WASHINGTON, DC - July 1, 2002 - Marriott International, Inc. (NYSE:MAR) opens the 269-room JW Marriott Hotel Caracas today, marking the first Marriott International hotel to open in Venezuela. The Latin America region is now home to five JW-brand hotels, which represent the most elegant and luxurious hotels in the Marriott lodging portfolio.

Located in the new main business district of Caracas on Avenida Venezuela, the JW Marriott Hotel Caracas is 30 miles from the Simon Bolivar International Airport. Guests can enjoy a number of nearby cultural attractions including the Bellas Artes Musem, Plaza Bolivar, El Hatillo Colonial Town and the Cultural Center Teresa Carreno. The hotel is also convenient to shopping malls, restaurants, beaches and the Country Club Golf Course.

Introductory rates begin at US$155 a night for a deluxe room, which includes a complimentary cocktail with canapés and a 10 percent discount on tour packages offered by the hotel’s on-site travel agency. The offer lasts until September 15, 2002.

Nihad Kattan is the general manager and Germinal Garcia is the director of marketing.

Each hotel room has a telephone equipped with voicemail and a PC jack, a minibar, hair dryer, laptop size in-room safe, individual climate control and a coffee maker. Other guest services include a business center with secretarial services, baby-sitting, valet parking, 24-hour room service, a car rental desk, laundry services and an executive level.

For dining and entertainment, the hotel has a main restaurant serving all three meals, as well as a café and lobby lounge. There are also a lively assortment of shops at the hotel including a gift shop, hair salon, photo shop, florist, art gallery, woman’s boutique, travel agency, bookstore and men’s clothing shop.

Other recreational amenities include an outdoor pool, a 3,229-square foot health club, a sauna and massage.

For business and social events, the JW Marriott Hotel Caracas has 10 meeting rooms with a total of 11,177 square feet. Flexible meeting space consists of the Armando Reveron Grand Ballroom (6,725 square feet), which is divisible into five sections, and the Arturo Michelana Jr. Ballroom (3,208 square feet), which can be divided into two sections. In addition, the Michelena III & IV offers 457 square feet and the Michelena V has 330 square feet.

JW Marriott hotels cater primarily to individual business and leisure travelers, who value a higher level of personal service and a casually luxurious environment that is both understated and tasteful. In Latin America, four other hotels carry the “JW” designation. They are located in Mexico City, Cancun, Lima and Quito. Another “JW” property is under development in Puerto Rico.
The JW Marriott Hotel Caracas along with more than 2,100-affiliated hotels worldwide participates in Marriott Rewards, the guest reward program that allows members to earn their choice of points, airline miles for dollars spent during each stay.

Advance reservations can be made by contacting a travel agent or calling toll-free in local markets. Marriott-appointed general sales agents and the local Marriott Global Sales Offices can also provide assistance.

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