Leading hospitality company announces 6 new deals, 1 new brand, over 1100 rooms

Amdec Group Continues to introduce Marriott’s global brands into South Africa

Sheraton Mauritius is Marriott’s first signed deal since completing the acquisition

KIGALI, Rwanda, Oct. 5, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — Marriott International continues its robust expansion across the African continent with news of brand-new signings of new properties in Cape Town, Nairobi, Cairo and Mauritius. This announcement comes hot on the heels of Marriott’s recently completed acquisition of Starwood Hotels and Resorts, which has created the world’s largest hospitality. The transaction has increased Marriott’s distribution in Africa, thus affirming the company’s number one position across the continent.

Marriott International, Inc. logo,

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“The past couple of weeks have seen an incredible transformation for our company, and I am proud to say that we are continuing the momentum with our expansion and development plans across the African continent,” said Alex Kyriakidis, President and Managing Director, Middle East and Africa, Marriott International.  “We officially opened the Kigali Marriott Hotel yesterday, under the patronage of His Excellency, The Honourable Prime Minister Murekezi, and today we announce six new deals across Africa, which when open, are expected to bring our total African property and room count to 205 and 37,000 respectively.”

These new signings comprise over 1100 rooms, and include AC by Marriott’s brand entry into Africa. The Cape Town deals are in partnership with the Amdec Group, Marriott’s long term partner and owners of the new Marriott Hotel and Marriott Executive Apartments Melrose Arch in Johannesburg, announced last year and currently under development.  The Amdec Group has been instrumental in bringing in Marriott International’s global brands into South Africa, as they were the first to announce Marriott Hotels, Marriott Executive Apartments and now AC by Marriott and Residence Inn by Marriott into the market.  The AC Hotel Cape Town Waterfront will be located at the gateway to Cape Town’s waterfront, while Harbour Arch will be the site of the 200-room Cape Town Marriott Hotel Foreshore and the 150-room Residence Inn by Marriott Cape Town Foreshore.

The first deal to be signed since Marriott’s completed acquisition, and further consolidating Marriott International’s presence on Mauritius, the globally renowned Sheraton brand will make a landmark debut on the island with Sheraton Mauritius St Felix Resort and The Residences at Sheraton Mauritius St Felix Resort. Owned by Clear Ocean Hotel Resorts Limited, the resort will be a part of a mixed use development with a boutique retail mall and branded residences. Scheduled to open in early 2020, the resort will feature 152 well-appointed guestrooms and suites and 37 branded apartments and villas.

The first Element Hotels property signed in Egypt will be the largest Element Hotel in the Middle East and Africa. Situated in Cairo’s upscale Heliopolis district and scheduled to open in 2019, Element Cairo is developed by Abraj Misr Urban Development and owned by Middle East Real Estate for Development (MERED). A part of the iconic new smart and ecofriendly development, The Gate Project, the largest housing, administrative, commercial, project in Egypt and the Middle East, Element Cairo will feature 344 light-filled rooms and an atmosphere designed to fuel a life in balance and on the move.

Four Points by Sheraton Nairobi, Hurlingham, is the brand’s second hotel in the city, strategically located in the upmarket suburb close to the city center and within easy access from the surrounding business areas of Westlands, Kilimani and Nairobi Central. Owned by Kamcan Properties Ltd, the 96 room hotel is a conversion from an existing hotel, will be operated under a franchise arrangement, and is expected to open in 2017.

“These news deals are testament to our combined development efforts going forward, as there are significant growth synergies between the brands and our newly combined company, with a focus on expending brands across the region, and looking for opportunities in new markets,” concluded Mr. Kyriakidis.

Continuing to capitalize on opportunities within the region, Marriott International has set a clear objective to be represented in all major gateway cities, commercial centers and established resort destinations while catering to a wide variety of market segments. Each of Marriott International’s brands, including those in the pipeline, target a specific segment and support the increased inflow of visitors within that segment.

