Press Release: Marriott International, Inc.
July 18, 2002
WASHINGTON, DC -- By "taking a ride" on Marriott.com, customers can request driving directions and locate
2,200 Marriott International, Inc. (NYSE:MAR) hotels along the route. With long weekend trips and driving vacations
on the rise this summer, Marriott.com visitors have already used the maps and driving directions more than 13.5
million times this year, an average of 2.2 million times per month.
According to the Travel Industry Association of America, total pleasure travel volume will increase this summer,
with more short, spontaneous pleasure trips. "Close to 85 percent of pleasure travel will take place by motor
vehicle, up nearly 3 percent this summer," says
Dr. Suzanne Cook, senior vice president of research, Travel Industry Association of America.
Marriott.com's premiere driving directions and route planner, powered by Vicinity Corporation, are useful for brief
weekend getaways or travel across multiple states. Just select "along a route" on the Marriott.com homepage
and enter your current location and desired destination. An easy-to-read map with simple driving directions will
appear. Choose "show me hotels along my route," and all Marriott hotels will be identified on the map.
You may instantly make reservations at any of these hotels with availability.
"The user-friendly maps and driving directions help travelers plan ahead, giving them more productive and
enjoyable trips," says Debbie McGrath, vice president of e commerce operations and sales, Marriott International,
Inc.
While on the road, customers can also look up detailed information about more than 60 major cities on Marriott.com.
Suggestions on dining, nightlife, shopping, sightseeing and travel tips are available, provided by Fodor's Travel
Publications. With the "business and attraction locator," you can find nearby restaurants, theaters,
dry cleaners and other businesses, and get driving instructions from your hotel.
For customers looking for great rates for weekend travel, check out Marriott's new Escape!SM packages available
at Marriott.com/escape. In addition to overnight accommodations, packages may include tickets to sports events,
theme parks or the theater, shopping gift certificates, a round of golf or world-class spa treatments. Between
now and Sept. 2, 2002, guests of participating Marriott and Renaissance hotels in the United States and Canada
will receive a special $25 per night, per room hotel dining credit when they book and pay for a Marriott Escape!
package with an American Express® Card.
Rates on Marriott.com are generated directly from Marriott International's central reservation system and are also
available through the company's toll-free reservation number, travel agents and by calling a hotel directly. More
than three-quarters of Marriott's total internet bookings are generated through Marriott.com, which booked more
than five million room nights last year.
MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL, INC. (NYSE:MAR), a leading worldwide hospitality company celebrating its 75th Anniversary
in 2002, has over 2,600 operating units in the United States and 65 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 Ramada International brand names; develops
and operates vacation ownership resorts under the Marriott Vacation Club International, Horizons, The Ritz-Carlton
Club and Marriott Grand Residence Club brands; operates Marriott Executive Apartments; provides furnished corporate
housing through its Marriott ExecuStay division; and operates conference centers. Other Marriott businesses include
senior living communities and services, and wholesale food distribution. The company is headquartered in Washington,
D.C., and has approximately 145,000 employees. In fiscal year 2001, Marriott International reported systemwide
sales of $20 billion. For more information or reservations, please visit the web site at www.marriott.com.
The Travel Industry Association of America (TIA) is the national non-profit umbrella organization representing
all components of the $582 billion U.S. travel industry. TIA's mission is to represent the whole of the U.S. travel
industry to promote and facilitate increased travel to and within the United States.
Vicinity Corporation is a leading provider of Enterprise Location Services solutions to Global 2000 companies across
web, wireless and speech platforms. Vicinity's suite of services includes the Vicinity Location ServerSM, along
with a comprehensive portfolio of application services and application programming interfaces (APIs) that embed
location intelligence deep within existing enterprise applications.
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CONTACT: Stephanie Hampton (301) 380-1217 stephanie.hampton@marriott.com