Marriott to build first ‘green’ hotel
Marriott is to build its first new hotel using its ‘green’ prototype in South Carolina. The development, in partnership with the US Green Building Council (USGBC), will accelerate the group’s goal to have 300 LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) hotels in operation by 2015.
The prototype is the first in the hospitality industry to have been pre-approved by USGBC as part of its LEED Volume programme, meaning that any Marriott hotel that follows the plan will have at least basic LEED certification upon USGBC final approval.
The new Courtyard Charleston/Summerville hotel will open in 2012 as part of a joint venture with Blanchard & Calhoun Commercial of Augusta, Georgia and MeadWestvaco of Summerville, South Carolina. The hotel will also introduce the first phase of The Parks of Berkeley, a community consisting of 5,000 acres and one of the largest planned developments in the south eastern United States.
The prototype will reportedly save around $100,000, six months in design time, and up to 25% in energy and water savings for its owners.
Based on the results of the Courtyard brand, Marriott has plans to create similar green hotel prototypes for its Residence Inn, TownePlace Suites, SpringHill Suites and Fairfield Inn divisions. The company currently has nearly 50 hotels across all its brands that are LEED-certified or registered by the USGBC.
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