Doral is One of Six Marriott Golf Properties to Become Audubon Certified as Part of Company?s Mandate Program; First-Ever Audubon Certified Sanctuary in North America to Host a World Golf Championships Event
ORLANDO, FLORIDA – March 19, 2008 … Marriott Golf, one of the world’s premier golf operators, today announced that Doral Golf Resort & Spa, A Marriott Resort, has become Audubon Certified through the Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program (ACSP) for golf courses. The ACSP is a program that helps golf facilities protect the environment by enhancing precious natural areas and wildlife habitats that golf courses provide.
Doral, which is regarded as one of the most unique, luxury one-stop-golfing experiences in the country, features five championship golf courses, including the famed Blue Monster, which is home to the PGA TOUR’s WGC-CA Championship, one of three World Golf Championships events. In fact, Doral is the first and only World Golf Championships venue in the United States to be recognized as an Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary.
Doral’s Audubon Certification also comes on the heels of Marriott Golf announcing an Audubon mandate program, which requires 34 of the company’s managed golf courses throughout North America and the Caribbean to become Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuaries, by year end 2008.
“We are very excited to become Audubon Certified, and join an elite group of Marriott Golf properties,” said Darrin Helfrick, General Manager of Golf, Doral Golf Resort & Spa, A Marriott Resort. “Becoming an Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary defines a golf facility’s commitment to protecting and preserving the environment, and given Doral’s status in the golf industry and in professional golf, we believe this certification will help to promote environmental consciousness throughout the game.”
In order to achieve Audubon Certification, a golf facility is required to demonstrate that it is maintaining the highest degree of environmental quality in several areas including Environmental Planning, Wildlife & Habitat Management, Outreach & Education, Chemical Use Reduction & Safety, Water Conservation, and Water Quality Management. The Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary Program for Golf Courses, endorsed by the United States Golf Association, provides information and guidance to help golf courses preserve and enhance wildlife habitat, and protect natural resources. Golf courses from the United States, Africa, Australia, Canada, Central America, Europe, and Southeast Asia have also achieved certification in the program.
The 693-room Doral Resort, which is managed by Marriott International and is officially named Doral Golf Resort & Spa, A Marriott Resort, joined Marriott’s first-class portfolio of worldwide resorts worldwide in August of 2004. In managing the golf business operations at Doral, Marriott International enlisted its in-house golf management arm, Marriott Golf, the world’s largest resort golf management company, and the first in-house golf management team ever established by a lodging company.
About Marriott Golf
Marriott Golf manages 62 golf courses at 46 locations in 13 countries, offering more than 1,000 holes of Championship golf. Marriott has been managing golf operations since 1970 and is one of the world’s premier golf operators. Marriott provides golf management and consulting services to a variety of operational environments including resort, private club, daily fee, golf school and franchises. For more information, visit www.marriottgolf.com.
MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL, INC. (NYSE: MAR) is a leading lodging company with more than 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 Bethesda, Md., 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®. The company is also a 2006 U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) ENERGY STAR® Partner. In fiscal year 2006, Marriott International reported sales from continuing operations of $12.2 billion. For more information or reservations, please visit our web site at www.marriott.com.
Contact:
Michele Kruchkowski (mkruchkowski@mastrocomm.com)
Stefanie Schiavello (stefanie@mastrocomm.com)
Mastro Communications, Inc. @ 732-469-5700
