Source: Marriott

Marriott International (NYSE: MAR) announced today that it has signed agreements with Prime Hospitality S.A. to manage its first two hotels in the Central African nation of Gabon: an upscale, 250-room Marriott Hotels & Resorts branded hotel and a 40-unit Marriott Executive Apartments extended stay hotel in Libreville. The Libreville Marriott Hotel and Marriott Executive Apartments, expected to open in 2015, will be located on a prime waterfront site in Libreville's central business district. The hotels will be in close proximity to the Presidential Palace, US Embassy, French Embassy, international airport and sea port.

"These two hotels represent a major development in our aggressive growth plans for sub-Saharan Africa, where opportunity is great," said Alex Kyriakidis, president and managing director, the Middle East and Africa division of Marriott International, Inc. "Marriott's market entry strategy continues to lead with its full-service brands – in this case our flagship Marriott Hotels & Resorts, and our upscale apartment-hotel brand, Marriott Executive Apartments

"Libreville and the country of Gabon will be very proud of these Marriott hotels, which will set a new standard of international hospitality here and provide much-needed quality rooms and meeting space," said Mr. Ghaby Kodeih, founder of Prime Hospitality and chief executive officer of Benin-based Groupe Kodeih. "In working with the Marriott team, I have had the pleasure of experiencing Marriott's legendary "Spirit to Serve, and I look forward to bringing this experience to Gabon."

Libreville Marriott Hotel

Marriott Hotels & Resorts is Marriott International's flagship hotel brand designed to inspire performance, by offering services and amenities that encourage guests to function at their peak and meet their personal goals while traveling for business or leisure. The 250-room Libreville Marriott will offer its signature Marriott Hotels & Resorts lobby with a day-to-night bar and various zones for relaxing, snacking and socializing; 225 rooms and 25 suites; three restaurant outlets (including a casual restaurant, a specialty restaurant and pool grille); and a sports bar. Recreational facilities will include a health and leisure club, tennis courts, private beach and outdoor pool. The hotel will offer 10,979 square feet of meeting space with a ballroom, individual meeting rooms and a boardroom.

Marriott Executive Apartments Libreville

Designed for extended stay travelers, the 40-unit Marriott Executive Apartments Libreville will offer the convenience of a five-star, full-service hotel with the space, ambience and privacy of residential living. It will offer 20 one-bedroom, 10 two-bedroom and 10 three-bedroom apartments - each with a fully equipped kitchen, contemporary furnishings, state of the art connectivity, flat screen television, a washer-dryer and on-site storage.

In addition to all the shared public and meeting space of the Marriott Hotel, residents of the Marriott Executive Apartments will also have their own gym and pool and their own Resident's Lounge, with different zones for television viewing, reading, Internet corner and self-service food and beverage area for light snacks.

About Marriott Hotels & Resorts is Marriott International's signature and most widely distributed brand, with more than 500 hotels and resorts in 54 countries. Marriott continues to inspire performance and a balanced life on the road for discerning and high-achieving business and leisure travelers, offering warm, professional service; sophisticated yet functional guest room design; lobby spaces that facilitate working, dining and socializing; restaurants and bars serving international cuisine prepared simply and from the freshest ingredients; meeting and event spaces and services that are gold standard; and expansive, 24-hour fitness facilities. All Marriott hotels participate in the award winning Marriott Rewards frequent travel program that allows members to earn hotel points or airline miles for every dollar spent during each stay. For more information, visit www.MarriottHotels.com. Follow Marriott Hotels & Resorts on Twitter at www.twitter.com/MarriottHotels.

About Marriott Executive Apartments provides upscale apartment accommodations for guests on extended stays of 30 days or longer outside the United States. Offering studios to three-bedroom apartments, they combine comfort of residential living and services of a Marriott hotel. Each property is influenced by local design elements and features state-of-the-art facilities and technology. All Marriott Executive Apartments participate in the award winning Marriott Rewards® frequent travel program that allows members to earn hotel points or airline miles for every dollar spent during each stay. For more information and booking, visit www.marriottexecutiveapartments.com

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.