BETHESDA, Md., March 22, 2011-- Paul Adan has been named vice president of development, based in the regional offices in Weston, Florida, reporting to Laurent de Kousemaeker, chief development officer for Marriott in the Caribbean & Latin America region. Mr. Adan has more than 15 years of hotel development and consulting experienced in the region with Hilton International, Sol Melia and NH Hotels, as well as consulting firms CB Richard Ellis and Aguirre Newman America, focused on Latin America.

"Latin America today is very different from Latin America of the past, as evidenced by its strong performance during the global economic crisis and improved political stability, and the hotel industry has rebounded well," said de Kousemaeker. "We are reinforcing our hotel development focus in the region to better engage and understand the local dynamics.  We are thrilled to have Paul on board. His deep local market knowledge and strategic focus, combined with his extensive hotel investment experience will ensure our success working with our current and future partners in the region."

In his new role, Mr. Adan will be responsible for the overall hotel development in Latin America (excluding Mexico and Brazil).  Marriott International currently offers 21 open hotels and 10 hotels under development in this region, spanning six lodging brands including Marriott, JW Marriott, The Ritz-Carlton, Renaissance, Residence Inn and Courtyard.

MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL, INC. (NYSE: MAR) is a leading lodging company with more than 3,500 lodging properties in 70 countries and territories. Marriott International operates and franchises hotels under the Marriott, JW Marriott, The Ritz-Carlton, EDITION, Autograph Collection, Renaissance, Residence Inn, Courtyard, TownePlace Suites, Fairfield Inn & Suites, SpringHill Suites and Bulgari brand names; develops and operates vacation ownership resorts under the Marriott Vacation Club, The Ritz-Carlton Destination Club, and Grand Residences by Marriott brands; licenses and manages whole-ownership residential brands, including The Ritz-Carlton Residences, JW Marriott Residences and Marriott Residences; operates Marriott Executive Apartments; provides furnished corporate housing through its Marriott ExecuStay division; and operates conference centers. The company is headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, USA, and had approximately 129,000 employees at 2010 year-end. It is ranked by FORTUNE as the lodging industry's most admired company and one of the best companies to work for.  In fiscal year 2010, Marriott International reported sales from continuing operations of nearly $12 billion. For more information or reservations, please visit our website at www.marriott.com, and for the latest company news, visit www.marriottnewscenter.com.