Dubai: Marriott International will manage nine new properties in Saudi Arabia starting in 2010 under a recently-concluded agreement with Fawaz Abdul Aziz Al Hokair & Associates Hotel Company LLC.

The new hotels will be located in Riyadh, Jeddah, Dammam and Jubail and will represent the following Marriott brands: Ritz-Carlton Hotels, Ritz-Carlton Residences, Marriott Hotels & Resorts, Marriott Executive Apartments and Courtyard by Marriott. When opened, they will substantially increase Marriott International's presence in the country from 3 today to 12 properties.

"We are excited by the dramatic growth these hotels represent for our portfolio in Saudi Arabia and are delighted to share Fawaz Abdul Aziz Al Hokair & Associates Hotel Company LLC vision of the country. Tourism is becoming an integral part of the economic landscape in the Middle East and we are pleased to help build this future direction," said Ed Fuller, president and managing director of international lodging for Marriott International Inc.