Marriott Opens First Full Service Hotel in Visalia, California

WASHINGTON, Jan. 18 /PRNewswire/ -- Marriott International, Inc. announced today that the Radisson Hotel Visalia has been officially re-branded as the Visalia Marriott. The 195-room hotel recently completed an $8.5 million renovation of all public spaces, meeting rooms, and guest rooms and is located at 300 South Court Street -- across from the Kaweah Delta Regional Medical Center. The property is co-owned by Presidian of San Antonio, Texas and NDC of New York, and is managed by Presidian.

"We are very excited to bring the first full service Marriott hotel to the Visalia area," said Joe Kuhn, general manager, Visalia Marriott. "We believe that the joint operation of the hotel with the Visalia Convention Center will bring about a great revitalization and cause business to thrive in this area."

Ideally situated two blocks from Visalia's historic entertainment district, the hotel is only minutes away from a wide variety of restaurants, boutique shopping, and entertainment options, including the historic Fox Theater. Guests of the hotel will enjoy easy access to some of California's most famous attractions, notably the Giant Sequoias of Sequoia National Park, which is less than 30 miles away, as well as Kings Canyon National Park. In addition, the hotel is located nearby the International Agricultural Center, which hosts the largest agricultural show of its kind worldwide every February.

Renovated guest rooms will feature Marriott's Revive(R) bedding, with plusher mattresses, softer sheets, more pillows, and a new, fresh, white look. Replacing the traditional hotel bedspread is a down comforter nestled inside a sheeted duvet, which will be freshly laundered for each new guest. Mattresses are thicker and more comfortable with the addition of a two- to four-inch mattress topper, and the 300-thread-count, cotton-rich, white top and fitted bottom sheets are among the finest and softest sheets of any global hotel chain. The stylized bedding is accented with euro shams, a decorative bed scarf and a bolster.

In-room amenities include a two-line telephone with data port and voice mail, both wired and wireless high-speed Internet access, cable television with pay-per-view movies, coffee and tea service, hair dryer, and iron with ironing board. Recreational amenities include a heated year-round swimming pool and an on-property fitness center. The hotel also offers complimentary parking to all its guests.

Ideal for business and social occasions, the hotel, in conjunction with the Visalia Convention Center, offers almost 114,000 square feet of flexible meeting space. The 31,675-square-foot Exhibit Hall is the largest of the facility's meeting rooms and all feature wired and wireless high-speed Internet access. There is also a business center on property.

For dining and entertainment, the hotel features Zhou restaurant, serving Pan-Pacific fresh cuisine, and Zhou's bar and lounge offering cocktails and specialty drinks. Guests can also enjoy a wide range of fine dining options all within walking distance of the hotel in the historic entertainment district.

For more information or reservations, contact the Visalia Marriott directly at (559) 636-1111, call the Marriott Worldwide Reservations Center at (800) 228-9290, or visit the Marriott web site at http://www.marriott.com/. Marriott Hotels & Resorts participates in the company's award-winning Marriott Rewards(R) frequent guest program. Members earn their choice of points toward free vacations or frequent flyer mileage for dollars spent at more than 2,800 Marriott hotels worldwide.

MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL, INC. is a leading lodging company with more than 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/.

Presidian Management, headquartered in San Antonio, Texas, provides property and asset management for the hospitality industry, and has developed and provided construction management services for more than $1 billion in hospitality and entertainment projects. For more information, visit http://www.presidian.com/.

NDC is a private equity firm, investing capital in U.S. commercial real estate assets and related entities through joint venture structures with proven operating partners. NDC pursues a disciplined investment philosophy that focuses on value-oriented strategies, including property renovation, development, and repositioning. The foundation of NDC's investment platform is an alignment of interest created through a co-investment partnership with knowledgeable operating partners. A proven track record of producing consistently high risk-adjusted returns supports this investment philosophy. For more information, visit http://www.ndccp.com/.