WASHINGTON, May 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Marriott Rewards members can now earn Virgin Atlantic Flying Club miles when they stay at over 2,700 Marriott International hotels in 65 countries. Marriott Rewards members now have 28 airline options.

Effective immediately, Marriott Rewards members who designate Flying Club as their earning preference will receive:

Two (2) miles per U.S. dollar spent at:

-- Marriott Hotels & Resorts -- Renaissance Hotels & Resorts
-- JW Marriott Hotels & Resorts -- Marriott Vacation Club International

Or one (1) mile per U.S. dollar spent (room rate only) at:

-- Courtyard by Marriott -- Residence Inn by Marriott
-- Fairfield Inn by Marriott -- TownePlace Suites by Marriott
-- SpringHill Suites by Marriott -- Horizons by Marriott


In addition, Marriott Rewards members can convert their Marriott Rewards points into Flying Club miles at the following exchange rates:

10,000 Marriott Rewards Points = 2,000 miles
20,000 Marriott Rewards Points = 5,000 miles
30,000 Marriott Rewards Points = 10,000 miles
70,000 Marriott Rewards Points = 25,000 miles
125,000 Marriott Rewards Points = 50,000 miles


Virgin Atlantic carried five million passengers last year and has 35 aircraft in its fleet, with an average age of less than six years.

Since it was founded in 1984, Virgin Atlantic Airways has become Britain's second largest carrier serving the world's major cities. Offering high-flying service between nine U.S. cities to London, it operates long-haul services to 27 destinations worldwide as far apart as Las Vegas, Tokyo, Delhi, Boston and Shanghai, with recent growth to Mumbai, Sydney and Dubai. Despite Virgin Atlantic's growth, the service still remains customer driven with an emphasis on value for money, quality, fun and innovation, ensuring flying Virgin Atlantic is always an event.

For information about Marriott Rewards or to enroll, call 1-888-MARRIOTT (627-7468); (801) 468-4000 in Latin America; 44 (0) 20 7584 5500 in Europe, the United Kingdom and the Middle East; (61) (2) 8298 5250 in Australia and Asia; and (81) 3 5405 1513 in Japan; visit the front desk of participating hotels; or log onto MarriottRewards.com.

Marriott Rewards points may be redeemed for hotel stays, frequent flyer miles, car rentals, theme park passes, retail merchandise and more. With more than 2,700 participating hotels in 65 countries, Marriott Rewards provides travelers the opportunity to get to the places they dream of 30 percent faster than with other leading programs.*

Marriott Rewards has been named "Best Hotel Rewards Program" by the readers of Business Traveler, Global Traveler, Travel Savvy, Executive Travel and BusinessWeek magazines.

*Comparison based on seven nights at Starwood, Hilton, InterContinental Hotel Group and Hyatt full-service hotels of similar quality and points earned on dollars spent. Assumes standard award offerings for base-level members. All comparisons made as of 1/07.

MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL, INC. (NYSE:MAR) is a leading lodging company with nearly 2,900 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, Horizons by Marriott Vacation Club, 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. The company is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and had approximately 151,000 employees at 2006 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 2006, Marriott International reported sales from continuing operations of $12.2 billion. For more information or reservations, please visit our website at http://www.marriott.com/.