Marriott International, Inc. 2009 Annual Report
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Financial Review

Risk Factors
MD&A
Quantitative and Qualitative Disclosures About Market Risk
Financial Statments
Notes to Financial Statements
Shareholder Return Performance Graph -- Unaudited
Quarterly Financial Data
Selected Historical Financial Data
Non-GAAP Financial Measure Reconciliation
Management's Reports
Reports of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm
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4  SHARE-BASED COMPENSATION

Under our 2002 Comprehensive Stock and Cash Incentive Plan, we award: (1) stock options to purchase our Class A Common Stock ("Stock Option Program"); (2) share appreciation rights ("SARs") for our Class A Common Stock ("Stock Appreciation Right Program"); (3) restricted stock units of our Class A Common Stock; and (4) deferred stock units. We grant awards at exercise prices or strike prices that are equal to the market price of our Class A Common Stock on the date of grant.

For all share-based awards, the guidance requires that we measure compensation costs related to our share-based payment transactions at fair value on the grant date and that we recognize those costs in the financial statements over the vesting period during which the employee provides service in exchange for the award.

During 2009, we granted 0.8 million restricted stock units, 0.5 million Employee SARs, 5,600 Non-employee SARs, and 39,000 deferred stock units. See Footnote No. 4, "Share-Based Compensation" in our 2008 Annual Report on Form 10-K for information regarding grants made in August 2008 that would ordinarily have been made in February 2009, but were accelerated to encourage associate retention in a difficult economic climate. Awards for the most senior executives were not accelerated.

We recorded share-based compensation expense related to award grants of $85 million in 2009, $112 million in 2008, and $104 million in 2007. Deferred compensation costs related to unvested awards totaled $122 million at year-end 2009 and $215 million at year-end 2008, and the weighted average period over which we expect the deferred compensation costs at year-end 2009 to be recognized is two years.

For awards granted after 2005, we recognize share-based compensation expense over the period from the grant date to the date on which the award is no longer contingent on the employee providing additional service (the "substantive vesting period"). We continue to follow the stated vesting period for the unvested portion of awards granted prior to fiscal year 2006 and the adoption of the current guidance for share-based compensation and follow the substantive vesting period for awards granted after fiscal year 2005.

In accordance with the guidance for share-based compensation, we present the tax benefits and costs resulting from the exercise or vesting of share-based awards as financing cash flows. An $8 million tax cost resulted from the exercise of share-based awards in 2009. Tax benefits resulted from the exercise of share-based awards totaling $21 million in 2008, and $114 million in 2007.

The aggregate amount of cash we received from the exercise of stock options granted under share-based payment arrangements was $35 million, $30 million, and $89 million, for 2009, 2008, and 2007, respectively.

Restricted Stock Units
We issue restricted stock units under the Comprehensive Plan to certain officers and key employees and those units vest generally over four years in annual installments commencing one year after the date of grant. We recognize compensation expense for the restricted stock units over the service period equal to the fair market value of the stock units on the date of issuance. Upon vesting, restricted stock units convert to shares and are distributed from treasury shares. At year-end 2009 and year-end 2008, we had approximately $109 million and $192 million, respectively, in deferred compensation costs related to restricted stock units. Share-based compensation expense associated with restricted stock units was $71 million, $85 million, and $82 million for 2009, 2008, and 2007, respectively. The weighted average remaining term for restricted stock unit grants outstanding at year-end 2009 was two years. Restricted stock units converted and distributed during 2009, 2008, and 2007, had aggregate intrinsic values of $39 million, $90 million, and $147 million, respectively. The weighted average grant-date fair values of restricted stock units granted in 2009, 2008, and 2007 were $19, $30, and $49, respectively.

The following table shows changes in our outstanding restricted stock unit grants in 2009:

 

Stock Options and SARs
Employee stock options may be granted to officers and key employees at exercise prices or strike prices equal to the market price of our Class A Common Stock on the date of grant. Non-qualified options generally expire 10 years after the date of grant, except those issued from 1990 through 2000, which expire 15 years after the date of the grant. Most stock options under the Stock Option Program are exercisable in cumulative installments of one quarter at the end of each of the first four years following the date of grant.

We recognized compensation expense associated with employee stock options of $1 million in 2009, $6 million in 2008, and $12 million in 2007. At year-end 2009 and year-end 2008, there was approximately $1 million and $2 million, respectively, in deferred compensation costs related to employee stock options. Upon the exercise of stock options, we issue shares from treasury shares.

