UMUC and Marriott Partner to Win: America’s First “Green” Hotel and Conference Center

For immediate release:
October 6, 2005

(Adelphi, MD) — University of Maryland University College (UMUC) and Marriott International, Inc., announced today that the UMUC Inn & Conference Center has been designated the country’s first environmentally friendly hotel and conference center.

Granted Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification by the U.S. Green Building Council, the Inn and Conference Center addition, owned by UMUC and managed by Marriott, is both the hospitality industry’s first “green,” or LEED-certified, hotel and the first LEED-certified hotel/conference center in the United States. LEED certification means that a building is environmentally responsible, profitable, and a clean and healthy place to live and work. It designates that the Inn and Conference Center addition is a high-performance, sustainable building equipped with energy-efficiency measures, from lighting to improved wall and roof insulation.

Vincent Conti, UMUC senior vice president and CFO, said, “The University of Maryland University College recognized the need to build more environment-friendly buildings. We hope that others will follow our lead. We pursued the construction of a ‘green’ building because it was the right thing to do and also because it makes good business sense.”

“University of Maryland’s Inn and Conference Center’s LEED certification is a truly significant achievement in that it is the first hotel and hotel/conference center to become LEED certified,” said Rick Fedrizzi, president, CEO and founding chair, U.S. Green Building Council.  “Not only will the conference center’s occupants reap the enormous benefits of green building, but the project will also inspire others to follow UMUC’s example, leading to a healthier future for us all,” he continued. The U.S. Green Building Council is the country’s foremost coalition of leaders in the building industry who work to promote eco-friendly buildings. The LEED Green Building Rating System is a voluntary and consensus-driven national standard for efficient, sustainable buildings.

Marriott International, Inc., is extending its reach, too, with this unique alliance with UMUC. “We are very proud and excited to partner with the University of Maryland University College and receive this prestigious certification,” said Bob Allen, hotel manager for the property. “Operating an eco-friendly hotel is not only good for the environment, but makes good business sense. We’ve found that our guests also appreciate our efforts to protect the environment.”

For more information about the new, “green” addition to the UMUC Inn and Conference Center in Adelphi , Maryland , visit the university’s Web site at www.umuc.edu .

About UMUC

University of Maryland University College (UMUC), one of the 11 degree-granting institutions of the University System of Maryland, is a global university specializing in high-quality, career-oriented degree and non-degree programs tailored to the needs of the current workforce. Through a combination of classroom and distance-learning formats, UMUC provides educational opportunities for lifelong learning to a varied student clientele, in Maryland and internationally, and has earned a worldwide reputation for excellence as a comprehensive virtual university. UMUC serves its students and clients through undergraduate and graduate degree and certificate programs, non-credit leadership development and customized programs, and conference services at its Inn and Conference Center in Adelphi , Maryland .

About Marriott International, Inc.

MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL, INC. (NYSE:MAR) is a leading lodging company with more than 2,600 lodging properties in the United States and 65 other countries and territories. Marriott International operates and franchises hotels under the Marriott, JW Marriott, Renaissance, Bulgari, The Ritz-Carlton, Courtyard, Residence Inn, SpringHill Suites, TownePlace Suites, and Fairfield Inn brand names; develops and operates vacation ownership resorts under the Marriott Vacation Club International, Horizons, The Ritz-Carlton Club and Marriott Grand Residence Club brands; operates Marriott Executive Apartments; provides furnished corporate housing through its Marriott ExecuStay division; and operates conference centers. The company is headquartered in Washington , D.C. It is ranked as the lodging industry’s most admired company and one of the best places to work for by Fortune® magazine. In fiscal year 2004, Marriott International reported sales from continuing operations of $10 billion, and the company had approximately 133,000 employees at year-end 2004. For more information or reservations, please visit our web site at www.marriott.com .

About the U.S. Green Building Council

The U.S. Green Building Council is the nation’s leading coalition of corporations, builders, universities, government agencies and non-profit organizations working together to promote buildings that are environmentally responsible, profitable and healthy places to live and work. Since its founding in 1993, the Council has grown to more than 5,700 member companies and organizations; a 60-person professional staff; a broad portfolio of LEED® products and services; the industry’s popular Greenbuild International Conference and Expo; and a network of more than 60 local chapters, affiliates and organizing groups.