The St. Regis Hong Kong

Marriott International, Inc. [NASDAQ: MAR] today celebrated the opening of its 7,000^th property - The St. Regis Hong Kong. The stunning, 27-story luxury hotel, which features butler service, and multiple restaurants, is emblematic of Marriott's global expansion strategy which disproportionately focuses on the highest lodging tiers as well as fast-growing international markets such as Hong Kong. The company's first property, the Twin Bridges Marriott, opened in 1957 and was a four-story motor hotel in Arlington, Virginia.

Today, Marriott's pipeline is growing with an increasing number of legacy-Starwood branded hotels with brands such as St. Regis, Luxury Collection and W.

The milestone follows Marriott's announcement in March that it expects to add more than 1,700 additional hotels by the end of 2021, including about 320 hotels in Asia Pacific. According to STR data, Marriott's overall open hotels and signed pipeline at the end of 2018 totaled a combined 1.69 million rooms, which exceeds that of its next competitor by 36 percent.

Marriott estimates that these 1,700 properties expected to be added by the end of 2021 could provide up to 150,000 jobs around the world. In Asia Pacific alone, the company's additions in the region over the same time period could provide up to 56,000 jobs.

Marriott International prides itself on being a welcoming and inclusive place to work. More than 730,000 people in 130 countries and territories wear a Marriott name badge. The company has received numerous global accolades on its work environment, including being named to the Fortune "Best Places to Work" list for a record 22 consecutive years.

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