Partnership shares vision to integrate design thinkinginto business and societal processes

HONG KONG, CHINA - Media OutReach - November 29, 2018 - Marriott International today announced itssponsorship of Asia's leading international event on design, brands andinnovation, Business of Design Week (BODW). Each year, BODW brings to Hong Kongsome of the world's most celebrated design masters, brand leaders and businessfigures across a variety of fields to inspire both international and Hong Kongaudiences on the merits of good design. Marriott International's approach todesign fits well with the goals of BODW, focusing on how cutting-edge,best-in-class design can add value and improve overall business outcomes.

The St. Regis Hong Kong sees acclaimed designer André Fu's vision of a "Curated Mansion", blending the brand's timeless elegance with the silhouettes of Hong Kong's architectural and cultural diversity.

Designed by AB Concept, W Xi'an reinterprets rich historical, social and physical contexts in Xi'an through the lens of the W brand.

Hong Kong Ocean Park Marriott Hotel underscores its commitment to a sustainable future with energy-saving design features that complement Marriott Modern interiors.

"BODW is Asia'sleading annual event on design, innovation and brands, committed tofacilitating cultural exchange and driving innovations in the community, whileMarriott International prides itself on leveraging the best thinkers in designto create the ultimate hotel experiences for our guests," said Michael Wang,Senior Continent Head, Global Design, Asia Pacific. "We see that we have amutual vision to instill the concept of design thinking into the heart of anybusiness operation and bring creative design processes into mainstream businessmethodologies. As such, we see a great opportunity through this sponsorship to showcasehow Marriott International approaches design by retaining individuality andcontinuing to push the boundary of creativity while developing functional hoteldesign strategies."

MarriottInternational has long been recognized for its industry-leading and innovativeforward-thinking design for its more than 30 distinctive brands across theworld. As part of the conference, Michael Wang will be speaking at the"Reinvigorating Brands and Design" session at the Brand Asia Forum on WednesdayDecember 5 at this year's BODW event. Key topics he will cover include: howhaving the right strategy is key to driving innovation across multiple brandsat scale whilst adding more value to hotel owners; and how technology and datahave become critical to the design process. Trends are of paramount importanceto the business of design in hospitality so he will also give his insights intosome of the trends that are shaping the hotel experience of tomorrow.

The partnershipcomes hot off the heels of Marriott International's announcement that it iscollaborating with Cornell University to offer e-learning courses to aspiringyoung designers. The Marriott Global Design Certificate Program, which willprovide teaching on best practices in developing innovative design strategiesto build hotels that appeal to a number of different consumer segments, aims tobring more talent into the hotel design community and provide a platform forthem to develop and nurture their skills in a business and investment context.

Professor EricYim, JP, Chairman, Hong Kong Design Centre, which organizes BODW said, "Themovement for people, user, citizen-centered innovation in design is on and weneed as many organizations as possible to collaborate with us in making thismovement a true force in the years to come. As such, we see our collaborationwith Marriott International as a great step in helping us further advance ourefforts to promote good design and cultivate design thinking across sectors,industries, professions and age groups. Marriott International speaks ourdesign language and we're sure our delegates will welcome this addition to ourstellar speaker lineup this year."

Marriott International has a number of recent and upcoming openingsacross Asia Pacific that showcase its approach to designing hotels that caterto the evolving needs of today's travelers. These include: Hong Kong OceanPark Marriott Hotel, which underscores its commitment to a sustainablefuture with energy-saving design features that complement modern interiors; thehighly anticipated St. Regis Hong Kong, which is scheduled to open inSpring 2019, sees the vision of a "Curated Mansion" by celebrated designerAndré Fu who blends the timeless elegance of the brand to the silhouettes ofHong Kong's architectural and cultural diversity; the W Xi'an byacclaimed interior design firm, AB Concept, reinterprets rich historical,social and physical contexts in Xi'an through the lens of the W brand,featuring five intricate labyrinths that represent the five ancient dynasties ofXi'an; RYSE, an Autograph Collection Hotel, in Seoul -- conceivedand designed by globally renowned Michaelis Boyd, is a creative space forinspiration and indulgence; its interiors collide energetically: where bareconcrete and industrial brass metal meet glossy pink flooring and modern artinstallations reign. Inaddition, the Fairfield by Marriott brand is expecting to open 15 hotelsat undiscovered locations across five prefectures in Japan, with the first cropof 12 slated to open by 2020. The design process of these hotels reinforces howsustainability can be incorporated into the design features of the property:the entire hotel is prefabricated in a factory and ensembled on-site, not onlyto ensure high standards, but also to conserve resources by reducingconstruction time.

About Marriott International, Inc.
Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR) is based in Bethesda, Maryland, USA,and encompasses a portfolio of more than 6,700 properties in 30 leading hotelbrands spanning 130 countries and territories. Marriott operates and franchiseshotels and licenses vacation ownership resorts all around the world. Thecompany also operates award-winning loyalty programs: Marriott Rewards®, whichincludes The Ritz-Carlton Rewards®, and Starwood Preferred Guest®. For moreinformation, please visit our website at www.marriott.com, and for the latestcompany news, visit www.marriottnewscenter.com.In addition, connect with us on Facebook and @MarriottIntlon Twitter and Instagram.