BETHESDA, MD, USA – MARCH 29, 2012 – Renaissance Hotels, the original Lifestyle brand within Marriott International’s global family of brands, is excited to announce the addition of nine new properties opening this year in key international destinations including Barcelona, Shanghai, and the Tuscany region of Italy. This planned expansion will further grow Renaissance Hotels’ portfolio of lifestyle properties to include 160 hotels worldwide.

Openings for the new Renaissance Hotels are scheduled for various times throughout the year and include the following cities: Abu Dhabi, Barcelona, Shanghai, Rome, Warsaw, Amsterdam, Huizhou, Shenzhen, and Istanbul.

Highlights from a selection of new hotels include:

TUSCANY, ITALY
Re-opening this summer, following a complete renovation, the historic Il Ciocco Hotel in Barga, Italy will officially re-launch as the Renaissance Tuscany Il Ciocco Resort & Spa.  Located just 25 minutes from the city of Lucca, nestled in the heart of the Apennine Mountains, this historic resort is the perfect accommodation for leisure travelers looking to discover history and nature.

The hotel is appointed with 200 artful and classically styled rooms, 14 meeting rooms and over 107,000 sq ft of meeting space. Highlights of the hotel include a full-service beauty spa, indoor and outdoor pools, a modern fitness facility and sauna.

Hotel dining options include La Salette, an international fine-dining restaurant, La Veranda, a casual dining restaurant and the American Bar, which serves sandwiches and salads for lunch and dinner. Guests will also enjoy the pristine hiking trails, horseback riding and tennis courts.

Il Ciocco was built as a family retreat and is known as the “music hotel,” being the home of the first music video transmission in Europe and featured in Lionel Richie’s “All Night Long” video from 1984. The Renaissance Tuscany Il Ciocco Resort & Spa will join the Renaissance Hotel’s existing portfolio of 17 properties throughout Italy.

BARCELONA, SPAIN
The Renaissance Barcelona Hotel, located in the heart of historical and culturally rich city of Barcelona, will celebrate its grand opening on April 26th.  The hotel represents the second Renaissance hotel to open in Spain.

The hotel features 211 exclusive rooms and the property is an oasis of tranquility and wellness in the heart of a rich Mediterranean city. The hotel offers a 24-hour fitness center and a variety of dining options such as CRU Steak House, CUIT Bar and Lounge and La Terrassa roof top bar and lounge for guests to enjoy. Adorned with flowing waterfalls and outfitted with lounge furniture, La Terrassa is the perfect destination for basking in the sun while taking in stunning views of the Barcelona skyline.

Located in downtown Barcelona, the hotel is just steps away from Paseo de Gracia, the premier shopping and architectural district of Barcelona, Las Ramblas, a popular tourist attraction where travelers will find dozens of restaurants, shops and museums, as well as the famed Hotel Gaudí, where guests can see firsthand, the fascinating architecture of the famed Palau Güell.

The hotel also features a modern business center and eight unique facilities for meetings and events, each outfitted with modern technical and AV equipment.

SHANGHAI, CHINA
The sixth Renaissance Hotel in Shanghai, the Renaissance Shanghai Caohejing Hotel, is set to open its doors in the second quarter of 2012.  Featuring 383 spacious guest rooms, the hotel is centrally located in the Shanghai Caohejing Hi‐Tech Park district, and is easily accessible to the Xujiahui and Hongqiao business areas, where travelers can find the best of Shanghai’s shopping, dining and attractions.

The hotel features three distinct restaurants, each infused with the local flavors including Wan Li, a modern Cantonese Restaurant and Smoki Moto, an international barbecue restaurant with a Japanese twist. In addition, the hotel has a Club Lounge on the 25th floor with superior panoramic views of Shanghai, a full-service spa and an indoor swimming pool.

Artfully designed for both leisure and business travelers, the rooms are balanced with just the right amount of amenities including an LCD TV, iPod docking system, WIFI, in-room safe, hair dryer, bath tub, and separate rain shower room. For those planning a business meeting or social celebration, the hotel offers 14 meeting rooms and a total of 12,486 sq ft of event space, on‐site catering services and dedicated event planners to coordinate events from start to finish.

Renaissance Hotels represents a diverse collection of more than 150 hotels in 35 countries worldwide. Each property is unique, offering passionate travelers a one-of-kind experience and memories they will be sure to take with them long after they depart. Within every hotel, guests are greeted by an exceptional array of amenities and an inspiring world of local discoveries. For travelers looking to experience something new, innovative and locally driven programs including the industry leading entertainment platform RLife LIVE as well R Navigator, ensure that every trip is transformed into an eye-opening, unforgettable journey. Renaissance Hotels. Live Life To Discover. To discover more visit www.renhotels.com

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NOTE: The statements about the future additions of hotels are “forward looking statements" within the meaning of federal securities laws, not historical facts, and are subject to a number of risks and uncertainties, including supply and demand changes for hotel rooms; competitive conditions in the lodging industry; relationships with clients and property owners; the availability of capital to finance hotel growth; and other risk factors identified in Marriott International, Inc.'s most recent annual report on Form 10-K; any of which could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in or implied by our statements. These statements are made as of the date of this press release, and we undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.