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Marriott to open new Asia resort

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Marriott International will open its first JW Marriott resort in Asia this month.

The JW Marriott Phuket Resort and Spa in Thailand will be the third JW Marriott resort worldwide, other destinations being Mexico and Hawaii. Four additional JW Marriott properties are scheduled to open in 2002.

The Phuket resort which will open on December 15, is located in 11 hectares of lush tropical gardens with swimming pools, freshwater ponds and natural preserved coastal wetlands overlooking the Andaman Sea on Mai Khao Beach in Thailand.

Just 15 minutes north of the Phuket International Airport, the resort enjoys 17km of natural beachfront and is adjacent to the Sirinath Marine National Park and sea turtle nesting area.

The resort comprises 265 rooms, including 13 luxurious suites. Accommodations are spacious and elegant with a minimum of 47 sq m of luxurious living space, featuring Thai design and interior accents reflecting the ambiance of the destination.

The Phuket resort is among 14 hotels being opened in the Asia-Pacific region over the next 18 months by Marriott International, said its president and managing director, Ed Fuller.

By the end of 2002, the Marriott International lodging portfolio in the region will grow to 87 hotels, offering 33,285 rooms and six brands in 13 countries.

As a result of these openings, Marriott's regional portfolio will grow by 15 per cent in the number of hotels and by 10 percent in terms of rooms as compared with current levels.

"We are very excited by our continued growth despite the region's recent economic difficulties," said Fuller.

JW Marriott Hotels, catering to discerning, upscale travellers who value a high level of personal service and a luxurious environment that is both understated and tasteful, will open in the following Asia-Pacific cities this year: 371-room JW Marriott Hotel Mumbai, 265-room JW Marriott Resort & Spa Phuket, 350-room JW Marriott Hotel Jakarta, 362-room JW Marriott Hotel Shanghai.

"The JW Marriott Resort & Spa Phuket is especially important for a number of reasons," said Fuller.

"In the past decade, we have built a strong regional base of business customers and we are very pleased to offer them a purely leisure destination close to home. At the same time, this resort will complement our existing world-class Bangkok properties for visitors to Thailand and will be home to our first Marriott Vacation Club International vacation ownership property in the region."

The Marriott Executive Apartment brand is designed to appeal to business travellers who are on an overseas assignment of 30 days or more. This year, the 162-unit The Mayfair, Marriott Executive Apartment will open in Bangkok.

Courtyard is Marriott's moderately priced hotel brand that is aimed at business and leisure travellers who need consistent, high quality accommodations and services at moderate, affordable prices. This year, the 218-room Pudong Shanghai Courtyard will join nine other Courtyard properties in China and three in Australia in the region.

Other Marriott International hotels which will open in the region this year are the 281-room Renaissance Mumbai Hotel and the 270-room Saigon Marriott Hotel.

By end of 2002, Marriott International hotels will also open in the following cities: 162-unit Bangkok Marriott Executive Apartments in Thailand, 343-room Dalian Marriott Hotel in China, 83-unit Dalian Marriott Executive Apartments in China, 280-room Renaissance Tianjin Hotel in China.

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