Changes in our outstanding Stock Option Program awards in 2009 were as follows:

 

The following table shows the stock options issued under the Stock Option Program awards that were outstanding at year-end 2009:

 

The number of options granted in the last three fiscal years and the associated weighted average grant-date fair values and weighted average exercise prices are noted in the following table:

 

The total intrinsic value of options outstanding at year-end 2009 and year-end 2008 was $312 million and $88 million, respectively, and the total intrinsic value for stock options exercisable as of year-end 2009 and year-end 2008 was $313 million and $95 million, respectively. The total intrinsic value of stock options exercised during 2009, 2008, and 2007 was approximately $30 million, $42 million, and $206 million, respectively.

Employee SARs may be granted to officers and key employees at exercise prices or strike prices equal to the market price of our Class A Common Stock on the date of grant. SARs generally expire 10 years after the date of grant and both vest and are exercisable in cumulative installments of one quarter at the end of each of the first four years following the date of grant. Non-employee SARs may be granted to directors at exercise prices or strike prices equal to the market price of our Class A Common Stock on the date of grant. Non-employee SARs generally expire 10 years after the date of grant and vest upon grant; however, they are generally not exercisable until one year after grant. We first began issuing SARs in 2006. On exercise of SARs, employees or Non-employee directors receive the number of shares of Class A Common Stock equal to the number of SARs that are being exercised multiplied by the quotient of (a) the final value minus the base value, divided by (b) the final value.

We recognized compensation expense associated with Employee SARs and Non-employee SARs of $11 million in 2009, $18 million in 2008, and $5 million in 2007. At year-end 2009 and year-end 2008, we had approximately $11 million and $19 million, respectively, in deferred compensation costs related to SARs. Upon the exercise of SARs, we issue shares from treasury shares.

The following tables show the number of Employee SARs and Non-employee SARs granted in the last three fiscal years, the associated weighted average base values, and the weighted average grant-date fair values:

 

The number of SARs forfeited in 2009 and 2008 was 22,000 and 184,000, respectively. The total intrinsic value of SARs outstanding was zero at year-end 2009 and year-end 2008, and the total intrinsic value of SARs exercisable was zero as of year-end 2009 and year-end 2008. No SARs were exercised in 2009 or 2008. The total intrinsic value of SARs exercised during 2007 was $100,000.

We use a binomial method to estimate the fair value of each stock option or SAR granted. The assumptions for stock options and employee SARs for 2009, 2008, and 2007 are noted in the following table:

 

Estimated volatilities for 2009, 2008, and 2007 were based on the historical share-price volatility for the period beginning January 1999 through the last day of the prior year calculated on a weekly basis. The weighted average expected stock option or SARs terms for 2009, 2008, and 2007 were a product of the lattice-based binomial valuation model that uses suboptimal exercise factors to calculate the expected terms.

The risk-free rates are based on the corresponding U.S. Treasury spot rates for the expected duration at the date of grant, converted to a continuously compounded rate. Non-employee SARs were generally valued using assumptions consistent with those shown above for Employee SARs, except using an expected term of 10 years.

For Non-employee SARs issued in 2009, 2008, and 2007, the risk-free interest rates at the date of grant were 3.2 percent, 3.9 percent, and 4.6 percent, respectively.

Deferred Stock Units
We also issue deferred stock units to Non-employee directors. These Non-employee director deferred stock units vest within one year and are distributed upon election. At year-end 2009 and year-end 2008, there was approximately $228,000 and $203,000, respectively, in deferred costs related to Non-employee director deferred stock units.

The share-based compensation expense, number of deferred stock units granted, weighted average grant-date fair value, and aggregate intrinsic value of Non-employee director deferred stock units are noted in the following table:

 

At year-end 2009 and year-end 2008, there were 249,000 and 233,000, respectively, Non-employee deferred stock units outstanding, and the weighted average grant-date fair value of those outstanding deferred stock units was $24 for 2009 and $24 for 2008.

Other Information
Although the Comprehensive Plan also provides for issuance of deferred stock bonus awards, deferred stock awards, and restricted stock awards, our Compensation Policy Committee indefinitely suspended the issuance of deferred bonus stock commencing with our 2001 fiscal year and the issuance of both deferred stock awards and restricted stock awards commencing with the 2003 fiscal year. At year-end 2009 and year-end 2008, there was approximately $1 million and $2 million, respectively, in deferred compensation costs related to these suspended award programs, and the weighted average remaining term was one year for such award grants outstanding at year-end 2009. Share-based compensation expense associated with these suspended award programs was $1 million, $2 million, and $4 million for 2009, 2008, and 2007, respectively.

At year-end 2009, 69 million shares were reserved under the Comprehensive Plan including 36 million shares under the Stock Option Program and Stock Appreciation Right Program.

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