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Marriott International Plans to Increase Spending Among Diverse
Suppliers to 15% by 2009; Expands Program

BETHESDA, Md., Aug. 16, 2007 - Marriott International, Inc. (NYSE: MAR) announced today plans to increase spending among diverse
suppliers to 15 percent by 2009. Additionally, the program will expand to include a new category for Lesbian, Gay, Bi-sexual and Transgender (LGBT) suppliers and international markets, Brazil and the United Kingdom.
    
"Last year, our company reached record levels in spending," said Mike Tobolski, senior director, Diversity Initiatives, Marriott International,
Inc. "We plan to build on our company's success in the U.S. and expand our program to nurture relationships internationally and within the LGBT community."
    
In April, Marriott became a corporate member of the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce. Additionally, Marriott announced, earlier this year, a record spend of $400 million among diverse suppliers in 2006, $40 million alone with Hispanic-owned businesses. In 2005, the company set a goal to spend more than $1 billion with diverse suppliers by 2010. Marriott is well on track to achieve its goals ahead of schedule.
    
The success of Marriott's diversity programs has been nationally recognized. This year, Marriott was named "Top 50 Companies for Supplier Diversity" by Hispanic Trends magazine, "Top 50 Companies for Diversity" by DiversityInc and "Top 40 Companies for Diversity" by Black Enterprise.
 
Marriott evaluates every company on the basis of meeting the following requirements:

    * Be certified as a minority, women, disabled, or GLBT-owned business as defined below:
      A for-profit business enterprise which is at least 51% owned, operated, and controlled by United States citizens who belong to the following groups:

          Woman
          African American
          Asian American
          Hispanic American
          Native American
          Disabled American
          Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, or Transgender American

    * Have a minimum 3-year business history
    * Meet or exceed our high standards of quality
    * Provide excellent service
    * Offer competitive pricing
    * Provide value-added products or services
    * Meet our insurance and indemnification requirements
    * Can provide on-time deliveries
    * Food-manufacturers or distributors must be Quality Assurance inspected by an approved third party
    * Hospitality references a plus

Realistically, Marriott is not able to do business with every company that contacts us. But we welcome the opportunity to build strong, rewarding relationships with high-quality, diverse suppliers and service providers in our communities.

For more information on Marriott supplier diversity program, visit http://www.marriott.com.
    
MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL, INC. (NYSE: MAR) is a leading lodging company with nearly 2,900 lodging properties in the United States and 68 other countries and territories. 

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Contact:

 Marriott International, Inc.
http://www.marriott.com
 

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Also See: Diversity at Marriott a Critical Component for Long-term Growth and Success, Raising the Bar Each Year / March 2007
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