EXHIBIT 99



                                                           FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:
Kathy Boyle
Sodexho Marriott Services
301-987-4330

               SODEXHO MARRIOTT SERVICES AWARDED U.S. MARINE CORPS
                              FOODSERVICE CONTRACT

                  LARGEST MILITARY DINING CONTRACT EVER AWARDED

GAITHERSBURG,   MD--March  15,  2001--Sodexho   Marriott  Services  (NYSE:  SDH)
announced today that it has been awarded two contracts of up to eight years each
to provide food and related  facilities  services at all Marine  Corps  garrison
mess halls within the Continental United States. The two contracts are currently
valued at over $850 million.  Sodexho  Marriott  Services will serve 55 garrison
mess hall locations in Arizona,  California,  North  Carolina,  South  Carolina,
Virginia and Washington D.C.

         "We are proud to have been selected by the U.S. Marine Corps," said Tom
Mulligan,  president,  Corporate  Services for Sodexho  Marriott  Services.  "We
believe the cost savings we will provide the Marine Corps and our  leadership in
food  technology  and food safety made us the leading  company in the  selection
process."

                                     -more-





PAGE 2--MARINE CORPS CONTRACT

         Mulligan  notes that  quality of life issues  have become  increasingly
important as the U.S.  military  competes with private  employers to attract and
retain the most highly skilled workers.

         "Sodexho  Marriott's  mission  is to  create  and offer  services  that
improve the quality of daily life for our clients and customers,  and we believe
our  services  play a role in  helping  companies  attract  and  retain  skilled
employees,"  said Mulligan.  "We will bring the same high quality of service and
expertise we provide at other  military  sites,  such as Kwajlein Atol Army Base
and Guam Navy Base, to benefit the Marine Corps."

         Sodexho  Marriott  Services,  Inc. is the largest  provider of food and
facilities  management  in North  America,  with $4.7  billion in annual  sales.
Sodexho Marriott offers a variety of innovative outsourcing solutions, including
food service,  housekeeping,  grounds keeping, plant operations and maintenance,
asset and materials  management,  vending,  conference  center  management,  and
laundry services to corporations,  health care facilities, schools, universities
and  colleges,   military  installations  and  remote  sites.  Headquartered  in
Gaithersburg,  MD, the company has 111,000  employees at 5,000 locations  across
the U.S. and Canada.
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