About Marriott International, Inc.

Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR) is the world’s largest hotel company based in Bethesda, Maryland, USA, with more than 5,700 properties in over 110 countries. Marriott operates and franchises hotels and licenses vacation ownership resorts. The company’s 30 leading brands include: Bulgari Hotels and Resorts®, The Ritz-Carlton® and The Ritz-Carlton Reserve®, St. Regis®, W®, EDITION®, JW Marriott®, The Luxury Collection®, Marriott Hotels®, Westin®, Le Méridien®, Renaissance® Hotels, Sheraton®, Delta Hotels by Marriott^SM, Marriott Executive Apartments®, Marriott Vacation Club®, Autograph Collection® Hotels, Tribute Portfolio™, Design Hotels™, Gaylord Hotels®, Courtyard®, Four Points® by Sheraton, SpringHill Suites®, Fairfield Inn & Suites®, Residence Inn®, TownePlace Suites®, AC Hotels by Marriott®, Aloft®, Element®, Moxy Hotels®, and Protea Hotels by Marriott®. The company also operates award-winning loyalty programs: Marriott Rewards®, which includes The Ritz-Carlton Rewards®, and Starwood Preferred Guest®. For more information, please visit our website at www.marriott.com, and for the latest company news, visit www.marriottnewscenter.com and @MarriottIntl.

Note on forward-looking statements: This communication contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of U.S. federal securities laws, including expected future hotel openings and locations and statements about the benefits of the transaction, including expected synergies and enhanced revenue opportunities for the combined company, that are not historical facts. We caution you that these statements are not guarantees of future performance and are subject to numerous risks and uncertainties, including the “Risks Related to the Starwood Combination” and other risk factors that we identify in our most recent quarterly report on Form 10-Q that we filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Any of these factors could cause actual results to differ materially from the expectations we express or imply in this communication. We make these forward-looking statements as of the date of this communication, and undertake no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

In an innovative partnership, Marriott works with the Akilah Institute for Women, Women for Women International and Bloomberg Philanthropies to equip Rwandan women with business skills with the opening of the Kigali Marriott Hotel

BETHESDA, Maryland, Oct. 4, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — Marriott International (NASDAQ: MAR) today officially opened the doors of its first Marriott Hotel in Rwanda, bringing the signature brand’s welcoming service and world-class amenities to sub-Saharan Africa for the first time in its nearly 90-year history.

Photo – http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20161003/414839
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“Rwanda is going through an economic transformation and we are proud to be a part of it,” said Marriott International President and CEO Arne Sorenson, who attended the Kigali Marriott’s opening ceremony with political dignitaries and executives including Alex Kyriakidis, Marriott’s President and Managing Director, Middle East and Africa region. “Coupled with that transformation is a mutual promise for opportunity — both for Marriott as a hospitality company and for the associates and partners who will help us succeed in this market.”

Highlighting the importance of hospitality’s role in Rwanda, the World Travel & Tourism Council says Rwanda’s travel and tourism industry generated 7.1 percent of the country’s GDP in 2015 and predicts it to rise at 4.1 percent annually through 2025. Known as the Land of a Thousand Hills, Rwanda is becoming a popular destination for meetings and tourism.

The 254-room Marriott in Kigali, Rwanda’s capital city, is creating approximately 500 jobs and will be among the country’s biggest and most luxurious properties, further enhancing Kigali’s reputation as a hub for conferences and conventions. The hotel will offer world-class meeting spaces with modern amenities to cater to the demands of this rapidly growing market.

“I have the privilege of being able to open hotels in one of the most fascinating and fastest-growing parts of the world,” said Kyriakidis. “But there is something about this project that is particularly fulfilling. Every time we open a hotel, we know there is an enormous positive impact on a community. But here, in Rwanda, that impact is magnified by the sustainable approach we have taken to both staffing and supplying the hotel.”

