The TownePlace Suites by Marriott at the BWI/Marshall Airport will receive LEED existing building certification, making it the first property at the airport to have that distinction.

The 3-year-old hotel is undergoing a makeover to win the certification from the U.S. Green Building Council, says Bethesda-based Marriott International Inc. Changes include composting all breakfast waste, using sustainable and environmentally friendly cleaning products, installing low-flow plumbing hardware and buying renewable energy wind credits.

“Because we host so many business and leisure travelers every day, we have the opportunity to set a great example and teach people the easy steps they can take to make their own homes more environmentally friendly,” said hotel manager Michelle Emley in a statement.

In November, Marriott announced a prototype of its Courtyard by Marriott brand that will be pre-certified LEED compliant. The first of those properties opens in Pittsburgh this spring.

Marriott (NYSE: MAR) currently has 50 hotels registered for LEED, with 15 open or set to open by the end of this year.

TownePlace Suites Baltimore BWI Airport

PORTLAND, OR—The Courtyard by Marriott – Portland City Center has opened here in the dowtown district. Developed by Sage Hospitality and designed by Portland architects SERA, the hotel is the first Courtyard designed to receive LEED Gold certification.

With 16 floors and 256 guestrooms, the hotel features 5,310 square feet of meeting and event space, including the Sequoia Ballroom, a business library with computers, docking stations and printers, and a fitness facility.

Other features include a collection of locally commissioned artwork and a new concept restaurant/diner called The Original from the Sage Restaurant Group.

The hotel also offers new hotel lobby design, including the signature Courtyard GoBoard, a 46-inch, LCD touch screen offering local information about restaurants and attractions, as well as maps, weather, and news, business and sports headlines.

Located in the former Toronto National Building, the hotel went through a complete exterior and interior renovation. The property is expected to receive the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification from the US Green Building Council, making it the first Courtyard in the country to receive such a high level of recognition for its eco-friendly design.

The property is designed to lower overall energy consumption by 28% (equivalent to the energy consumption of 42 households per year) and reduce carbon emissions. Water consumption was reduced by 26% through the use of dual flush toilets and over 75% of the construction waste was recycled and re-used. All of the hotel’s electricity comes from renewable sources, including wind and hydroelectric. To further reduce the waste, recycling containers will be situated in each guestroom and on each floor. Additionally, kitchen grease from the Original Restaurant will be recycled into biodiesel fuel and food waste from the restaurant will be composted.

The interior design uses ergonomic office chairs and features a smoke-free environment and green housekeeping products. Also non-PVC wall covering, low VOC paints and low urea-formaldehyde casework in the guestrooms are used.

Courtyard by Marriott - Portland City Center

BETHESDA, Md., May 12 /PRNewswire/ -- In support of its environmental strategy to address climate change, Marriott International (NYSE: MAR) has announced that its global Headquarters building and more than 30 of its hotels in design, development or under construction are expected to achieve LEED(R) (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification from the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC). Marriott was the first major hotel company in the U.S. with a LEED certified hotel -- The Inn and Conference Center by Marriott at the University of Maryland in College Park.

"LEED certification gives these hotels a 'green' stamp of approval that our customers recognize and look for," says Arne Sorenson, Marriott's newly appointed President and Chief Operating Officer and 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."

LEED certification provides independent, third-party verification that a building project meets the highest green building and performance measures. LEED-certified buildings: reduce waste sent to landfills; conserve energy and water; are healthier and safer for occupants; and reduce harmful greenhouse gas emissions.

Scheduled for a July 2009 grand opening, the Fairfield Inn & Suites Baltimore Downtown/Inner Harbor expects to achieve LEED-Silver status. The hotel will offer a range of eco-friendly amenities, including 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 Company).

Other Marriott LEED-certified hotels expected to open this year include: 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, Pa.

In 2010, several other LEED-certified hotels are expected to open. These include 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.

The company is actively pursuing LEED-Existing Building status for its global headquarters office in Bethesda, Md., by the end of the year. 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.

In another symbol of its commitment to build greener hotels, Marriott was the first hotel company to join the USGBC in 2007 and expects that 20 of its Architecture and Construction associates will be LEED-accredited by year-end. This thorough understanding of green building practices and principles is valuable during the design and construction process.

In addition, Marriott hotels worldwide have been recognized for incorporating environmentally-friendly practices into their business:

* Approximately 275 Marriott hotels have earned the ENERGY STAR(R) label from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for conserving waste, water and energy.

* The Portland Marriott Downtown Waterfront, the Portland Marriott City Center and the Philadelphia Airport Marriott are certified by Green Seal, a non-profit organization that provides science-based environmental certification standards.

* The Newcastle Marriott and Manchester Marriott in the United Kingdom, the Sydney Marriott and Melbourne Marriott in Australia, and the Okinawa Marriott in Japan are certified by Green Globe, the premier international brand for sustainable travel.

