hospitalitystyle.com

(May 2009) posted on Thu May 14, 2009 EDT

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Marriott International said it is seeking LEED certification for more than 30 of its hotels in design, development or under construction, as well as for its global headquarters in Bethesda, Md.

"LEED certification gives these hotels a ‘green' stamp of approval that our customers recognize and look for," says Arne Sorenson, who is Marriott's newly appointed president and chief operating officer and also co-chair of the company's Executive Green Council. "Saving energy and reducing waste saves money and helps the environment -- it's good for business and a key part of our growth strategy."

Thus far, Marriott has one LEED certified hotel, The Inn and Conference Center by Marriott at the University of Maryland in College Park, Md. But several more hotels in the company's pipeline are seeking that status, such as the Fairfield Inn & Suites Baltimore Downtown/Inner Harbor, which is slated to open in July.

That hotel's eco-friendly amenities include eco-suites, bicycle storage and changing rooms, and preferred parking for fuel-efficient vehicles. The hotel's breakfast area features solar tracking skylights, and the outdoor courtyard includes turf made of recycled tires and rainwater cisterns (former brewing barrels from the site's original occupant, the Baltimore Brewing Co.).

Also slated to open this year and pursuing LEED certification are the following Marriott properties: The Ritz-Carlton Highlands Lake Tahoe in Truckee, Calif.; the Residence Inn Arlington Courthouse in Va.; and Courtyard hotels in Chevy Chase, Md., Portland, Ore., and Pittsburgh.

Next year, the following hotels pursuing LEED certification are scheduled to debut: the Renaissance Crystal City Potomac Yards and the Residence Inn Crystal City Potomac Yards in Arlington, Va.; the Atlanta Airport Marriott Gateway; and the JW Marriott Hotel Los Angeles and The Ritz-Carlton Los Angeles, both part of the L.A. LIVE sports and entertainment destination.

In addition, Marriott is pursuing LEED-Existing Building status for its global headquarters. Actions taken toward this goal include: diverting 64 percent of its total waste (450,000 pounds) from the landfill; shifting to biodegradable disposable containers in its cafeteria, and then ultimately migrating to all permanent-ware; converting used cooking oil into biodiesel fuel; and providing Connect by Hertz cars for employees who use public transportation or carpool to get to the office, but need to run an errand or attend an off-site meeting mid-day.