Marriott has been working with community-based organizations to help staff the hotel and supply it with locally produced goods, underscoring Rwanda’s goal of building up its core industries including tourism and agriculture. The hotel, for instance, has partnered with the Akilah Institute for Women to recruit and train Rwandan women for supervisory positions at its Kigali location. The Akilah Institute is an academy that enables young women from Rwanda and other East African countries to achieve economic independence with market-relevant education and training. Marriott International has invited nearly 40 Akilah graduates to work and train in Marriott hotels in Africa and the Middle East. After receiving on-the-job skills and leadership training, the first wave of graduates have returned to Rwanda to join the management team at the Kigali Marriott where they will help welcome guests from the around the world.

“Marriott’s placement of our graduates at the managerial level and beyond exemplifies our mission to enable women not just to find jobs, but to develop their careers with a globally respected brand and community,” says Elizabeth Dearborn Hughes, Co-Founder & CEO, Akilah Institute.

Marriott International has also been working with Women for Women International and the Relationship Coffee Institute, both of which are supported by Bloomberg Philanthropies, one of the largest investors in the region. The local Women for Women Opportunity Center is equipping Rwandan women with the skills needed to apply for entry-level hotel positions or to supply the hotel with goods such as baskets, cheese and honey. The hotel has hired more than 25 women from the training center.

The Relationship Coffee Institute provides women with a new marketplace for locally sourced premium coffee, including the hotel. The Kigali Marriott’s Question Café serves the locally sourced coffee, grown by local smallholder farmers and served by graduates of this economic development training program.

“The opening of this Marriott hotel is providing long anticipated market activity for Rwandan women. Their café in the hotel provides the global business community with a perfect example of how business, philanthropy and government can work together to improve people’s lives,” said Patricia E. Harris, CEO of Bloomberg Philanthropies.

Beyond coffee, the Kigali Marriott is weaving in an array of local goods throughout the property, including in the retail store and on menus. The hotel sources locally grown products such as beef, poultry and produce, and incorporates more sustainable materials to ultimately help reduce the hotel’s overall footprint.

The opening of the hotel comes a little over a week after Marriott International completed its acquisition of Starwood Hotels & Resorts. The transaction created the world’s largest hotel company, with Marriott International operating or franchising more than 5,700 properties and 1.1 million rooms, in over 110 countries. With the completion of the acquisition, Marriott’s distribution more than doubled in the Middle East and Africa combined.

About Marriott International, Inc.

Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR) is the world’s largest hotel company based in Bethesda, Maryland, USA, with more than 5,700 properties in over 110 countries. Marriott operates and franchises hotels. and licenses vacation ownership resorts. The company’s 30 leading brands include: Bulgari Hotels and Resorts®, The Ritz-Carlton® and The Ritz-Carlton Reserve®, St. Regis®, W®, EDITION®, JW Marriott®, The Luxury Collection®, Marriott Hotels®, Westin®, Le Méridien®, Renaissance® Hotels, Sheraton®, Delta Hotels by Marriott^SM, Marriott Executive Apartments®, Marriott Vacation Club®, Autograph Collection® Hotels, Tribute Portfolio™, Design Hotels™, Gaylord Hotels®, Courtyard®, Four Points® by Sheraton, SpringHill Suites®, Fairfield Inn & Suites®, Residence Inn®, TownePlace Suites®, AC Hotels by Marriott®, Aloft®, Element®, MoxyHotels®, and Protea Hotels by Marriott®. The company also operates award-winning loyalty programs: Marriott Rewards®, which includes The Ritz-Carlton Rewards®, and Starwood Preferred Guest®. For more information, please visit our website at www.marriott.com, and for the latest company news, visit www.marriottnewscenter.com and @MarriottIntl.

