WASHINGTON, President George W. Bush invited Marriott International, Inc. (NYSE:MAR) today to share the company's success with Sed de Saber(TM), a handheld device that uses storytelling, voice recording, games and review exercises to enhance the English language skills of Spanish-speaking employees.

In February, Marriott launched Sed de Saber(TM) nationwide after results from the four-month pilot program showed that 85 percent of participants gained in English language proficiency. To date, more than 100 employees have graduated from the program.

"Sed de Saber has been a huge success for Marriott associates and managers," said David Rodriguez, executive vice president, global human resources. "So much so, we're looking to expand our learning program to include a variety of languages."

Marriott is a global hospitality leader and more than 50 languages are spoken by employees at its hotels in North America alone. Next month, Marriott has plans to announce an expansion of the Sed de Saber(TM) program in additional languages online.

The Sed de Saber(TM) program is a part of Marriott's ongoing commitment to diversity and workforce development. For more information on Marriott's diversity initiatives, visit / .

MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL, INC. (NYSE:MAR) is a leading lodging company with nearly 2,900 lodging properties in the United States and 67 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 Washington, D.C., 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(R). The company is also a 2006 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ENERGY STAR(R) 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 /.

Dasha Ross
+1-301-380-8521
Marriott