The Raleigh Marriott City Center Celebrates Grand Opening

New 400 Room Luxury Hotel Features Posta Tuscan Grille, Bar Posta and a
Starbucks Coffee Store

RALEIGH, N.C., Aug. 27 /PRNewswire/ -- Privately held Noble Investment
Group ("Noble"), a leading sponsor of private equity real estate funds and an
integrated lodging and hospitality operating and development organization,
today celebrated the grand opening of the 400-room Raleigh Marriott City
Center located at 500 Fayetteville Street and attached to the new 500,000
square foot Raleigh Convention Center. The Raleigh Marriott City Center
brings four-star luxury accommodations to the heart of the city's urban core
and is a key component of a vibrant new dining and entertainment district
within the $1 billion renaissance of Raleigh's city center. The hotel's
inviting, grand lobby was designed to be the living room of the Raleigh and
Wake County communities where guests can relax and unwind as they gather to
enjoy the culinary creations of acclaimed chefs Marco and Gianni Betti's Posta
Tuscan Grille and neighborhood gathering spots, Bar Posta and Starbucks
Coffee.
"We are very pleased and excited to have this prominent new Marriott in
the heart of Raleigh's city center," said J.W. Marriott, Jr., chairman and CEO
of Marriott International, Inc. "Noble Investment Group is an award winning
partner of Marriott and we congratulate them on bringing this spectacular
hotel to life for all residents and visitors to the Raleigh and Wake County
areas."
"Four years ago, we set out to determine the lasting future of our city's
downtown core, and as a result of an enormous amount of passion and
commitment, today we celebrate the completion of an important anchor for that
vision," said Raleigh Mayor Charles Meeker. "The Noble organization has been
an extremely valuable partner to us and delivered a magnificent hotel that
will prove to be a great enabler to the success of the new Raleigh Convention
Center and tourism in our region. The Raleigh Marriott City Center is a
perfect example of how the public and private sectors can work together to
realize goals of great significance to our community."
"The commitment of this community's leaders to make Raleigh a hub for
world-class business, a prominent center for arts and culture, a destination
for meetings and conventions, and a thriving place to live, dine and play, has
fostered a remarkable transformation of this vibrant city," said Mit Shah,
senior managing principal and chief executive officer for Noble. "We are
proud to be an integral part of this community and believe that our investment
will bring a new level of hospitality and amenities that will continue to
galvanize the landscape of Raleigh's city center."
Located twenty minutes from Raleigh-Durham International Airport, the
16-story hotel features 400 rooms, including 20 suites and more than 15,000
square feet of technologically advanced meeting space featuring a 9,000
square-foot Grand Ballroom and another 6,000 square feet of
individual/breakout meeting rooms. The Raleigh Marriott City Center is the
official headquarters of the new Raleigh Convention Center. Complete with a
vast 30,000 square-foot ballroom and more than 150,000 square feet of
functional meeting space, the hotel and convention center provide abundant
solutions for groups and meetings of any size.
At the Raleigh Marriott City Center, meeting planners and guests will find
all the amenities the world-renowned Marriott name commands, including on-site
audio/visual services, first class business center, high-speed Internet
access, room service and laundry/valet service. Luxurious bedding with 300-
thread count sheets, large bathrooms featuring wood, marble and chrome
elements, and clean lines with warm toned walls will welcome guests into
comfortable, urban-style surroundings influenced by the city's rich history
and culture. State-of-the-art hotel technology is displayed in each room
featuring 32-inch flat panel plasma televisions, complete with speakers,
digital music and data ports, and a custom designed pivoting desk and
ergonomic chair for the business traveler. Additional amenities will ensure
quality "free time" as guests enjoy the scenic pool and extensive fitness
center.
Posta Tuscan Grille and Bar Posta offers the finest in Italian tradition,
from classic favorites to authentic Tuscan fare, prepared by proprietor Marco
Betti and his brother, Executive Chef Gianni Betti from Florence, Italy.
Posta, which translates to "Place" in Italian, provides a memorable dining
experience, whether seated at the restaurant's outdoor terrace, in a private
dining room, or in front of the open kitchen. Friends gather and unwind at
the communal table in Bar Posta, sampling a great selection of Italian and
American wines from the extensive wine collection. Posta Tuscan Grille is
open for breakfast, lunch and dinner, providing guests with delicious
handcrafted fare, while the spacious Bar Posta serves until midnight.
Guests looking for a quick bite or a morning pick-me-up will enjoy the
large 1,400-square-foot Starbucks Coffee Store, which also has 30 seats for
outdoor dining. Accessible from Fayetteville Street, as well as through the
hotel lobby, Starbucks serves traditional coffee and tea selections, as well
as sweet treats, such as double chocolate brownie cookies. Starbucks is open
from 6 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.
About Marriott International, Inc.
MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL, Inc. (NYSE: MAR) is a leading lodging company with
more than 3,000 lodging properties in the United States and 66 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
2007 year-end. It is ranked as the lodging industry's most admired company
and one of the best companies to work for by FORTUNE(R), and has been
recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with the 2007
Sustained Excellence Award and Partner of the Year since 2004. In fiscal year
2007, Marriott International reported sales from continuing operations of $13
billion. For more information or reservations, please visit our web site at
http://www.marriott.com.
About Noble Investment Group
Noble is a leading sponsor of private equity real estate funds and an
integrated operating and development organization that specializes in making
value-added investments in hotels and resorts throughout North America. An
award winning operator of more than 8,000 hotel and resort guest rooms,
convention and conference centers with approximately 1 million sq. ft. of
meeting space, as well as championship golf, day and resort spas, upscale
restaurants, and branded retail coffee stores, Noble and its predecessors have
realized superior risk-adjusted returns while acquiring and developing more
than $2.5 billion in lodging and hospitality assets. Noble's current
discretionary private equity fund represents $310 million of equity
commitments, which provides the organization the ability to invest more than
$1 billion in lodging-related assets. For more information, visit
http://www.nobleinvestment.com.
Contact:
Bonnie Herring (404) 262-9660
Bonnie.herring@nobleinvestment.com

Heather Freeman (800) 987-9806
Heather@Heatherfreeman.com

Tom Drew (919) 452-6190
Tdrew@501csolutions.com

Roger Conner (301) 380-5605
Roger.conner@marriott.com

SOURCE Noble Investment Group

Bonnie Herring of Noble Investment Group, +1-404-262-9660,
Bonnie.herring@nobleinvestment.com; or Heather Freeman, +1-800-987-9806,
Heather@Heatherfreeman.com, Tom Drew, +1-919-452-6190,
Tdrew@501csolutions.com, Roger Conner, +1-301-380-5605
Roger.conner@marriott.com, all for Noble Investment Group