Renaissance® Hotels' Signature Global Music Experience Kicks-Off Its Sixth Year

Renaissance® Hotels' Signature Global Music Experience Kicks-Off Its Sixth Year

New Billboard Partnership Expands Audience - Features Emerging Talent

Tove Lo, A-Trak, AWOLNATION, And The Lone Bellow Confirmed For Renaissance's Navigator Live TV Series

Renaissance Hotels continues commitment to provide culture-seeking travelers with multi-media access to new music and unexpected hotel experiences

BETHESDA, Md., April 9, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- Renaissance Hotels (www.renhotels.com) is known around the world for helping the next generation of business travelers to discover unexpected cultural experiences. Today, the brand announced the sixth year of a 360-degree multi-platform, music program with newly added partner Billboard, the leading global source for charts, news, trends and innovations in music.

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The partnership deepens Renaissance Hotels' commitment to providing guests around the world with unconventional travel memories, through direct and on-the-go access to music, live entertainment, behind-the-scenes festival coverage, exclusive event access, artist meet-and-greets, social media ticket giveaways and more. Billboard joins existing exclusive media partners AXS TV and AXS.com, which are part of AEG, one of the world's leading presenters of sports and entertainment.

Renaissance Hotels is committed to embracing and showcasing new talent and music as it breaks. The lifestyle brand actively seeks out newly-discovered artists from around the world and has introduced its guests to more than 50 musicians, including Bruno Mars, Robin Thicke, Janelle Monae, Solange Knowles, Jamie Cullum, Gavin DeGraw, Robyn, GROUPLOVE, Walk The Moon and Kodaline.

The newly-formed partnership with Billboard also supports the second year of Navigator Live - a live event series and television show that invites guests and viewers to explore different cities through the eyes of touring musicians - the ultimate modern business traveler. This year's series features a robust artist line up including Tove Lo, A-Trak, AWOLNATION, and The Lone Bellow who will perform live at various Renaissance Hotels in the US, sharing their personally-curated guides to the best local city finds and discoveries along the way that inspire their music and creativity. The Navigator Live is produced in collaboration with AEG and aired on AXS TV. Season 1 of The Navigator Live TV series is currently airing on AXS TV, featuring:


-- LaRoux, April 15, 12:00 p.m. ET/9:00 a.m. PT
-- Capital Cities, April 22, 12:00 p.m. ET/9:00 a.m. PT
-- St. Lucia, April 29, 12:00 p.m. ET/9:00 a.m. PT
"We are in our sixth year of creating multi-media entertainment guest experiences, dedicated to supporting emerging musicians and to providing opportunities for our guests to discover, share and engage with new music as it breaks. Our initiatives extend beyond simply offering music in our hotels - we are dedicated to giving our guests the opportunity to get up close and personal with artists and create unexpected experiences that makes an average business trip something to write home about," said Dan Vinh, Vice President Marketing, Renaissance Hotels. "This year we're excited to add to our program one of the music industry's leading forces - Billboard - as we launch the second year of The Navigator Live TV series with four confirmed emerging acts, innovative social media experiences and backstage access at key festivals. Be on the lookout for even more announcements coming soon."

"At Billboard, we are always striving for inventive ways to support emerging artists and connect with fans in the most engaging way and in the most beautiful and unexpected settings," said John Amato, co-president, Billboard and The Hollywood Reporter. "We believe that Renaissance Hotels has taken a unique approach to support up-and-coming artists and tell their stories via intimate live experiences and behind-the-scenes access. This partnership will provide an even more powerful, innovative and far-reaching platform for new music, artist-made content and engagement."

A-Trak, the Grammy-nominated Canadian producer and DJ, will kick off season 2 of The Navigator Live series with a live in-hotel performance this spring.

Tove Lo, AWOLNATION, and The Lone Bellow are set to follow with live shows throughout the coming months at key Renaissance Hotels. Additional artists will be added to the line-up in the coming months.

Dedicated to giving guests access to the hottest emerging musicians today, Renaissance Hotels and Billboard are going on the road this music festival season to provide behind-the-scenes content via Billboard Studios. Billboard Studios is the hub where festival artists and talent share their personal stories about their current album, career, the music festival scene, and upcoming tours. Billboard editors will host exclusive video interviews and interactive experiences with today's biggest names in music.

