BASIS OF PRESENTATION

The consolidated financial statements present the results of operations, financial position, and cash flows of Marriott International, Inc. (“Marriott,” and together with its consolidated subsidiaries, as “we,” “us,” or “the Company”). In order to make this report easier to read, we also refer throughout to (i) our Consolidated Financial Statements as our “Financial Statements,” (ii) our Consolidated Statements of Income as our “Income Statements,” (iii) our Consolidated Balance Sheets as our “Balance Sheets,” (iv) our properties, brands, or markets in the United States (“U.S.”) and Canada as “North America” or “North American,” and (v) our properties, brands, or markets outside of the United States and Canada as “International.” In addition, references throughout to numbered “Footnotes” refer to the numbered Notes in these Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements, unless otherwise noted.

Preparation of financial statements that conform with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (“GAAP”) requires management to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities as of the date of the financial statements, the reported amounts of revenues and expenses during the reporting periods, and the disclosures of contingent liabilities. Accordingly, ultimate results could differ from those estimates.

The accompanying Financial Statements reflect all normal and recurring adjustments necessary to present fairly our financial position at fiscal year-end 2015 and fiscal year-end 2014 and the results of our operations and cash flows for fiscal years 2015, 2014, and 2013. We have eliminated all material intercompany transactions and balances between entities consolidated in these Financial Statements. In addition, in 2015, we recorded a cumulative $25 million adjustment to “Retained earnings” to correct immaterial errors attributable to excess tax benefits for share-based compensation that we allocated to foreign affiliates, which had previously resulted in immaterial overstatements in both the “Provision for income taxes” in our Income Statements and “Additional paid-in-capital” in our Balance Sheets for the years 2003-2014.

Fiscal Year

Beginning with our 2013 fiscal year, we changed our financial reporting cycle to a calendar year-end reporting cycle and an end-of-month quarterly reporting cycle. Accordingly, our 2013 fiscal year began on December 29, 2012 (the day after the end of the 2012 fiscal year) and ended on December 31, 2013. Historically, our fiscal year was a 52-53 week fiscal year that ended on the Friday nearest to December 31. As a result, our 2015 and 2014 fiscal years had three fewer days than our 2013 fiscal year.

The table below presents each completed fiscal year we refer to in this report, the date the fiscal year ended, and the number of days in that fiscal year, and unless otherwise specified, each reference to a particular year means the fiscal year ended on the date shown below:



Fiscal Year	Fiscal Year-End Date	Number of Days	Fiscal Year	Fiscal Year-End Date	Number of Days
2015	December 31, 2015	365	2010	December 31, 2010	364
2014	December 31, 2014	365	2009	January 1, 2010	364
2013	December 31, 2013	368	2008	January 2, 2009	371
2012	December 28, 2012	364	2007	December 28, 2007	364
2011	December 30, 2011	364	2006	December 29, 2006	364

Beginning in 2014, our fiscal years are the same as the corresponding calendar year (each beginning on January 1 and ending on December 31, and containing 365 or 366 days).