New York, NY, and Washington, DC, | J. W. (Bill) Marriott, Jr., chairman and chief executive officer of Marriott International, Inc., will receive the first Icon of the Industry Award from the Cornell University School of Hotel Administration at a ceremony at the Marriott Marquis in New York City on Tuesday, June 2, 2009. Marriott will be honored for his lifelong leadership in the hospitality industry and for his extraordinary civic and philanthropic contributions.

"Bill Marriott has led an exemplary life founded on service to others," said Michael Johnson, the school's dean and E. M. Statler Professor of Hotel Administration. "We look forward to recognizing him for his remarkable personal and professional achievements."

Under Marriott's lead, Marriott International has grown from a family restaurant business to a global lodging company with more than 3,100 properties in 66 countries and territories. Known for its commitment to diversity, social responsibility and community engagement, the firm is consistently recognized among the most admired companies. Mr. Marriott has also worked to compile a family of 18 lodging brands that range from limited service to full service luxury hotels. The company manages and franchises hotels and resorts under the Marriott, JW Marriott, Renaissance, Bulgari, Ritz-Carlton, Courtyard, Residence Inn, SpringHill Suites, TownePlace Suites, and Fairfield Inn brand names. It operates vacation ownership resorts under the Marriott Vacation Club International, Ritz-Carlton Club, and Grand Residences by Marriott brands. The company also operates Marriott Executive Apartments, provides furnished corporate housing through its Marriott ExecuStay division, operates conference centers, and manages golf courses.

Mr. Marriott serves on the board of the J. Willard & Alice S. Marriott Foundation. He is a member of the National Business Council and the Executive Committee of the World Travel & Tourism Council. He also serves as the chairman of the Mayo Clinic Capital Campaign. Mr. Marriott recently served on the Board of Trustees of the National Geographic Society, as director of the United States Naval Academy Foundation, chairman of the President's Export Council and member of the Secure Borders Open Doors Advisory Committee and the U.S. Travel and Tourism Advisory Board.

Marriott has also been a leader in higher education in hospitality, as seen in his generous support of the Cornell School of Hotel Administration and San Diego State University. He is an honorary member of the Cornell Hotel Society, and the school's Executive Education Center bears the Marriott name.

The awards event will begin with a reception at 6:30 p.m. followed by a dinner at 7:30 p.m. For more details about the event and sponsorship opportunities, please contact Joe Strodel, Cornell's director of corporate and foundation affairs, at [email protected] or 607.255.4646.

About the Center for Hospitality Research

The purpose of the Center for Hospitality Research is to enable and conduct research of significance to the global hospitality and related service industries. CHR also works to improve the connections between academe and industry, continuing the School of Hotel Administration's long-standing tradition of service to the hospitality industry. Founded in 1992, CHR remains the industry's foremost creator and distributor of timely research, all of which is posted at no charge for all to use. In addition to its industry advisory board, CHR convenes several industry roundtables each year for the purpose of identifying new issues affecting the hospitality industry.

Center Members: Accenture • Access Point Financial, Inc. • Barclaycard US • Cvent • Davis & Gilbert LLP • Deloitte & Touche USA LLP • DerbySoft • Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts • Fox Rothschild LLP • Hilton Worldwide • Host Hotels & Resorts • Hyatt Hotels Corporation • IDeaS Revenue Solutions • InterContinental Hotels Group • Jumeirah Group • Marriott International • NTT DATA • Preferred Hotels & Resorts • priceline.com • PwC • The Rainmaker Group • RateGain • ReviewPro • Revinate • Sabre Hospitality Solutions • STR • Taj Hotels Resorts and Palaces • Tata Consultancy Services • Wipro EcoEnergy • Wyndham Hotel Group

Nancy Knowles
607.255.8702
CHR