May 17, 2011 - Marriott International (NYSE:MAR) has been named to operate three hotels in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, under a long-term agreement announced May 17, 2011, with Jabal Omar Development Company. Scheduled to open in two phases beginning in 2014, the hotels are the:

• 636-room luxury JW Marriott Hotel Makkah
• 540-room deluxe Makkah Marriott Hotel
• 432-room upper-moderately-priced Courtyard by Marriott Makkah

Located directly on the Haram overlooking the Grand Mosque’s plaza in central Makkah, the Makkah Marriott hotel will open in Phase 1, followed by the JW Marriott- and Courtyard-branded properties approximately a year later. When completed, the three hotels will be part of an impressive multi-use development that will also include high-quality residential villas, retail services and other accommodations.

“We are honored to participate in this exceptional development that is historic in its magnitude in Islam’s holiest city with three of our most highly regarded and iconic lodging brands,” said Ed Fuller, president & managing director of international lodging for Marriott. “These hotels will provide worshippers and visitors to Makkah with an array of outstanding accommodations and services at a range of price points to fit virtually any travel requirement.

Joining Marriott International’s luxury collection of the most distinctive and elegant hotels bearing the Marriott name, the JW Marriott Hotel Makkah will offer unique environments, spacious guest rooms with luxurious amenities, imaginative dining experiences and an overall heightened level of sophistication without pretense.

Its choice of guest rooms will include a number of duplex suites, more than 200 junior suites and more than 400 standard king and double accommodations. All will feature contemporary, stylish furnishings and amenities, state of the art connectivity, flat-screen, high definition television, in-room safes and luxurious baths. Approximately 50 percent of the guest rooms will connect with others to accommodate larger families.

For dining, the hotel will offer five distinctive restaurants and lounges ranging in ambience from casual to specialty. Other hotel amenities will include a full-service business center, 24-hour room service and a gift shop.

True to its heritage as Marriott International’s original iconic brand, the Makkah Marriott Hotel will blend the latest in residential design, bold color and dramatic lighting—all designed to inspire and energize.  Approximately 50 percent of its guest rooms will interconnect and all will offer Marriott signature bedding as well as flat-screen television with enhanced audio options, high-speed Internet access and connectivity data ports.

For dining, the hotel will have a choice of casual and specialty restaurants, a versatile lobby lounge that will serve as the social center for guests and a coffee shop. The hotel will also offer 3,465 square feet of conference space comprised of four individual meeting rooms. Other amenities include a business center, room service and retail space.

The Courtyard by Marriott Makkah will reflect the local ambience in an open-design, casual environment. About 50 percent of its guest rooms will interconnect and all will feature baths with separate tub and showers. For dining, it will have an all-day casual restaurant serving local delicacies and international favorites. Other amenities will include a business center and room service.

The Marriott International portfolio in Saudi Arabia is currently represented by three hotels: the Riyadh Marriott, the Jeddah Marriott and the Madina Marriott. Another five properties are currently under development and are scheduled to open through 2014. They are the 119-unt  Riyadh Marriott Executive Apartments (2011), the 495-room The Ritz-Carlton, Riyadh (2011), the 288-room Courtyard by Marriott Riyadh (2012), the 129-room Courtyard by Marriott Jizan and the 100-unit Marriott Executive Apartments Jeddah (2014).

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