GlobeNewswire Inc | Feb 9, 2021 08:15AM EST

February 09, 2021

TORONTO, Feb. 09, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- In a monumental move for the hotel industry, Sunwing Travel Group has announced that its hotel division, Blue Diamond Resorts, has signed an agreement with Marriott International to combine their innovative brand concepts and offer customers unparalleled vacation experiences. As part of the agreement, 19 of Blue Diamond Resorts properties will become part of Marriott Internationals prestigious Autograph Collection by mid-2021.

The agreement aligns the fastest growing hotel company in the Caribbean with the worlds largest hotel chain, providing even more travellers with Royaltons signature All-In Luxury vacation concept and Planet Hollywoods entertainment-themed experiences. The Autograph Collection brand features a curated selection of some of the worlds top hotels and resorts, bolstering the award-winning Blue Diamond Resorts brand while maintaining the consistent high level of service that guests are accustomed to.

We are thrilled to join forces with Marriott International and introduce our portfolio of world-class resorts, including Royalton and Planet Hollywood, to their Autograph Collection, said Stephen Hunter, CEO, Sunwing Travel Group. Marriotts prestigious reputation and esteemed travel program will further elevate our award-winning hotels, while supporting Marriotts expansion into the all inclusive category, ultimately allowing us to make even more travellers vacation dreams come true.

Sunwing Travel Group will now benefit from Marriotts worldwide distribution and partnership agreements in addition to Marriott Bonvoy, Marriott Internationals loyalty program, which is comprised of over 145 million members across the globe. As part of this, Marriott Bonvoy members will be able to earn and redeem points on all inclusive vacation experiences.

Sunwing Travel Groups premium, all inclusive resorts will serve as excellent additions to the Marriott portfolio, adding two new leisure destinations St. Lucia and Antigua to our footprint and doubling our presence in this segment, said Tony Capuano,Group President, Global Development, Design and Operations Services,Marriott International. We will draw on their expertise in the all inclusive segment to bring even more choices and exceptional experiences to our Marriott Bonvoy members.

The agreement includes the following resorts:

* Royalton Riviera Cancun Resort & Spa (Autograph Collection) * Hideaway at Royalton Riviera Cancun (Autograph Collection) * Planet Hollywood Beach Resort Cancun (Autograph Collection)Mexico * Planet Hollywood Adult Scene Cancun (Autograph Collection) * Royalton CHIC Suites Cancun Resort & Spa (Autograph Collection)

* Royalton Bavaro Resort & Spa (Autograph Collection) * Royalton Splash Punta Cana Resort & Spa (AutographDominican Collection)Republic * Royalton CHIC Punta Cana Resort & Spa (Autograph Collection) * Royalton Punta Cana Resort & Casino (Autograph Collection) * Hideaway at Royalton Punta Cana (Autograph Collection)

* Royalton Negril Resort & Spa (Autograph Collection) * Hideaway at Royalton Negril (Autograph Collection)Jamaica * Grand Lido Negril Au-Naturel All-Suites Resort (Autograph Collection) * Royalton White Sands Montego Bay (Autograph Collection) * Royalton Blue Waters Montego Bay (Autograph Collection)

Saint Lucia * Royalton Saint Lucia Resort & Spa (Autograph Collection) * Hideaway at Royalton Saint Lucia (Autograph Collection)

Costa Rica * Planet Hollywood Beach Resort Costa Rica (Autograph Collection)

Antigua * Royalton Antigua Resort & Spa (Autograph Collection)

About Sunwing Travel Group

The largest integrated travel company in North America, Sunwing Travel Group is comprised of Sunwing Vacations and Vacation Express, two of the leading leisure tour operators in North America; Sunwing Airlines, Canada's premier leisure airline; SunwingJets, a luxury private jet charter service; SellOffVacations.com and Luxe Destination Weddings, two leading travel retail businesses; NexusTours, a full-service destination management company; and Blue Diamond Resorts, the Groups hotel management company, an innovative organization that operates popular resort brands across the Caribbean and Mexico. Since its inception in 2011, Blue Diamond Resorts has curated an impressive portfolio encompassing 45 properties, exceeding 15,000 rooms in ten countries, including the award-winning All-In Luxury Royalton Luxury Resorts, adults-only brands Hideaway at Royalton and Royalton CHIC, Planet Hollywood Hotels and Resorts, and Mystique by Royalton. For more information on Sunwing Travel Group, please visit www.sunwingtravelgroup.com.

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For more information:

Melanie Anne FilippDirector, Corporate Communications & Media RelationsSunwing Travel Group1-800-387-5602|media@sunwing.ca

About Marriott International

Marriott International, Inc.(NASDAQ: MAR) is based in Bethesda, Maryland, USA, and encompasses a portfolio of more than 7,500 properties under 30 leading brands spanning 132 countries and territories. Marriott operates and franchises hotels and licenses vacation ownership resorts all around the world. The company offers Marriott Bonvoy, its highly-awarded travel program. For more information, please visit our website atwww.marriott.com, and for the latest company news, visitwww.marriottnewscenter.com. In addition, connect with us onFacebookand @MarriottIntl onTwitterandInstagram.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/26708759-72b7-435a-9c4c-ca0ea15ff10b