Marriott International beginning at the end of this month will offer at participating properties post-event reports on meeting emissions and water use, the company announced Monday. Planners also will have the opportunity to purchase carbon credits and select offset projects, according to Marriott.
Under the program, called Connect Responsibly with Marriott Bonvoy Events, Marriott after an event would make available a report that includes emissions details calculated using the Hotel Carbon Measurement Initiative, a tool hotels use to calculate the carbon footprint per occupied room on a daily basis and on the area of meeting space on an hourly basis, as well as water use information.
There is no fee associated with a meeting sustainability report request, a Marriott spokesperson confirmed to BTN. The program will be available at about 6,200 properties at launch, with more expected in the future, the spokesperson indicated, adding that reports would be available for six months following the conclusion of the event.
"We are giving our meetings and events customers options to better understand the impacts of their meetings as we collectively strive to create a more resilient future for travel," Marriott chief global officer of global operations Erika Alexander said in a statement.
Marriott also said it "plans to offer" event organizers the ability to purchase verified carbon-offset projects through climate consultancy South Pole.
Marriott's move comes during a time when hotel sustainability efforts remain a priority for many hotel and meetings buyers. About half of buyers surveyed earlier this year by BTN indicated that they sought in requests for proposals detailed information on suppliers' emissions-reduction programs for clients, and the Global Business Travel Association Foundation this year released a set of standards around sustainable hotel procurement.
Marriott's move comes just weeks after fellow hotel company Kempinski introduced a similar suite of new tools to help meeting planners to assess the environmental impact of their events.
Marriott's plans to reduce its emissions earlier this year was verified by the Science Based Targets initiative.