Marriott International, Inc. (NYSE:MAR) announced the opening of its first hotel in Ireland, the 137-room Druids Glen Marriott Hotel & Country Club, which is located 20 miles south of Dublin. The hotel is built on the site of the famous 400-acre Druids Glen golf resort.

The hotel is owned by the Obalus Hotel Company Ltd. Nuala Cashman is the general manager.

The Druids Glen Marriott Hotel & Country Club is offering a special introductory rate of 150 Euros (approximate STG £93) per room per night, including tax. The special rate is available until May 30, 2002.

The three-story, natural stone building offers views of the golf course, Sugarloaf Mountains and the Irish Sea. Arranged in a series of pavilions and courtyards, the hotel is divided into three sections. The central block contains the entrance, lobby, bars and restaurants, and the other two blocks contain a dedicated conference center, guest rooms, spa and health club. A sweeping marble staircase, enclosed in a tower, is a modern adaptation of a medieval turret and forms the tallest part of the building. Several top artists were commissioned to develop works with a Celtic theme for the hotel, including tapestries, sculptures and paintings depicting Irish mythology. Celtic themes were also used in the carpets.

The majority of guest rooms measure 398 square feet and have separate bath tubs and showers, hair dryers, irons/ironing boards, room safes, mini-bars, tea/coffee facilities, televisions with movie channels, data port, air conditioning and two direct-dial telephones.

For dining and entertainment, there are two restaurants - Flynn’s Steakhouse, a candlelit setting offering Irish steaks, and Druids Restaurant, offering an international menu for breakfast, lunch and dinner. In addition, there is a bar called The Thirteenth, which offers views of the golf course.

For recreation, guest can take advantage of the hotel’s spa and health club, which features a 59-foot swimming pool, whirlpool, solarium, steam room, aroma steam and hydrotherapy rooms, and a fitness suite that overlooks the pool area. The spa has four treatment rooms and offers a wide range of massage and beauty treatments.

The Druids Glen Marriott Hotel & Country Club boasts an extensive golf facility, including a clubhouse, golf academy and practice area. A second 18-hole championship golf course, Druids Heath, is under construction. Druids Glen has hosted four Irish Opens, 1996-1999, and was voted European Golf Course of the Year by the Hertz International Travel Awards in 2000. On April 19-21, Druids Glen will host the prestigious Seve Trophy golf tournament, where the top 10 European golfers will battle it out Ryder Cup style against the top ten players in the U.K. and Ireland.

For meetings and social events, the hotel has over 8,000 square feet of meeting space, including the 3,933-square-foot James Joyce ballroom. There are also five meeting rooms with natural light and two boardrooms. The hotel can cater events of up to 200 people. A full range of audiovisual equipment is available, and the hotel’s business center offers secretarial services.

Reservations can be made through Marriott International’s toll-free reservations number, by calling the hotel directly or through a travel agent.

The Druids Glen Marriott Hotel & Country Club, along with over 2,100 Marriott-affiliated hotels worldwide, participates in Marriott Rewards, the guest reward program that allows members to earn their choice of points or airline miles for dollars spent during each stay.

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