12.19.2000 ET

(CSRwire) Marriott International, Inc. (NYSE:MAR) announced today plans to donate approximately 100,000 “gently used” mattresses to nonprofit organizations and needy families throughout the U.S. over the next three years. As part of the company's "Spirit To Serve Our Communities" initiative, Marriott will launch its new program today with a donation of 500 mattresses in the Washington, D.C., area. Throughout the next 36 months, mattresses will also be donated in major cities such as New York, Los Angeles, Dallas, Chicago, Atlanta, Boston and Miami. Gifts In Kind International, a nonprofit clearinghouse, will coordinate distribution of the donated mattresses.

“As we install new state-of-the-art comfort mattresses and bedding in more than 200 Marriott hotels in America, we saw a great opportunity to meet the needs of organizations and families in our local communities,” said J.W. Marriott, Jr., chairman and chief executive officer of Marriott International. “We’ve always looked for ways to give back, and we’re especially pleased to begin this program during the holiday season.”

“Many families across the country are in need of important household items, and Marriott’s generosity represents a significant contribution,” said Susan Corrigan, president and chief executive officer of Gifts In Kind International. “The donation of mattresses will be put to good use by the facilities that provide housing and family services to those who need it most.”

ExecuStay by Marriott Makes Annual Holiday Donation

Separately, ExecuStay by Marriott, the corporate housing services business that leases furnished apartments to business travelers, is also donating today a total of $150,000 in home furnishings to shelters and missions in cities across the country including Atlanta; Charlotte, N.C.; Chicago; Hartford, Conn.; Houston; Los Angeles; Miami/Ft. Lauderdale; New York; Orlando, Fla.; Philadelphia; Phoenix; Sacramento, Calif.; San Antonio; San Francisco; Seattle and Washington, D.C.

Products being donated by ExecuStay nationally include 6,300 bed and bath items (blankets, comforters, shower curtains, bathroom rugs, sets of sheets and towels); 12,000 kitchen products (sets of dishes, flatware, carving knives, glassware, napkins, pots, pans and small appliances); 400 electric/electronic devices (televisions, VCRs, telephones, answering machines, vacuum cleaners and irons); decorative accessories (floral arrangements and wall pictures) and clothing.

Any nonprofit agency seeking mattresses or household furnishings for their facility or people in need should contact Gifts In Kind International through their web site, www.giftsinkind.org, by sending a fax to (703) 549-1481, or by calling (703) 836-2121.

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