Corporate travel supported earnings at Marriott International during the third quarter of financial 2011, with the company reporting a profit of 29 cents a share, excluding exceptional items. In results released earlier, the company also gave investors their first read of demand into 2012, saying earnings could total $1.48 to $1.68 a share assuming worldwide revenue per available room growth of three to seven per cent.

Alex Kyriakidis has been named as president of Marriott International Middle East & Africa as the division seeks to double the number of hotels under operation over the next five years. Kyriakidis, who will also take on the role of managing director, is presently global managing director for tourism, hospitality & leisure at accountancy firm Deloitte.

Marriott president and managing director of international lodging Ed Fuller is to step down from the company. Fuller, who led operations during Marriott’s growth outside of North America, will retire from the company on March 31st 2012.

Kicking off American football season in a big way, Marriott International has confirmed it has signed a multi-year deal with the National Football League to be the exclusive lodging category sponsor. Its Courtyard by Marriott brand will be at the forefront as the Official Hotel Sponsor of the NFL, offering opportunities of unique and high-valued NFL experiences for its customers.

Marriott International has confirmed its collaborative involvement with the International Tourism Partnership and the World Travel & Tourism Council on a groundbreaking initiative to unite hotel industry efforts to calculate and communicate carbon impact by agreeing on a standardised methodology and metrics informed by the GHG Protocol standards.

Marriott has launched a brand new, free mobile app for iPhone, BlackBerry, and Android devices.