Marriott International Bespoke Sustainability Program

Client

Marriott International

About the project

Marriott International is a leading multinational company renowned for its extensive portfolio of hotel, residential, and timeshare properties. As of 2023, Marriott oversees over 8,785 locations globally, spanning 36 distinct brands and managing more than 1.5 million rooms. With its vast network, Marriott is committed to driving innovation and sustainability across the hospitality industry.

We have developed a bespoke sustainability program that includes three distinct standards—Design, Operations, and Food & Beverages—each meticulously crafted to guide Marriott’s sustainability efforts across all aspects of its operations. This comprehensive guidebook empowers project teams to seamlessly incorporate sustainable practices into every aspect of their operations.

Benefits of the Program

Global Applicability: The standard is versatile and applicable across Marriott’s diverse properties worldwide, ensuring consistent sustainable practices, whether in luxury or non-luxury settings.

Integration with International Standards: The program aligns easily with internationally recognized certifications like LEED, WELL, BREEAM and TRUE, helping Marriott properties exceed industry sustainability benchmarks.

Robust Quality Control and Assurance: A strong internal quality control (QC) and quality assurance (QA) process with clear guidelines ensures that project teams stay on track and allows leadership to identify and support trendsetters within the organization.

Flexibility and Scalability: No minimum requirements—allowing teams to scale performance levels and progressively achieve higher sustainability goals.

Key Features of the Program

Energy

• Incorporates carbon-negative design strategies
• Emphasizes energy efficiency
• Reduces carbon footprint

Water

• Utilizes closed-loop water systems
• Promotes sustainable water management
• Reduces wastage

Materials

Focuses on resource efficiency and the vetting of environmental and health profiles of materials, ensuring that only sustainable and safe materials are used in construction and operations.

Wellness

• Improved air quality
• Natural lighting
• Non-toxic materials
• Enhanced water quality
• Localization of organic food production

Site

Mitigates the ecological impact of the development footprint, ensuring that each project is developed with minimal environmental disruption.

Program Results

Adaptive Reuse Progress:

• 9.7% of hotels are certified to a recognized sustainability standard.
• 378 hotels have achieved or are pursuing LEED certification or an equivalent certification.
• 247 adaptive reuse properties are currently open, with an additional 126 projects in the pipeline.

Water Intensity Reduction:

• There has been a 9.3% reduction in water intensity since 2016.

Energy and Renewable Electricity:

• A 20.3% reduction in carbon intensity has been achieved since 2016.
• Energy intensity has been reduced by 9.8% since 2016.
• 2.92% of the electricity used in 2023 was from renewable sources.