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New hotels in Ethiopia set to create nearly 500 jobs in the country

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates, April 28, 2016 /PRNewswire/ — Wyndham Hotel Group today announced the signing of three new hotels in Ethiopia following last year’s opening of its first Ramada in the country, the Ramada Addis Ababa, as part of a strategic decision to expand its management services in the African market. Construction of the four-star TRYP by Wyndham Addis Ababa Bole Road is due to begin later this year, co-located with the five-star Wyndham Addis Ababa Bole Road, which is already under development. Initial work on the four-star Wyndham Garden Langano has also begun at its stunning lakefront location 180km south of Addis. The properties are owned by Santa Maria Real Estate & Hotels Plc of Addis Ababa.

Abel Sahlemariam Woldegiorgis, director of Santa Maria Real Estate and Hotels PLC and Geoff Ballotti, president and chief executive officer of Wyndham Hotel Group, celebrate the signing of three new hotels.

Photo – http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20160428/361073
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With the Ethiopian Ministry of Culture and Tourism’s recent announcement of its target to triple the number of annual foreign visitors in the country to more than 2.5 million by 2020, the demand for quality and internationally branded upscale accommodation is high. The signing of these three new hotels by Wyndham Hotel Group will contribute towards the Ministry’s ultimate goal of making Ethiopia one of Africa’s top five tourist destinations by 2020.

Dan Ruff, Wyndham Hotel Group’s president and managing director for EMEA, commented: “East Africa is a key market for us with its extensive and ongoing infrastructure improvements resulting in the steady growth of international tourism to the area. This triple signing marks a commitment to Ethiopia’s thriving hospitality industry, not only bringing high-end accommodation and facilities to travellers, but also, significantly, creating approximately 500 local jobs. The new Bole Road properties are ideally situated for corporate travellers visiting the important commercial hub of Addis Ababa, and the beautiful Wyndham Garden Langano offers visitors a taste of luxury in a breathtaking lakefront location.”

TRYP by Wyndham Addis Ababa Bole Road
Conveniently located at Addis Ababa’s busiest address, just 1.3km from the international travel hub, Bole International Airport, the TRYP by Wyndham Addis Ababa Bole Road is a milestone for the hotel group, marking the first hotel to open on the continent under this well-known brand. The new-build will boast 120 rooms, including 12 suites. Its excellent leisure facilities will incorporate a rooftop fitness area, sauna and spa, along with a comprehensive food and beverage offering comprising an all-day restaurant, cocktail bar and lounge to offer guests a variety of environments to relax and dine in. The hotel will open its doors at the end of 2020.

Wyndham Addis Ababa Bole Road
Situated adjacent to the new TRYP by Wyndham, the Wyndham Addis Ababa Bole Road will offer its guests an unrivalled level of luxury in the convenience of its central location. This new signing also marks the first Wyndham to open in Africa and is set to bring the brand’s global quality and reputation to Addis Ababa’s visitors. Extensive meeting facilities combined with the very best in leisure amenities will offer the perfect package to all types of travellers. The hotel’s 161 rooms, including nine suites, are expected to attract visitors from all over the globe. Guests can relax in their choice of two restaurants and two lounges or in the hotel’s juice bar and café for more informal settings. The hotel is expected to start welcoming guests at the end of next year.

Wyndham Garden Langano
Located on the shores of the spectacular Lake Langano, south of Addis Ababa, the Wyndham Garden Langano is set to become the first hotel from an internationally recognised brand to offer guests true peace and tranquility in this beautiful setting. Its 112 rooms include 12 suites and 24 deluxe rooms, bringing guests a variety of options to suit their budget. Guests can enjoy not only the hotel’s outdoor swimming pool, spa, and tennis court, but can also take advantage of water-sports facilities on Lake Langano. The hotel also boasts an impressive food and beverage offering including two restaurants, a cocktail bar and lounge. The Wyndham Garden Langano is set to open at the end of 2018.

Wyndham Hotel Group.

Owner Abel Sahlemariam Woldegiorgis added, “This triple signing with Wyndham Hotel Group marks a milestone for us in bringing three new properties to Ethiopia’s visitors and travellers. We’re confident that visitor numbers to both Addis and the country as a whole are on the rise, and with that increase will come a higher demand for the quality branded accommodation we’ll be offering.”

