Marriott International Plans its First Hotel in Hanoi, Vietnam

U.S.-based hotel giant, Marriott International, Inc. (NYSE:MAR) has signed a management agreement with a Vietnamese ownership group, Binh Minh Import Export Production and Trade Company, Ltd., to open a JW Marriott luxury branded hotel in Hanoi in 2012.

The architecturally-stunning 450-room, nine-story JW Marriott Hotel Hanoi represents Marriott’s growing pipeline of hotels in Vietnam. It will be the only hotel adjacent to the new, state-of-the-art National Convention Center in the city’s dynamic Tu Liem District, about 7.5 kilometers west of central Hanoi and 22.5 kilometers south of the airport. Central to the city’s Master Plan through 2020, the hotel will be surrounded by high-end residential apartments and townhouses, office buildings and recreational green space when it opens.

“Vietnam ranks high in our strategic global expansion plans,” said Ed Fuller, president and managing director for international lodging for Marriott. “Despite the current global economic slump, Vietnam remains committed to long-term economic growth and to capitalizing on its attractiveness as a tourism destination for visitors especially from Asia, the United States and Europe where our robust market presence will provide a strong sense of familiarity for those considering a visit to Vietnam.

“We’re delighted that our highly acclaimed JW Marriott luxury brand was chosen for this significant project and we are looking forward to working with local tourism officials in helping to attract a broad base of incentive and meetings oriented travelers to Hanoi,” he continued.

Mr. Vu Quang Hoi, chairman of the owning company, said, “The hotel project is seated in the newly developed center of Hanoi’s expansion and right next to the National Convention Center which attracts high-profile conferences. Bitexco was selected by the Government of Vietnam to be the investor for this very important project with the belief and requirement to deliver the best quality facility for international conferences and lodging.”

He continued, “With this huge responsibility, Bitexco needs a most elegant and luxurious hotel to be in place and a world-class hotel management team to run it. Therefore, we eventually chose Marriott International for this project after several tendering rounds because Marriott is a leading lodging company and, then, we selected its JW Marriott hotel brand, the most elegant and luxurious brand in their portfolio.

“Our wish is to attract all the foreign delegations for conferences and individual travelers to stay and enjoy what will be the best hotel here in Hanoi. With architecture designed by Carlos Zapata, a top U.S. hotel designer, JW Marriott Hotel Hanoi will be well-fitted in the beautiful premises of the National Convention Center. We believe that the JW Marriott Hotel Hanoi, managed by Marriott International, will meet demands of the incentive and conference-oriented travelers to Hanoi,” he said.

JW Marriott-branded hotels are renowned for their ability to couple elegance with informality while creating an environment in which guests can craft a personal hospitality experience that reflects their sophistication and desire to excel.

A contemporary, inviting lobby whose ambience will evolve through the day will encourage guests to linger over a morning coffee, meet with colleagues and acquaintances for impromptu business or social gatherings and to unwind at day’s end. In addition, the hotel will have three restaurants including a casual, all-day food outlet featuring a permanent grand buffet, a Vietnamese restaurant with four private dining rooms; a specialty themed restaurant offering two private dining rooms and a café/delicatessen where guests can order quick snacks.

Spacious accommodations at the JW Marriott Hotel Hanoi will be luxuriously appointed. They will feature separate showers and tubs; plush bed and bath amenities; high definition, flat screen television; high-speed Internet access; and in-room safe, mini-bar and coffee and tea service.

Business-oriented amenities will include an executive lounge with a meeting room for small conferences and a fully-equipped business center. For recreation, the hotel will have a world-class Spa and fitness center and an outdoor, heated swimming pool. Other amenities will be a gift shop and concierge desk.

For meetings and social events, the JW Marriott Hotel Hanoi will have 2,150 square meters of space. Included will be a 1,000-square meter grand ballroom that will be divisible into five sections; a 450-square meter ballroom that will be divisible into three sections and five meeting rooms in varying configurations, all of which will also be divisible into two or three sections.

Marriott International currently is represented in Vietnam with two hotels in Ho Chi Minh City and a 271-room JW Marriott Resort is scheduled to open in Danang in 2013. In Asia, Marriott International’s portfolio today consists of 111 hotels in 16 countries. More than 50 hotels and resorts are under construction in the region.

The company’s global pipeline of hotels under construction, awaiting conversion or approved for development stands today at more than 700 hotels and approximately 110,000 rooms worldwide; over two-thirds of its full-service hotel development pipeline is located outside the United States. Marriott expects its worldwide lodging system to encompass nearly 600,000 rooms by year-end 2009.

About Marriott International

Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR) is based in Bethesda, Maryland, USA, and encompasses a portfolio of more than 8,100 properties under 30 leading brands spanning 139 countries and territories. Marriott operates and franchises hotels and licenses vacation ownership resorts all around the world. The company offers Marriott Bonvoy^®, its highly awarded travel program. For more information, please visit our website, and for the latest company news, visit Marriott News Center. In addition, connect with us on Facebook and @MarriottIntl on Twitter and Instagram.

June Farrell
(301) 380-7796
Marriott