The Billboard Studios powered by Renaissance Hotels will take place on property at Renaissance Indian Wells Resort & Spa, the host hotel during Coachella (April 10-11) and on festival grounds at BottleRock (May 29-31 in Napa Valley), Governor's Ball (June 5-7 in New York City), Firefly (June 18-21 in Dover, Delaware) and Lollapalooza (July 31-August 2 in Chicago). Exclusive artist interviews and other related content from the studios will be streamed on Billboard.com and Billboard social channels, on www.youtube.com/renhotels and in-room at Renaissance properties.

Consumers and Marriott Rewards(®) members will be given the chance to attend both The Navigator Live events and festivals by participating in Billboard and Renaissance Hotels social media competitions that will run prior to each event. These tickets will include VIP experiences such as exclusive behind-the-scenes access and artist meet-and-greets.

Guests can book a stay and check out the full line up of performances and promotions planned throughout the year at Renaissance Hotels by visiting www.renhotels.com, www.facebook.com/renhotels, and AXS.com. Renaissance Hotels' Navigators, the brand's local neighborhood experts, will have their own exclusive access to AEG's AXS.com ticketing platform so guests can gain last-minute direct access to select AEG promoted concerts, sporting events, and more. Guests of the hotel who are enrolled in the award-winning guest loyalty program, Marriott Rewards(®), are able to earn points during their hotel stays that can be redeemed for free holidays, flights, hotel rooms and merchandise.

A-TRAK:
Originally from Montreal and currently splitting time between New York and Los Angeles, A-Trak is well known for building links between hip hop and electronic music. After spending years as Kanye West's tour DJ and consigliere, he founded the celebrated record label Fool's Gold in 2007 and developed the careers of artists including Kid Cudi, Danny Brown and Flosstradamus. Through Fool's Gold, he cemented his reputation as a cultural curator, breaking down bygone rules of the record industry, paving the way for a new wave of independents and helping to make electronic music a dominating force all over the world.

AWOLNATION:
The musical project of Aaron Bruno, AWOLNATION recently released their highly anticipated new studio album Run. Written, performed and produced entirely by Bruno, the end result is a finely tuned musical masterwork led by the electric new single "Hollow Moon (Bad Wolf)." AWOLNATION released their gold-certified debut album in 2011. An alternative music revelation, Megalithic Symphony became an astonishing success resonating with fans around the world. Their multi-platinum hit single "Sail," a redefining global anthem, is the second longest charting song in the Billboard Hot 100's 55-year history, amassing hundreds of millions of video views and streaming plays online while charting worldwide.

THE LONE BELLOW:
Southern-born, Brooklyn-based band The Lone Bellow is made up of Zach Williams, Brian Elmquist and Kanene Pipkin. Together, they have created a sound that mixes folk sincerity, gospel fervor, and even heavy metal thunder, but the heart of the band is harmony: three voices united in a lone bellow. Their latest album, Then Came The Morning, produced by Aaron Dessner of The National, opens with a crest of churchly piano, a patter of drums and a fanfare of voices harmonizing like a sunrise. Their current single, Take My Love, is rising up the Triple A ranks and they are headed out on festival dates, radio shows and a full blown headlining tour in support of the album release, a collection of songs cited by Wall Street Journal as the best album of 2015 so far.

TOVE LO:
Swedish pop sensation Tove Lo has seen her career take off since the release of her triple platinum debut single "Habits (Stay High)". It peaked at #1 on the Billboard Pop Airplay Chart and iTunes Alternative Chart while her debut album "Queen of the Clouds" has been praised as 'the best pop album of 2014' by Stereogum and 'one of the year's strongest pop releases' by TIME Magazine. She has performed on NBC's Late Night with Seth Meyers, TBS' Conan, ABC's Jimmy Kimmel Live!, CBS' The Late Show with David Letterman, and ABC's Good Morning America.

