Marriott International Underscores Its Focus In Driving Innovation In Design with Sponsorship of Business of Design Week 2018

Partnership shares vision to integrate design thinking into business and societal processes

HONG KONG, CHINA - Media OutReach - November 29, 2018 - Marriott International today announced its sponsorship of Asia's leading international event on design, brands and innovation, Business of Design Week (BODW). Each year, BODW brings to Hong Kong some of the world's most celebrated design masters, brand leaders and business figures across a variety of fields to inspire both international and Hong Kong audiences on the merits of good design. Marriott International's approach to design fits well with the goals of BODW, focusing on how cutting-edge, best-in-class design can add value and improve overall business outcomes.

The St. Regis Hong Kong sees acclaimed designer André Fu's vision of a "Curated Mansion", blending the brand's timeless elegance with the silhouettes of Hong Kong's architectural and cultural diversity.

Designed by AB Concept, W Xi'an reinterprets rich historical, social and physical contexts in Xi'an through the lens of the W brand.

Hong Kong Ocean Park Marriott Hotel underscores its commitment to a sustainable future with energy-saving design features that complement Marriott Modern interiors.

"BODW is Asia's leading annual event on design, innovation and brands, committed to facilitating cultural exchange and driving innovations in the community, while Marriott International prides itself on leveraging the best thinkers in design to create the ultimate hotel experiences for our guests," said Michael Wang, Senior Continent Head, Global Design, Asia Pacific. "We see that we have a mutual vision to instill the concept of design thinking into the heart of any business operation and bring creative design processes into mainstream business methodologies. As such, we see a great opportunity through this sponsorship to showcase how Marriott International approaches design by retaining individuality and continuing to push the boundary of creativity while developing functional hotel design strategies."

Marriott International has long been recognized for its industry-leading and innovative forward-thinking design for its more than 30 distinctive brands across the world. As part of the conference, Michael Wang will be speaking at the "Reinvigorating Brands and Design" session at the Brand Asia Forum on Wednesday December 5 at this year's BODW event. Key topics he will cover include: how having the right strategy is key to driving innovation across multiple brands at scale whilst adding more value to hotel owners; and how technology and data have become critical to the design process. Trends are of paramount importance to the business of design in hospitality so he will also give his insights into some of the trends that are shaping the hotel experience of tomorrow.

The partnership comes hot off the heels of Marriott International's announcement that it is collaborating with Cornell University to offer e-learning courses to aspiring young designers. The Marriott Global Design Certificate Program, which will provide teaching on best practices in developing innovative design strategies to build hotels that appeal to a number of different consumer segments, aims to bring more talent into the hotel design community and provide a platform for them to develop and nurture their skills in a business and investment context.

Professor Eric Yim, JP, Chairman, Hong Kong Design Centre, which organizes BODW said, "The movement for people, user, citizen-centered innovation in design is on and we need as many organizations as possible to collaborate with us in making this movement a true force in the years to come. As such, we see our collaboration with Marriott International as a great step in helping us further advance our efforts to promote good design and cultivate design thinking across sectors, industries, professions and age groups. Marriott International speaks our design language and we're sure our delegates will welcome this addition to our stellar speaker lineup this year."

Marriott International has a number of recent and upcoming openings across Asia Pacific that showcase its approach to designing hotels that cater to the evolving needs of today's travelers. These include: Hong Kong Ocean Park Marriott Hotel, which underscores its commitment to a sustainable future with energy-saving design features that complement modern interiors; the highly anticipated St. Regis Hong Kong, which is scheduled to open in Spring 2019, sees the vision of a "Curated Mansion" by celebrated designer André Fu who blends the timeless elegance of the brand to the silhouettes of Hong Kong's architectural and cultural diversity; the W Xi'an by acclaimed interior design firm, AB Concept, reinterprets rich historical, social and physical contexts in Xi'an through the lens of the W brand, featuring five intricate labyrinths that represent the five ancient dynasties of Xi'an; RYSE, an Autograph Collection Hotel, in Seoul -- conceived and designed by globally renowned Michaelis Boyd, is a creative space for inspiration and indulgence; its interiors collide energetically: where bare concrete and industrial brass metal meet glossy pink flooring and modern art installations reign. In addition, the Fairfield by Marriott brand is expecting to open 15 hotels at undiscovered locations across five prefectures in Japan, with the first crop of 12 slated to open by 2020. The design process of these hotels reinforces how sustainability can be incorporated into the design features of the property: the entire hotel is prefabricated in a factory and ensembled on-site, not only to ensure high standards, but also to conserve resources by reducing construction time.

About Marriott International, Inc.
Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR) is based in Bethesda, Maryland, USA, and encompasses a portfolio of more than 6,700 properties in 30 leading hotel brands spanning 130 countries and territories. Marriott operates and franchises hotels and licenses vacation ownership resorts all around the world. The company also operates award-winning loyalty programs: Marriott Rewards®, which includes The Ritz-Carlton Rewards®, and Starwood Preferred Guest®. For more information, please visit our website at www.marriott.com, and for the latest company news, visit www.marriottnewscenter.com. In addition, connect with us on Facebook and @MarriottIntl on Twitter and Instagram.