Marriott International, Inc. (NYSE:MAR) will expand its lodging portfolio in Jordan with the opening of the Jordan Valley Marriott Resort & Spa on Oct. 20 , 2002. The resort will be the company’s third full-service hotel in Jordan. It is owned by BTC (Business Tourism Company Limited) in Amman, Jordan, an affiliate of AIHC (Arab International Hotels Company Limited, also the owning company of the Amman Marriott Hotel).

Philip Papadopoulos is the general manager for the Jordan Valley Marriott Resort & Spa. Opening rates are US$92.

Mr. Nadim Muasher, chairman of the board for BTC and AIHC said, “We are thrilled that the Jordan Valley Marriott Resort & Spa is joining the Amman Marriott Hotel and the Petra Marriott Hotel. We appreciate Marriott’s high quality and professionalism in managing our properties, and we shall soon embark on the development of the fourth Marriott property in Jordan, the Aqaba Marriott Resort on the Red Sea.”

Located 400 meters below sea level, the lowest point on Earth, the Jordan Valley Marriott Resort & Spa features views of the Dead Sea from each of its 216 guest rooms and from nearly every facility and restaurant on the property. The resort, a 40-minute drive from Jordan’s capital city of Amman, is set along the mineral-rich sea, which has been revered for its healing powers since ancient times.

For recreation, the resort offers beach volleyball, a tennis court and jogging areas. Children can play in the “mushroom pool” and on the water slide. They can also play the resort’s video games or surf the Internet in the hotel’s game room or watch movies in the two movie theaters.

The resort’s three large, free-form swimming pools with four whirlpools are the central features of its outdoor area leading to the shoreline, which also include beach-front terraces and an entertainment amphitheater overlooking the Dead Sea. One of the pools even includes an invigorating stand-up water massage.

The 3,000-square-meter Spa at the Jordan Valley Marriott Resort offers guests a menu of treatments and facilities to unwind, de-stress and reinvigorate. All of this is enhanced by the tranquil surroundings of the northern end of the Dead Sea, where a typical Mediterranean climate of mild winters and hot summers, high barometric pressure, and dry, unpolluted, pollen-free air are year-round characteristics. Guests can choose from an almost unending array of treatments, including the Jordan Valley “Signature Treatment” in which the body is exfoliated with local loofah and natural Dead Sea salts and then swathed with healing Dead Sea mud. The Spa’s restaurant, Nectarines, serves light and healthy dishes.

For dining and entertainment, the Jordan Valley Marriott Resort & Spa offers a wide range of choices, with 12 food and beverage outlets. Additionally, the resort has live entertainment in the lobby lounge and beach area.

For meetings, conference and events, the resort has four meeting rooms and a large ballroom, which is divisible into two rooms and can host 450 guests. There are also two cinemas that seat 75 people each and can be used as auditoriums.

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 Office can also provide assistance and additional information.

Marriott International is represented by two other hotels in Jordan - the 268-room Amman Marriott Hotel, which recently celebrated its 20-year anniversary, and the 99-room Petra Marriott Hotel. The Aqaba Marriott Hotel & Resort is scheduled to open in 2004.

The Jordan Valley Marriott Resort & Spa, along with more than 2,100 affiliated hotels worldwide, participates in Marriott Rewards, the guest program that allows members to earn their choice of points or airline miles for dollars spent during each stay

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