Mar. 10, 2010--BETHESDA, Md. -- Salt River Devco, an enterprise of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, has signed a hotel management agreement with Marriott International to manage the first Marriott-branded hotel on U.S. tribal land. The Courtyard by Marriott will be located on the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community just outside of Scottsdale, Ariz. at the intersection of Jackrabbit and Pima roads with access off the Loop 101 Freeway at McDonald. The hotel will open in 2012.

"This is another important first for our community," said Diane Enos, president of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community. "This new property will be an excellent addition to our 101 Corridor development. It will serve spring training patrons, Devco office tenants, such as Fender, One Neck IT, Acclivity Healthcare, and many others. We are very pleased that Marriott is bringing the Courtyard brand to our home."

"Marriott is committed to working with diverse partners. We are always looking for partners that share similar philosophies and values and believe that we have found a great partner in the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community," said Eric Jacobs, senior vice president, Lodging Development, Marriott International. "It's a great example of Marriott's diverse ownership program, which currently has more than 500 diverse-owned hotels."

The 156-room hotel will feature the brand's new Refreshing Business lobby, including features like the exclusive, highly interactive GoBoard Technology, a 55-inch LCD touch screen packed with local information, maps, weather and news, and business and sports headlines. Guests can navigate using the touch screen to find restaurants, local attractions and print directions to their destination with a single touch. Free WiFi will also be available throughout the hotel to help keep guests connected.

For dining, the hotel will feature The Bistro -- Eat. Drink. Connect., which will offer casual, flexible seating; easier access to food and higher quality, healthier menu options for breakfast; and light evening fare, including snacks, cocktails, wine and beer so guests can unwind. Coffee lovers will also be able to enjoy freshly brewed Starbucks coffee.

The hotel will appeal to business, leisure and group travelers and will include 3,000 square feet of meeting space to accommodate small meetings, group functions and weddings. The property will be complemented with lush landscaping and a large Arizona-style swimming pool.

With more than 860 locations in 30 countries, Courtyard is Marriott's largest brand, and there are currently 150 more units in the global pipeline. All Courtyard by Marriott hotels participate in the award-winning Marriott Rewards frequent travel program that allows members to earn hotel points or airline miles for every dollar spent during each stay.

Salt River Devco is an asset management and commercial development company celebrating its 10th year in operation as an enterprise of the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community. Devco currently manages 108 acres of land and six commercial buildings comprised of 370,000 square feet at the Chaparral Business Center.

The center is a Class A office park, located along the 101 Corridor between Chaparral and McDonald Drive on the Salt River Pima-Maricopa Indian Community, and is home to 900 employees. The master plan calls for the development of eight more office buildings.

-----

To see more of Indian Country Today, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.indiancountry.com.

Copyright (c) 2010, Indian Country Today, Oneida, N.Y.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. For reprints, email [email protected], call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA. MAR,