executive Apartments, and also operates conference centers. The company is headquartered in Bethesda, and has approximately 146,000 employees. For more information or reservations, please visit www.marriott.com.