Going Green Gets Franchised by Marriott Hotels
by Candace Roulo, CONTRACTOR MAG.COM, January 11, 2010
Marriott International, Inc. will soon have a LEED pre-certified hotel prototype, available in April 2010, for its Courtyard brand hotels. The prototype, which will guarantee the basic U.S. Green Building Council LEED certification level (owners can achieve a higher certification, depending on the site) will reduce a hotel’s energy and water consumption by up to 25%, and save owners approximately $100,000 and six months in design time.
Scheduled to open this summer, the Courtyard Settler’s Ridge in Pittsburgh, Penn., will be the first hotel built, based on the pre-certified LEED hotel prototype concept. Marriott plans to introduce similar green hotel prototypes this year for its Fairfield Inn, Residence Inn, SpringHill Suites and TownePlace Suites brands.
A green hotel prototype gives project managers a predetermined route, takes out the guesswork and saves consultants time as well as additional consultant fees in determining how to approach LEED, according to Jefferson B. Thomas, senior design manager of CFRST (Marriott’s Select Service Brands) Design Management, A&C Division. Using a prescribed approach also saves cost on energy remodeling. [Read rest of story]