Marriott Takes Big Step in Green Program with New S.C. Hotel

July 26, 2010
By Barbra Murray, Contributing Editor

On schedule to open its doors in 2012, the Courtyard Charleston/Summerville in South Carolina will break new ground for Marriott International Inc. as the Bethesda, Md.-based hospitality company’s first green hotel prototype. All Courtyard-brand Marriott properties adhering to the prototype, a pre-approved model developed in conjunction with the U.S. Green Building Council in 2009, will achieve LEED certification when USGBC gives the final green light.

The Courtyard Charleston/Summerville will be part of the initial phase of The Parks of Berkley, a 5,000-acre master planned community. A joint venture involving Blanchard & Calhoun Commercial and MeadWestvaco is behind the development of the hotel. Employing the model for new developments puts Marriott ahead of the game in securing LEED certification for its properties. With the new prototype’s USGBC pre-approval status, Marriott will be able to expedite its plan to expand its portfolio of LEED-certified hotels to 300 by 2015.

Use of the prototype will not only accelerate the greening of Marriott’s portfolio, it will lower property owners’ development costs by approximately $100,000, reduce the design timeline by six months and ultimately save as much as 25 percent in energy and water usage.

The prototype, however, is not just a first for Marriott. It is also the first in the hotel industry to obtain USGBC’s pre-approval as part of the non-profit organization’s LEED Volume program. Marriott intends to expand beyond the Courtyard-brand prototype by creating similar models for its hotel properties carrying the Residence Inn by Marriott, TownePlace Suites by Marriott, SpringHill Suites by Marriott and Fairfield Inn by Marriott flags.