Ramada International Hotels & Resorts, a division of Marriott International (NYSE: MAR), announced they will open their 10th hotel in China under a franchise agreement with Fujian Coal Industry Co. Ltd. The 270-room Ramada Plaza Fuzhou is expected to open in mid-2002. Plaza is Ramada International’s upper-tier lodging product, offering more luxurious amenities than the standard Ramada International hotel.

“We are very pleased that this is our tenth hotel in China. In 2000 we only had one hotel in mainland China. The growth of our brand has been very exciting and we continue to see China as a key country for the development of the Ramada brand,” said Reas Kondraschow, senior vice president and managing director, Ramada International Hotels & Resorts.

The hotel will be located north of the central business district and two kilometers from the train station, 20 kilometers from the Mawei ferry and 50 kilometers from the Fuzhou Changle Airport. Fuzhou is located 25 kilometers from the mouth of Mingjiang River on the Southeast China coast. It is the capital of the Fujian province.

Among the amenities the Ramada Plaza Fuzhou will have are a business center, night club, karaoke rooms, VIP rooms, gift shop, indoor swimming pool, fitness center, beauty salon, sauna and billiard room.

For dining and entertainment, the hotel will have a coffee shop, lobby bar and more intimate executive bar. For meetings and social events, the hotel features a ballroom seating 300 people, large meeting room seating 250 people, and two function rooms seating 26 and 15 people respectively.

Reservations can be made by calling any of Ramada International’s reservation numbers, calling the hotel directly, through a travel agent or through Ramada International’s Web site, www.ramadahotels.com.

Ramada Plaza is designed to meet the needs of today’s travelers with luxury amenities and services. All Ramada Plaza hotels have in-room mini-bars, large televisions with at least two English language channels and a movie channel, sunrise check-in as early as 7 a.m., air-conditioning and climate control in every room, a 24-hour health club, concierge services in English and local language, meeting space, at least one restaurant and bar, and 24-hour room service.

The Ramada Plaza Fuzhou will maintain Ramada International’s five pillars, which are: a restful sleep, an invigorating shower, a well-trained staff, an exceptional level of cleanliness, and the “Ramada Mornings Breakfast” - a selection that is hot, delicious and easy.

The Ramada Plaza Fuzhou is the tenth Ramada hotel in China. The others are located in Dalian, Guangzhou, Hong Kong, Nanjing, Shanghai, Shanghai-Pudong, Suzhou, Urumqi and Wuhan.

There are currently more than 130 Ramada International hotels in 20 countries and territories.

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