WASHINGTON, March 14 /PRNewswire/ -- Marriott International, Inc. has been named by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as an ENERGY STAR(R) Partner of the Year for implementing programs that save more than 83 million kilowatt-hours (kwh) of electric energy consumption and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 68,000 tons annually. Marriott is the only lodging company to be recognized and the only company to receive the EPA's highest honor for two consecutive years. The awards ceremony will be held in Washington, D.C., on March 21.
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"As an ENERGY STAR partner, Marriott has distinguished itself by demanding superior energy performance in their business and seeing real results," said Kathleen Hogan, director of EPA's Climate Protection Partnerships Division. "Through ENERGY STAR, these Partners of the Year are leading a nationwide effort to protect our environment through improved energy efficiency."
This past year, Marriott implemented three new initiatives to its program. They include the Marriott Retro-Commissioning Program, a comprehensive evaluation and planning process to aid existing hotels in becoming as energy efficient as possible; the EPA's Climate Leaders program, which will reduce greenhouse gas emissions by six percent per available room by 2010; and a Group Re-Lamp campaign to replace current light fixtures with energy-saving fluorescent lighting every two years.
"At Marriott, energy conservation is a priority. We are constantly looking for ways to save energy and reduce greenhouse gases within our hotels," said Pat Maher, senior vice president of engineering. "We understand that as a company, it makes good environmental and business sense, and as an ENERGY STAR partner, we challenge ourselves to raise the bar each year."
Today, 90 percent of Marriott hotels have undergone energy efficiency improvements, such as lighting replacements that conserve energy usage by more than 30 percent, electronic thermostats, new brand signs with LED technology, laundry ozone systems, and central plant upgrades and recommissioning. These efforts have helped the company earn the ENERGY STAR rating for 163 of its top-performing hotels, making Marriott the hospitality industry's leader in energy management.
Marriott, an ENERGY STAR partner since 2001, has embarked on an ambitious, companywide mission to improve the environment and control costs in partnership with its hotel owners and franchisees. As part of the program, all hotels receive the company's Energy Conservation Program Resource Guide, and all hotel engineers and general managers have completed the company's Energy Conservation Program training.
Additionally, Marriott has designated a "champion" at each hotel to promote and implement best practices and procedures identified through internal benchmarking. Hotels that meet criteria and demonstrate ongoing achievement are recognized annually with an ECHO (Environmentally Conscious Hotel Operations) award. Marriott's ECHO program offers guidance to hotels worldwide in five key areas: water and energy conservation, respecting and preserving wildlife, clean air initiatives, waste management, and clean-up campaigns.
The Partner of the Year Award is given to a variety of organizations to recognize their efforts to use energy efficiently in facility operations and to integrate energy efficiency into overall organizational strategy. The award winners are selected from thousands of organizations that participate in the ENERGY STAR program.
ENERGY STAR was introduced by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency in 1992 as a voluntary market-based partnership to reduce air pollution through increased energy efficiency. The program offers businesses and consumers energy-efficient solutions to save energy, money and help protect the environment for future generations. More than 7,000 organizations have become ENERGY STAR partners and are committed to improving the energy efficiency of products, homes and businesses. For more information about ENERGY STAR, visit http://www.energystar.gov/ or call toll-free 1-888-STAR-YES (1-888-782-7937).
MARRIOTT INTERNATIONAL, INC. is a leading lodging company with over 2,700 lodging properties in the United States and 66 other countries and territories. Marriott International operates and franchises hotels under the Marriott, JW Marriott, The Ritz-Carlton, Renaissance, Residence Inn, Courtyard, TownePlace Suites, Fairfield Inn, SpringHill Suites and Bulgari brand names; develops and operates vacation ownership resorts under the Marriott Vacation Club International, Horizons, The Ritz-Carlton Club and Grand Residences by Marriott brands; operates Marriott Executive Apartments; provides furnished corporate housing through its Marriott ExecuStay division; and operates conference centers. Marriott is also in the synthetic fuel business. The company is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and has approximately 143,000 employees. In fiscal year 2005, Marriott International reported sales from continuing operations of $11.6 billion. For more information or reservations, please visit our web site at http://www.marriott.com/.
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