Marriott Recognizes Award of Excellence Honorees

WASHINGTON, May 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Marriott International, Inc. honored 13 employees out of a worldwide workforce of 133,000 with the J. Willard Marriott Award of Excellence at a gala held last night in Washington, D.C. This prestigious award was established in 1987 as a lasting tribute to the company's founder J. Willard Marriott and his ideals of achievement, character, dedication, effort and perseverance. Marriott also announced the recipient of the Alice S. Marriott Award for Community Service, named after the company's co-founder, as well as the J.W. Marriott, Jr. Diversity Excellence Award, named for the company's chairman.

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Over 350 hourly and managerial associates were nominated this year by their supervisors and peers for their commitment to excellence, their teamwork and their "spirit to serve." A committee representing Marriott's senior management selected the following honorees:

Eddie Starobrat Gema Alonso Regional Director of Housekeeping Administrative Engineering Assistant Regional Office - Newport Chicago Marriott Downtown Beach Chicago, Ill. Newport Beach, Calif. Sanjay Bhatia Ronna Stephens Front Office Manager Front Desk Clerk Sydney Harbour Marriott Courtyard Oklahoma City Hotel Northwest Sydney, Australia Oklahoma City, Okla. Loan Co Camille Stordeur Pastry Shop Supervisor Server San Francisco Marriott Islandia Marriott Long San Francisco, Calif. Island Islandia, N.Y. Bartolame "Tom" Fabelina Beth Taylor Engineer II General Manager Horizons by Marriott Residence Inn Philadelphia Vacation Club at Orlando Valley Forge Orlando, Fla. Berwyn, Pa. Jeffrey Hattrick Sophony Trang Tea Maitre'd Director of Housekeeping The Ritz-Carlton, Phoenix Renaissance Waverly Hotel Phoenix, Ariz. Atlanta, Ga. Paarimannan "Ravi" Marathiah Gisela Zinser Banquet Service Manager Breakfast Supervisor Renaissance Kuala Lumpur Stuttgart Marriott Hotel Hotel Sindelfingen Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Sindelfingen, Germany Roseline Philoctete Housekeeping Supervisor South Beach Marriott Miami Beach, Fla.

This year's Alice S. Marriott Award for Community Service was presented to the Anaheim Marriott, Anaheim, Calif. Since 1992, the Alice S. Marriott Award for Community Service has recognized a company facility and its employees for continuing the commitment of both co-founders to help improve the lives of others through the gift of energy, time and resources.

Honorable mentions for this award go to the following recipients: * Cairo Marriott Hotel & Omar Khayyam Casino, Cairo, Egypt * JW Marriott Hotel Jakarta, Jakarta, Indonesia * Orlando World Center Marriott Resort & Convention Center, Orlando, Fla. * Renaissance Mumbai Hotel & Convention Centre, Mumbai, India * Residence Inn Washington, DC/Vermont Avenue, Washington, D.C. * The Ritz-Carlton Corporate Offices, Chevy Chase, Md. * SpringHill Suites Dallas Addison/Quorum Drive, Dallas/Addison, Texas

This year also marks the introduction of the J.W. Marriott, Jr. Diversity Excellence Award, which was presented to the Marriott Global Customer Care and Reservation Sales Center, Santa Ana, Calif. The award was established to recognize a business unit or corporate department that demonstrates excellence in promoting Marriott's long-standing commitment to diversity and building an environment of inclusion for all. Through the years, this legacy has become a fundamental operating principle and business imperative.

Honorable mentions for this award go to: * The Midwest and Canada Diversity Council * Renaissance St. Louis Hotel Airport * Riviera Marriott Hotel La Porte de Monaco, France

MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL, INC. is a leading lodging company with more than 2,600 lodging properties in the United States and 65 other countries and territories. The company is headquartered in Washington, D.C. It is ranked as the lodging industry's most admired company and one of the best places to work for by Fortune(R) magazine. In fiscal year 2004, Marriott International reported sales from continuing operations of $10 billion, and the company had approximately 133,000 employees at year-end 2004. For more information or reservations, please visit our web site at http://www.marriott.com/.