Marriott HQ Retrofit Saves $700K Annually

By renovating its 30-year-old headquarters in Bethesda, Md., Marriott expects to save $700,000 a year.

The hotel chain also expects to reap $1.3 million in tax credits related to the renovation over three years, said Dasha Ross, spokeswoman for Marriott.

Because the headquarters was renovated to environmental standards, the building is earning LEED Gold status for existing buildings. The company applied for LEED certification last year.

The tax credit will come in three installments of $425,000 annually for three years, based on a 25 percent tax credit for LEED Gold certification, said Jim Young, Senior Director, Corporate Facilities, Marriott.

The building also has received an Energy Star rating of 77 for the past three years.

Among the energy saving efforts, Marriott is participating in a demand response program that should provide more than $100,000 in rebates for the building reducing energy use during peak demand periods.

The company also expects to save electricity by switching from nighttime to daytime cleaning, as well as use of higher efficiency lighting options.

Motion sensors have been installed in all restrooms, telecom and electrical closets.

“We are saving in excess of $200,000 annually due to the new, more efficient lighting as well as the newly implemented daylight cleaning system that allows all lighting to now be controlled by timers,” Young said.

Additionally, by diverting waste from the landfill, Marriott expects to save approximately $45,000 annually, Young said.

A conversion to china and flatware – from disposables – is saving about $40,000 annually after the initial purchase of dishes, he said.

At the complex, the company increased its recycling rate to 69 percent in 2009.

Marriott is taking an aggressive stance toward constructing new hotels to LEED status.

The chain has developed a hotel design that will be “pre-certified” to LEED standards. The design is tailored to Marriott’s Courtyard brand, which has more than 160 hotels in development worldwide.

Marriott plans to increase its green hotel portfolio without driving construction costs through the roof.

The hotel says it will shave about $100,000 in construction expenses and six months in design time, and cut energy and water consumption by a quarter, when compared to national averages.