Hotelier India Names Gurleen Bhalla, of Marriott Hyderabad Hotels, 'HR Person of the Year 2011'

HYDERABAD, INDIA--(Marketwire - Jan 9, 2012) - The valedictory function of the Hotelier India Awards 2011 held at The Westin Gurgaon, New Delhi brought an award for Gurleen Bhalla, Director of Human Resources, Hyderabad Marriott Hotel & Convention Centre/ Courtyard by Marriott, Hyderabad. Gurleen was awarded for the category "HR Person of the Year 2011" for her extensive initiatives in associate satisfaction and associate engagement at her hotels in Hyderabad.

The award ceremony held on the evening of 16^th December 2011 at the ballroom of The Westin Gurgaon, New Delhi was a grand affair with dignitaries of the Hotel & Hospitality industry present to grace the evening.

Overwhelmed on the Achievement, Gurleen Bhalla, Director of Human Resources for the luxury hotels in Hyderabad, stated, "The onset of my career in 2002 was like any other MBA graduate who dreams to be a part of the corporate world. Time spent in regular Human Resource consultancies; I realized this was not what I wanted to be. Excitement on the job front was the answer! Hence hospitality industry beckoned and in no time I was happily walking towards it. The journey since then has been more than 'exciting' and a new challenge for every task has been the essence of my role."

She added, "The growth in the economy and tourism being the focus has been a key contributor to the boom in the hospitality industry. The perception about the field has changed with time and people now look up to making a career with this field. Coming from a non-hospitality background, the warmth and the people driven approach of the industry fascinated me the most and years of responsibility and challenges added the excitement to my job. It is strongly believed that a Human Resource Department of a hotel is another administrative department with more paper work and less involvement in decision taking. Contradicting this approach I would say the core of the HR department has shifted to now being a partner for every decision taken for the hotel. However with the 10 year long stint with hospitality, I look back and think to myself that it wasn't a bad idea to drive the road less taken."

Gurleen's initiatives at the Hyderabad hotels were also recognized by Marriott International earlier this year when she was awarded "HR Leader of the Year 2011" for the Asia Pacific Region.

About Marriott International Inc. (NYSE: MAR): is a leading lodging company with more than 3,100 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®, 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 www.marriott.com.