The Marriott International (NYSE:MAR) lodging portfolio in Italy will expand with the opening in 2004 of the 571-room Rome Marriott Aurelia Hotel under a franchise agreement reached with Russottfinance S.p.A.

Located approximately 10 minutes by car from Rome’s Fiumicino International Airport, the hotel is prominently situated on a hillside adjacent to the intersection of the airport motorway and the Rome ring road. Alitalia’s headquarters, IBM, Ericsson, Marconi, Bosch and the Toyota regional headquarters are located nearby.

“We are delighted to see our hotel portfolio in Italy expand, especially with an airport hotel in Italy’s capital city, and to be working with Russottfinance on this project,” said Ed Fuller, president and managing director of international lodging for Marriott. He noted that Russottfinance is also the franchisee of the Milan Marriott hotel as well as the Ramada Hotel Venezia and the Ramada Hotel Giardini Naxos.

For dining and recreation, the Rome Marriott Aurelia Hotel will have a brasserie and private dining restaurant as well as a lobby lounge. Other amenities will include an executive lounge, a health club, outdoor swimming pool, business center and room service.

For conferences and social events, the Rome Marriott Aurelia Hotel will offer 60,375 square feet of flexible meeting space. Included will be a 20,000 square foot ballroom with a capacity for up to 3,000 people, a 10,960 square-foot banquet hall and a 10,400 square foot junior ballroom capable of accommodating up to 1,500 people. In addition, the hotel will have 22 individual meeting rooms in varying space configurations and capable of accommodating from 15 to 200 persons. These include five rooms at 280 square feet, three rooms at 535 square feet, nine rooms at 860 square feet, four rooms at 1,000 square feet and one meeting room at 4,270 square feet.

The Marriott International portfolio in Italy currently consists of six hotels representing its Marriott and Ramada International brands in Rome, Venice, Milan, Naxos (Sicily) and Verona.

The three hotels currently owned and operated in Italy by Russottfinance S.p.A. include the Milan Marriott, the Ramada Hotel Venezia and the Ramada Hotel Giardini Naxos.

The Milan Marriott Hotels is targeted to business and leisure travelers and provides traditional, modern services in an elegant and warm atmosphere. It is ideally situated for business, leisure, meetings and conventions and is within minutes of the Milan International Fairground. Its convention and meeting center is comprised of 14 meeting rooms that can accommodate up to 1,400 persons for conventions and 1,000 for banquets.

The Ramada Hotel Venezia is located in San Guiliano, in the immediate vicinity of the bridge spanning the lagoon that links the mainland to Venice. This modern, elegant hotel is ideal for travelers who plan to visit Venice by car. Its fully equipped conference center is one of the most renowned in northeastern Italy and can host exhibitions and special events for up to 900 persons.

The Ramada Hotel in Giardini Naxos is situated in the historically and picturesque area of Sicily. Naxos was the first Greek colony on the island and the area is dominated by the ancient town of Taormina. The hotel caters to individual travelers and groups targeted toward seminars and incentive markets. Its 23 meeting rooms can accommodate up to 900 persons.

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