All Wyndham Hotel Group’s properties in the region participate in Wyndham Rewards^®, the simple-to-use, revolutionary loyalty programme from Wyndham Hotel Group that offers members a generous points earning structure along with a flat, free-night redemption rate in 72 countries across the world – the first of its kind for a major hotel rewards programme. To learn more or to join for free, guests should visit www.wyndhamrewards.com.

About Wyndham Hotel Group
Wyndham Hotel Group is the world’s largest hotel company based on number of hotels and is one of three hospitality business units of Wyndham Worldwide (NYSE: WYN). As both a leading hotel brand franchisor and hotel management services provider, the company’s global  portfolio consists of nearly 8,000 properties and approximately 679,100 rooms in 73 countries under the following brands: Dolce Hotels and Resorts^®, Wyndham Grand^®, Wyndham Hotels and Resorts^®, Wyndham Garden^® Hotels, TRYP by Wyndham^®, Wingate by Wyndham®, Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham^®, Microtel Inn & Suites by Wyndham^®, Ramada^®, Baymont Inn & Suites^®, Days Inn^®, Super 8^®, Howard Johnson^®, Travelodge^® and Knights Inn^®. Wyndham Rewards, the company’s guest loyalty program, offers more than 45 million members the opportunity to earn and redeem points at thousands of hotels across the world. For more information, visit www.wyndhamworldwide.com.

About TRYP by Wyndham
Part of Wyndham Hotel Group, TRYP by Wyndham^® represents 120 hotels and 17,000 rooms across Europe and the Americas. The brand caters to business and leisure travelers in cosmopolitan cities including Madrid and Barcelona in Spain; Paris, France; Lisbon, Portugal; Frankfurt and Berlin, Germany; Buenos Aires, Argentina; Sao Paulo, Brazil; and New York City, U.S. The brand celebrates openly displaying passion for the cities in which its hotels are located. Reservations and information are available by visiting www.tryphotels.com. Travelers have the opportunity to earn and redeem points through Wyndham Rewards^®, the brand’s guest loyalty program, which can be joined for free at www.wyndhamrewards.com. All TRYP by Wyndham hotels are either franchised by TRYP Hotels Worldwide, Inc. (THW), or its affiliate, or managed by an affiliate of Wyndham Hotel Group, LLC. THW is a subsidiary of Wyndham Hotel Group, LLC and parent company Wyndham Worldwide Corporation (NYSE: WYN).

Wyndham Hotel Group is the world’s largest hotel company based on number of hotels, encompassing nearly 8,000 properties and approximately 679,100 rooms in 73 countries. Additional information is available at www.wyndhamworldwide.com. For more information about hotel franchising opportunities visit www.whgdevelopment.com.

About Wyndham Hotels and Resorts
Part of Wyndham Hotel Group, Wyndham Hotels and Resorts, LLC, offers upscale hotel and resort accommodations at approximately 200 properties throughout the United States, Canada, Mexico, Central and South America, the Caribbean, Europe, the Middle East and China. Most Wyndham® hotels are franchised by Wyndham Hotels and Resorts, LLC or its affiliate. Certain Wyndham hotels are owned or managed by an affiliate of Wyndham Hotel Group, LLC. Additional information and reservations for all Wyndham hotels are available by visiting www.wyndham.com. Travelers have the opportunity to earn and redeem points through Wyndham Rewards^®, the brand’s guest loyalty program, which can be joined for free at www.wyndhamrewards.com. Wyndham Hotel Group is the world’s largest hotel company based on number of hotels, encompassing encompassing nearly 8,000 properties and approximately 679,100 rooms in 73 countries. Additional information is available at www.wyndhamworldwide.com. For more information about hotel franchising opportunities visit www.whgdevelopment.com.