Erica Qualls Named General Manager of Atlanta Marriott Marquis

WASHINGTON, Nov. 29 /PRNewswire/ -- Marriott International, Inc. announced the appointment of Erica Qualls today as general manager of the Atlanta Marriott Marquis, one of the largest hotels in Marriott's portfolio with 1,675 rooms and 800 associates. Recently named as one of the "Top 100 Black Women" by the Atlanta Business League, Qualls is among 18 women named to an executive position within the last six months.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20060525/CGTH048 )

As general manager, Qualls is responsible for managing the sales and profit performance of the Atlanta Marriott Marquis, which boasts more than 120,000 square feet of meeting and convention space, and overseeing its $120 million renovation.

"Erica is an exceptional executive, a tremendous asset to Marriott," said David Rodriguez, executive vice president, human resources, Marriott International, Inc. "We recognize that diverse leadership adds significant value to the company, and we're excited about Erica's advancement."

Qualls started her career with Marriott in 1993 and has held key positions in various disciplines, including her prior appointments as hotel manager and director of human resources at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis. She is an active member of her community, working with several local organizations, including Children's Miracle Network, Hands on Atlanta, the United Way and the United Negro College Fund. Married for more than 20 years, Qualls is also the mother of four.

Marriott has been recognized by many organizations for being an employer of choice. For more information, visit http://www.marriott.com/.

MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL, INC. is a leading lodging company with nearly 2,800 lodging properties in the United States and 67 other countries and territories. Marriott International operates and franchises hotels under the Marriott, JW Marriott, The Ritz-Carlton, Renaissance, Residence Inn, Courtyard, TownePlace Suites, Fairfield Inn, SpringHill Suites and Bulgari brand names; develops and operates vacation ownership resorts under the Marriott Vacation Club International, Horizons, The Ritz-Carlton Club and Grand Residences by Marriott brands; operates Marriott Executive Apartments; provides furnished corporate housing through its Marriott ExecuStay division; and operates conference centers and golf courses. The company is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and had approximately 143,000 employees at 2005 year-end. It is ranked as the lodging industry's most admired company and one of the best places to work for by FORTUNE(R). The company is also a 2006 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ENERGY STAR(R) Partner. In fiscal year 2005, Marriott International reported sales from continuing operations of $11.6 billion. For more information or reservations, please visit our web site at http://www.marriott.com/.