Brooklyn, New York (January 20, 2005) - Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg today joined Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, Joshua Muss, president and CEO of Muss Development Company, and Steve Sharple, senior vice president, Marriott Northeast Region, to break ground for the expansion of the New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge in Renaissance Plaza and to salute the growing convention and tourism business in Downtown Brooklyn.

The planned 24-story expansion will provide 280 additional guest rooms, for a total of 656 guest rooms, as well as premium retail space along Adams Street. The pedestrian plaza between Adams and Jay Streets will be improved with new street furniture, lighting and landscaping.  A two level pedestrian bridge will link the expansion to the existing hotel. 

"An expanded Marriott hotel will not only add capacity to one of the City's busiest hotels but will also support Brooklyn's growing convention and tourism business which is increasingly vital to the area's growth," said Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg. "This $77 million project will add 280 rooms, produce 600 construction jobs and more than 100 permanent jobs, and will generate millions in new tax revenue.  Our City's tourism industry is booming. A new all-time high of 39.6 million people visited New York last year, generating $23 billion in business activity, supporting more than a quarter-million jobs in our city. Visitors are coming here in record numbers because we're making the City - and Brooklyn - cleaner, safer, and more exciting every day. Marriott's renewed commitment to the area is just another sign that our five-borough economic development strategy is working by extending our city of opportunity to people and businesses in every borough - and making New York the world's most exciting place to live, work and visit." 
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from left to right are: Sam Ibrahim, General Manager, Marriott Hotel at the
Brooklyn Bridge; Jason Muss, Muss Development Company; Joshua Muss,
Muss Development Company; Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg; Borough
President Marty Markowitz; Executive Chef Walter Plendner, Marriott
Hotel at the Brooklyn Bridge.
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"The development reflects the cooperation of the city administration, the participation of our lenders, the enthusiasm and professionalism of the Marriott Corporation and the underlying spirit and vitality of downtown Brooklyn," said Mr. Muss. "I am particularly grateful to Mayor Bloomberg and EDC President Andrew Alper for their leadership and to Borough President Markowitz for his unwavering dedication and support."

"The banquet and meeting space provided at the New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge have proven almost as important as the outstanding guest rooms," said Mr. Sharple of Marriott International. "They provide a superb venue for corporate meetings and social events, as well as trade association meetings and conferences, and educational and cultural institutions."

"The expansion of the New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge demonstrates the strength and growth of our city's tourism industry. Efforts to encourage travel to all five boroughs are reflected in the activities of the nearly 40 million visitors that come to New York each  year," said Cristyne L. Nicholas, president and CEO of NYC & Company, the city's official tourism marketing organization. "Today's investments in tourism infrastructure in Brooklyn, from the Marriott to the cruise line terminals at Red Hook, will create jobs and opportunity for future generations."

"Renewed interest in Downtown Brooklyn, rising property values, and the hard work of dedicated community members has led to plans for several new large-scale construction projects in the area," said Councilmember David Yassky. "The expansion will continue to help Downtown Brooklyn's revitalization." 

"I support the expansion of the New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge," said Councilmember Letitia James. "The hotel industry has done a lot to address the high rate of unemployment within communities of color through their outreach efforts, and has been an excellent corporate neighbor by also including minority businesses in their development and construction phases. I welcome the addition."

The additional sleeping rooms will enable the hotel to reach out to long-lead groups and convention business, while remaining flexible to meet local needs and provide availability for individual business travelers as well as leisure travelers. 

Designated "Marriott Hotel of the Year" two years in a row (2000 and 2001), it rated higher than any of the 300 full-service hotels in the chain. Based on surveys of customer satisfaction, associate satisfaction and sales, it continues to receive outstanding marks. 

Located within Renaissance Plaza, and adjacent to the Metro Tech Center, Brooklyn's courthouses, municipal buildings, surrounding universities and major tourist attractions, the New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge is within five minutes of the sights and sounds of Manhattan, Wall Street and the financial district, with nine major subway lines all within one block. The New York Marriott at the Brooklyn Bridge is the first and only full service hotel in Brooklyn. When it opened in 1998, it was the first new hotel to be built in Brooklyn in 64 years.

About Muss Development Company:  Muss Development Company has expanded to become the largest ongoing development company in the boroughs of New York City by the measure of product built (over 10 million square feet of commercial, residential, industrial and retail) and planned (5 million square feet). With a highly professional staff handling all aspects of development including initial planning and approvals, construction, marketing, sales, leasing, and management, Muss buildings are owned and operated for the long term. The process enables the economies necessary to compete in the boroughs of New York City, while assuring an attractive, first-class quality product that will endure.

About Marriott Hotels: MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL, INC. (NYSE:MAR) is a leading lodging company with over 2,800 lodging properties in the United States and 69 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, Ramada International and Bulgari brand names; develops and operates vacation ownership resorts under the Marriott Vacation Club International, Horizons, The Ritz-Carlton Club and Marriott Grand Residence Club brands; operates Marriott Executive Apartments; provides furnished corporate housing through its Marriott ExecuStay division; and operates conference centers. The company is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and has approximately 128,000 employees.  In fiscal year 2003, Marriott International reported sales from continuing operations of $9 billion.