RENAISSANCE HOTELS:
Renaissance Hotels encourages guests to Live Life to Discover(SM) at 160 hotels in over 35 countries around the world. Each hotel is unique and every stay offers an opportunity to explore local discoveries exclusive to the destination. At Renaissance Hotels, we believe that every guest is a storyteller and we aim to deliver with unexpected experiences meant to be shared.. Our signature events in our lobbies, bars and lounges are designed to showcase emerging talent in music, the arts, mixology and culinary and more to inspire new discovery. Renaissance Navigators are neighborhood experts who are ready to assist guests in discovering true local flavors and activities. R.E.N. Meetings offers groups an experience beyond a traditional meeting, rooted in creative sensory meeting design and custom-curated local Navigator excursions and networking events. At Renaissance Hotels, we work to ensure that every trip is transformed into an eye-opening, unforgettable journey. Renaissance Hotels believes that since you spend your life working, you should discover the world as you go. To discover more visit www.renhotels.com. For upcoming events visit www.renhotels.com/events. Like us on Facebook www.facebook.com/RenHotels. Follow us on Twitter www.twitter.com/RenHotels. Like us on Instagram www.instagram/RenHotels.

MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL:
Marriott International, Inc. (NASDAQ: MAR) is a global leading lodging company based in Bethesda, Maryland, USA, with more than 4,100 properties in 79 countries and territories. Marriott International reported revenues of nearly $14 billion in fiscal year 2014. The company operates and franchises hotels and licenses vacation ownership resorts under 19 brands. For more information or reservations, please visit our website at www.marriott.com, and for the latest company news, visit www.marriottnewscenter.com.

BILLBOARD:

Billboard is the world's most influential music brand, built on the most complete and well-respected database of charts across all music genres. The Billboard charts define success in music. From iconic Billboard magazine to Billboard.com which is the ultimate consumer-facing destination for millions of passionate music fans, to the industry's most elite conference series and influencer events including the Power 100 and Women in Music - the Billboard brand has unmatched authority among fans, artists and the industry alike.

AEG:
AEG is one of the leading sports and entertainment presenters in the world. AEG, a wholly owned subsidiary of the Anschutz Company, owns or is affiliated with a collection of companies including over 100 of the world's preeminent facilities such as STAPLES Center (Los Angeles, CA), StubHub Center (Carson, CA), Best Buy Theater (Times Square, New York, NY), Mercedes-Benz Arena (Shanghai, China), Allphones Arena (Sydney, Australia) and The O2 arena and entertainment district (London, England). Developed by AEG, L.A. LIVE is a 4-million square foot / $3 billion downtown Los Angeles sports and entertainment district featuring Nokia Theatre L.A. LIVE, Club Nokia and a 54-story, 1001-room convention "headquarters" destination. In addition to overseeing privately held management shares of the Los Angeles Lakers, assets of AEG Sports include franchises such as the LA Kings, LA Galaxy, Houston Dynamo and the Amgen Tour of California cycling stage race. Along with AEG Facilities, other global divisions include AEG Live, the world's second-largest concert promotion and touring companies comprised of touring, festival, exhibition, broadcast, merchandise and special-event divisions and AEG Global Partnerships, responsible for worldwide sales and servicing of sponsorships, naming rights and other strategic partnerships. In 2010, AEG launched its AEG 1EARTH environmental program featuring the industry's first sustainability report, while in 2011, AEG introduced AXS, a comprehensive entertainment platform serving as the company's primary consumer brand including AXS Ticketing, which provides fans the opportunity to purchase tickets directly from their favorite venues via a user-friendly ticketing interface, Examiner.com and the AXS TV network. AEG are partners in AXS TV, along with Mark Cuban, Ryan Seacrest Media, Creative Artists Agency (CAA) and CBS, and AXS.com is owned and operated by a partnership between Cirque du Soleil and AEG. For additional information, visit www.aegworldwide.com.

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Renaissance Hotels

CONTACT: Verona Carter, verona.carter@marriott.com, 305.753.2914; Dara Toulch, dara@ballantinespr.com, 310.454.3080; Kaitlyn Kurosky, PR for Billboard, kaitlyn@high10media.com, 212.918.2040


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