Marriott International, Inc. (NYSE:MAR) honored top full-service owner and franchise partners at an annual conference held recently at the Renaissance Esmeralda Resort & Spa in Indian Wells, Calif. Nine companies – E.J. Del Monte Corporation, JER Partners, JHM Hotels, Morgan Stanley, PCH Hotels & Resorts, Inc., Pyramid Advisors, LLC, Sunstone Hotel Investors, Inc., White Lodging, and Winegardner & Hammons, Inc. – were awarded the Partnership Circle Award, the highest honor Marriott presents to its owner and franchise partners for hospitality excellence. Executives from organizations that own or franchise Marriott Hotels & Resorts and Renaissance Hotels & Resorts properties attended the three-day conference.

Marriott’s Partnership Circle Award honors companies who live Marriott’s vision, share a mutual long term commitment, fully embrace Marriott’s brand initiatives, focus on associates to create a well managed and engaged workforce, invest in hotel product, and provide outstanding customer service as measured through Marriott’s guest satisfaction surveys.

“Our full-service owner and franchise partners are simply the best in the industry,” said Joel Eisemann, executive vice president, Owner and Franchise Services, Marriott International. “We continue to work closely together to drive profitability, implement key brand initiatives, and develop innovative new concepts and programs to ensure our brands deliver the experiences that appeal to today’s travelers.”

Marriott’s 2008 Partnership Circle Award Winners:

• E.J. Del Monte Corporation of Rochester, N.Y., owns a total of 17 Marriott branded hotels, including the award-winning Del Monte Lodge, A Renaissance Hotel & Spa and the recently renovated Rochester Airport Marriott, as well as 15 select-service hotels. A family-owned business for 55 years, E.J. Del Monte is one of Marriott’s earliest franchisees.
  
  
• JER Partners of McLean, Va., is one of Marriott’s newest owners, with a multi-brand portfolio of 22 Marriott hotels from San Francisco to Munich. JER has recently completed significant renovations on a number of their hotels, including The Stanford Court, A Renaissance Hotel, and the Fairview Park Marriott. Plans call for additional investment in Marriott brands, with the opening of the Renaissance Palm Springs Hotel in early 2010.
  
  
• JHM Hotels of Greenville, S.C., owns and operates a portfolio of 16 Marriott hotels, including the recently converted and renovated Charleston Marriott and Renaissance Orlando Hotel Airport. JHM’s hotels perform near the top of each brand and garner high guest satisfaction rankings. This is the third year that the company has received Marriott International’s full-service Partnership Circle Award.
  
  
• Pyramid Advisors, LLC of Boston, Mass., and Morgan Stanley of New York, N.Y., have worked together to invest $5 billion in 17 Marriott properties, including high-profile resorts such as Desert Springs, a JW Marriott Resort & Spa, the JW Marriott Orlando, Grande Lakes. They have also invested in other high profile hotels in major U.S. markets and in properties that are operated through a franchise relationship with Pyramid. Executives at Pyramid Advisors and Morgan Stanley are fully engaged at the hotel property level and active on Marriott advisory boards.
  
  
• PCH Hotels & Resorts, Inc. of Birmingham, Ala., owns and operates four Marriott Hotels & Resorts and four Renaissance Hotels & Resorts in Alabama. Several of these resorts are located along the famous Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail. Properties including the historic Battle House, A Renaissance Hotel, and the new Marriott Shoals Hotel & Spa, showcase the state’s beautiful cities and resort areas.
  
  
• Sunstone Hotel Investors, Inc., of San Clemente, Calif., owns 27 Marriott branded hotels, including the Park City Marriott, Napa Valley Marriott Hotel & Spa, and Renaissance Washington, DC Hotel. Sunstone is the largest owner of Renaissance hotels, and has invested substantially in renovations. Sunstone executives are active on various Marriott boards and advisory committees.
  
  
• White Lodging of Merrillville, Ind., opened one of the original Fairfield Inn franchises in 1990 in the city of Merrillville. One of Marriott’s most prolific developers, White Lodging operates more than 100 hotels across seven Marriott brands, including Marriott Hotels & Resorts, Renaissance Hotels & Resorts, and all of the select-service brands. White Lodging has received Marriott International’s full-service Partnership Circle Award for seven consecutive years.
  
  
• Winegardner & Hammons, Inc., based in Cincinnati, Ohio, was honored with Marriott International’s Partnership Circle Award for the 11th consecutive year. After opening the Cincinnati Marriott Northeast in 1996, the company’s portfolio has grown to include 14 Marriott hotels which perform at the highest level of customer satisfaction. Winegardner & Hammons recently opened their first Renaissance hotel, Renaissance Indianapolis North, which is already achieving top customer satisfaction scores.