* The Dearborn Inn, Detroit Marriott Troy and the Detroit Marriott Livonia in Michigan have been certified by Green Lodging Michigan.

* The Calgary Marriott Hotel in Canada earned a "4 Green Key" rating through the Hotel Association of Canada's (HAC) Green Key Eco-Rating Program.

* Surfers Paradise Marriott Resort & Spa in Australia was named a "Sustainable Hotel" at the Hotel Investment Conference.

Last year, Marriott announced its environmental strategy to address climate change, which it calls its "Spirit To Preserve." The plan calls for: Greening its $10 billion supply chain; further reducing fuel and water consumption by 25 percent per available room, and installing solar power at up to 40 hotels by 2017; creating green construction standards for hotel developers to achieve LEED certification from the U.S. Green Building Council; educating and inspiring employees and guests to support the environment; and helping protect the rainforest.

For updates on Marriott's progress against its green goals, visit www.marriott.com/spirittopreserve, follow Green Marriott on Twitter and become a fan of Travel Green on Facebook.

Visit Marriott International, Inc. (NYSE: MAR) for a company overview.

SOURCE Marriott International, Inc.

For More Information on Green Hotels, Go To Greenlodge.Org

Building Better Hotels
Hyatt heads toward greener future with new eco-friendly Seattle hotel and new sustainable design guidelines.

By Derek Gale, Senior Editor -- Hotels

Put simply, the new 346-room Hyatt at Olive 8 looks and sounds green. From the all-glass façade and living roof to the actual name of the hotel, you cannot help but get a green feeling with this LEED-certification candidate property.

And give credit to architect Richard Gluckman because the Seattle hotel not only looks green, it also looks good.

"I think the Hyatt at Olive 8 is a good example that having a responsible environmental approach can also result in an aesthetically pleasing building—one doesn't have to compromise the other," says General Manager Mark Stiebeling.

While the blue glass architectural elements are striking, also contributing to the attractiveness of the property is the aforementioned living roof, which covers the first three floors of the hotel. Because of the podium-and-tower design of the property, south facing guestrooms (in the tower) look down onto the living roof.

"The aesthetics of looking at a roof planted with native plant materials versus traditional roofing materials is a completely different experience," notes Stiebeling. "It's amazing how much the view transforms the experience."

That said, the plants aren't only for show. They reduce the amount of heating or cooling required for the space immediately below—in this case, the hotel's ballroom. They also dramatically reduce the amount of rainwater going to storm sewers, as it is absorbed into the soil. Finally, they also keep the roof from generating additional heat into the atmosphere during the summer months.

Similarly, the glass façade allows abundant natural light into the building's public spaces, brightening the ambiance while minimizing the need for energy-consuming artificial lighting. Meanwhile, triple-paned glass and a special coating on the exterior protects from excessive heating of the building's interior.

Other aspects of the hotel's greenness are less obvious, but no less important from a design and/or operations standpoint. Some of those include water-reducing shower heads and dual-flush toilets, as well as guestroom master power controls for lighting to conserve electricity.

Hyatt at Olive 8’s glass façade and floor-to ceiling windows allow an abundance of natural light into the hotel’s public spaces and meeting spaces, reducing the need for artificial lighting, which helps save energy.

The net effect of these green design and operational features is a building that will use 32% less water and 20% less power than other similar-sized buildings in its class.

"We know that our commitment to the environmental program at the hotel will also reduce our operating costs," Stiebeling says. "We're certainly [excited] after a few months of operation to look at metrics such as utility cost per occupied room, or per cover in banquets and restaurants."

He says the Grand Hyatt Seattle property across the street, which he oversees as well, will offer a good baseline for comparing a more traditional hotel with one designed to be environmentally friendly.

And perhaps it is lucky for Stiebeling to have such an existing traditional hotel nearby, as Hyatt is unlikely to ever build another one like that again. The company's new global sustainable design guidelines, completed in 2008, will apply to every new-build hotel—as well as every renovation—across all brands worldwide going forward.

"We want to build our buildings 'right' from the start," says Brigitta Witt, Hyatt's vice president of environmental affairs.

That means recycling construction materials, implementing energy-efficient lighting, finding ways to conserve and recycle water, and generally building hotels in a way that allows them to be as environmentally friendly as possible.

For example, Witt says that something as simple as recycling mass quantities of paper and plastic bottles can be affected by design elements such as the size of a hotel's loading dock.

"What we've done with the design guidelines is made sure that even things like loading dock space get addressed, so that if a hotel has the opportunity to recycle, it is not limited by the size of its loading docks," she explains.

"Olive 8 was a great test for us—to understand everything that goes into a LEED-certified property. It helped us build a case for how relevant and important this is. From a cost perspective, there is a misconception that building an environmentally efficient property has to be substantially more expensive. We know that is not necessarily the case. But also, the reception from customers validated that this is something that is not just important to us as a company, but also is important to our customers."

Hyatt at Olive 8

Hotels Magazine