Marriott drafts in Citigate for UK job

Alex Black, PR Week UK, Thursday, 01 December 2005, 12:00am,

The Marriott hotel chain has hired Citigate SMARTS to run UK regional brand awareness programmes, six months after gaining its independence from the Whitbread Hotel Company.

The group operates more than 70 hotels in the UK under brands including Renaissance and Courtyard.

V-P of international PR June Farrell said Citigate would work alongside Marriott's retained corporate agency, Ellis Associates.

'The UK is an important market for Marriott. It is a source of outbound travellers to our hotels in 65 countries around the world,' she added.

The Washington DC-based firm has more than 2,700 lodging properties worldwide and pulls in annual global revenues of more than $10bn (£5.8bn).