Throughout the United States and across the globe, the name Marriott is synonymous with fine hotels and accommodations that make their guests feel right at home. Marriott International is a leading lodging company based in Bethesda, Maryland. Marriott International operates and manages hotels and licenses vacation ownership resorts, which, in total, comprise more than 4,000 properties in 79 countries. Marriott is consistently recognized as a top employer and for its superior business operations, which it conducts based on five core values: put people first, pursue excellence, embrace change, act with integrity, and serve our world.
In the nation’s capital, Marriott International’s hotels welcome tourists and professionals year-round. The hotels that serve these visitors are some of the largest consumers of energy in the city and present abundant opportunities for energy savings. In 2012, the JW Marriott was the first commercial building in the US to achieve the new ISO 50001 Energy Management Systems Standard. Since then, Marriott International’s hotels of Washington, DC have worked with the DC Sustainable Energy Utility (DCSEU) to reduce energy use and costs, and to help its DC hotels meet corporate sustainability standards. In just two years, 11 energy efficiency projects have been completed at seven locations: Marriott Metro Center, JW Marriott Washington, DC, Washington Marriott, Courtyard Marriott, Renaissance Washington, DC Downtown Hotel, Fairfield Inn, and Mayflower Renaissance.
The projects started when the DCSEU incentivized the upgrade of 760 light fixtures in the Washington Marriott ballroom with high-efficiency LEDs, reducing the hotel’s annual electricity consumption by 189 MWh and saving the hotel $26,800 a year. These energy savings are equivalent to the greenhouse gas reduction of taking 27 cars off of the road for a year.
These results eventually led to 10 more projects at other DC properties, including a chiller replacement, garage ventilation, VFDs for HVAC motors, occupancy sensors, new ENERGY STAR® dishwashers, and kitchen hood ventilation.
Along with providing financial incentives, the DCSEU works with all DC Marriott locations to provide technical assistance, review projects for potential financial incentives, and coordinate vendor/contractor relationships. The DCSEU also helps Marriott identify energy rebate opportunities for retro-commissioning and continual commissioning projects to improve building energy efficiency.
As part of the company’s decades-long commitment to the environment, Marriott International aspires to be the global hospitality leader in demonstrating how responsible hotel management can be a positive force for the environment. Energy efficiency is just one way Marriott reduces its carbon footprint. Marriott was the first major hotel chain to calculate its carbon footprint, and it has committed to reduce energy use by 20 percent by 2020 across its properties worldwide. Low-energy light bulbs, low-flow showerheads that use less water, “room-ready” towels, recycled key cards and pens, and biodegradable laundry bags are just some of the products that help the hotels meet sustainability goals.
Thanks to the recent efficiency projects completed with the DCSEU, Marriott International’s DC properties are setting higher standards for other properties throughout the company.