Marriott International, Inc. (MAR/NYSE) has been named to manage a new 317-room hotel in Shanghai, China.

Part of a mixed-used complex consisting of offices and an exhibition center, the property will be called the Shanghai Marriott Hotel Hongqiao and is expected to open in August, 1999. It will be located on Hongqiao Road, approximately four kilometers east of the Hongqiao International Airport. The hotel will be owned by Shanghai Agricultural Exhibition Center Company Ltd., a single-purpose entity controlled by the Zijiang Group which has interests in the manufacturing of packaging materials, chemicals, telecommunications equipment as well as real estate development.

We are very pleased that Marriott has been selected to manage this hotel in one of Shanghai`s rapidly developing arenas, said Ed Fuller, president and managing director of Marriott`s International Operations. The Shanghai Marriott Hotel Hongqiao will further enhance our position in China, he noted, adding that the Marriott lodging portfolio in China currently encompasses 19 properties offering 7,957 rooms spanning six lodging brands.

For dining and recreation, the Shanghai Marriott Hotel Hongqiao will offer four restaurants, a lobby lounge and a pub. Other amenities include an executive floor lounge, an indoor/outdoor swimming pool, a health and fitness center, a business center offering a boardroom and two smaller offices, gift shop, flower shop, laundry/valet services and a beauty/barber shop.

For meetings and social functions, the Shanghai Marriott Hotel Hongqiao will have 1,831 square meters of space, including a 1,200 square meter ballroom that is divisible into nine sections, and four flexible meeting rooms.

The Marriott International lodging system currently is represented in China by the following hotel brands: Marriott, Ritz-Carlton, Renaissance, New World, Courtyard and Ramada International. Locations include Hong Kong, Shunde, Beijing, Guangzhou, Shenyang, Qingdao, Wuhan, Shanghai, Harbin, Xian, Wuxi and Macau. Two additional Marriott hotels in Shenyang and Shenzhen are expected to open over the next 12 months.

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