$10 Million Transformation of Melbourne Marriott

The Melbourne Marriott Hotel, one of the city’s best-located five star properties, will next month unveil a $10 million refurbishment, providing business and leisure travelers with state of the art accommodation.

Recognising the changing needs of travelers, in particular business travelers, the hotel upgrade is designed to offer guests a spacious and contemporary retreat within the vibrant Melbourne central business district.

With an enviable central location on the corner of Exhibition and Lonsdale Streets, the Melbourne Marriott has always enjoyed a strong business and leisure clientele; bolstered in 2008 following the renovation of the hotel’s bar and the addition of two new state of the art contemporary boardrooms. The upgraded Melbourne Marriott will now also incorporate 42″ flat screen LCD TVs in every room, as well as high speed wireless internet and an iPod docking station.

The hotel is owned and managed within Colonial First State Global Asset Management – the largest manager of Australian sourced funds – and its upgrade underpins the owner’s support for creating a competitive product in the Melbourne accommodation market, whilst also reflecting Marriott’s global quality of service.

Colonial First State Global Asset Management Fund Manager John van der Wallen said: “The Melbourne Marriott has long been a desirable destination for corporate and leisure travelers, built on a reputation for quality of service that is easily identifiable within the Marriott brand.”

“This latest refurbishment, covering 166 rooms and 19 suites, underpins our commitment to creating a spacious, comfortable and contemporary place for travelers to unwind after their day at work or during their holiday stay in Melbourne; a city famed for its entertainment and retail offering.”

The refurbished rooms have been designed by leading Sydney-based interior design firm CHADA, with the project spearheaded by Michael Watson. Formerly Chhada Siembieda Australia, CHADA is an internationally recognised name in hotel design, boasting a portfolio of work across Australia, New Zealand and Asia.

George Varughese, General Manager of Melbourne Marriott, has said “We are thrilled with the upgraded product and will continue to provide the high level of service for which the Melbourne Marriott is well known.”

“The upgraded product will further cement our reputation as a premier boutique property for both corporate and leisure travelers” Mr. Varughese said.

MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL, INC. (NYSE: MAR) is a leading lodging company with nearly 3000 lodging properties in the United States and 68 other countries and territories. Marriott International operates and franchises hotels under the Marriott, JW Marriott, The Ritz-Carlton, Renaissance, Residence Inn, Courtyard, TownePlace Suites, Fairfield Inn, SpringHill Suites and Bulgari brand names; develops and operates vacation ownership resorts under the Marriott Vacation Club, Horizons by Marriott Vacation Club, The Ritz-Carlton Club and Grand Residences by Marriott brands; operates Marriott Executive Apartments; provides furnished corporate housing through its Marriott ExecuStay division; and operates conference centers. The company is headquartered in Bethesda, Md., and had approximately 151,000 employees at 2006 year-end. It is ranked as the lodging industry’s most admired company and one of the best places to work for by FORTUNE®. The company is also a 2006 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ENERGY STAR® Partner. In fiscal year 2006, Marriott International reported sales from continuing operations of $12.2 billion. For more information or reservations, please visit our web site at www.marriott.com