BETHESDA, MD.—On the eve of World Water Day (March 22), Marriott announced that global water intensity in its worldwide managed hotels decreased in 2014 by 5.3 percent over 2013, and 16.3 percent compared to 2007. In 2007, the company set 2020 goals to reduce water consumption by 20 percent, as well as energy reductions of 20 percent across its managed portfolio of hotels worldwide, as part of a broader global sustainability strategy.
“We are extremely pleased with our 2014 water intensity results,” said Denise Naguib, Vice President, Sustainability and Supplier Diversity, Marriott International. “Water conservation is an area of sustainability where hotels, associates, and guests can directly aid the environment by reducing their water usage, whether it is through the fitting of low flow showers and toilets in guest bathrooms, irrigation systems installed on properties, or guests choosing to not have towels changed every day.”
Examples of water savings accomplishments and activities at Marriott properties around the world in 2014 include:
• In North America, more than 80 percent of the total participating hotels in the Environmental Protection Agency WaterSense H20tel Challenge are in the Marriott portfolio. Several regional Departments of Environmental Protection have partnered with the EPA WaterSense program, creating their own challenges with localized goals. The Ritz-Carlton, Battery Park was the 2014 winner of the NYC Water Conservation Challenge with a more than 10 percent water reduction.
• In Asia Pacific, Marriott’s Nobility of Nature project in Sichuan Province, China, aims to protect the sources of fresh water for more than two billion people. The project also encourages water conservation in Marriott hotels. Participating China and Hong Kong properties reported a 7.94 percent reduction in water intensity in 2014.
• Ten hotels across the Middle East and Africa region implemented water conservation projects in 2014. These projects, including water saving bathroom fixtures and smart irrigation sensors, helped to save approximately 92,000 cubic meters of water annually. Specifically, The Ritz-Carlton, Doha, installed a smart control system for landscaping, and the Renaissance Sharm El Sheikh Golden View Beach Resort has installed water aerators for guestrooms.
• European managed hotels saved 20.3 million gallons of water in 2014 through a number of initiatives ranging from pump audits to high efficiency dishwashers and water efficient showerheads.
Click here for more details on Marriott’s sustainability goals.
