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HONOLULU, Hawaii – May 22, 2008 – The 1,310-room Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort &
Spa (www.marriottwaikiki.com) continues to set the “green” benchmark in hospitality with its
exemplary year-round eco-friendly initiatives, and has recently been recognized on Travelocity’s
IgoUgo.com list of “10 Hotels Where Every Day is Earth Day.” Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort
& Spa is the only Hawaii resort recognized among the list of national and international hotels.
“Our associates share a deep concern for the environment and it is our responsibility as members
of the hospitality industry and also the local community to help protect and preserve our
environment, our island home,” said Chris Tatum, general manager of Waikiki Beach Marriott
Resort & Spa. “Through Marriott’s Environmentally Conscious Hospitality Operations (ECHO)
program, we continue to employ methods that preserve our natural surroundings and resources.”
Noted for its green practices, from energy consumption to recycling and landscaping, Waikiki
Beach Marriott Resort & Spa also received the ENERGY STAR seal of approval by the United
States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) three years in a row from 2004 to 2006. On a
local level, the resort received the State of Hawaii’s Green Hotel Award in 2007 for its
exemplary environmental and resource conservation efforts.
Launched in 2000, the award-winning IgoUgo travel web site became a part of Travelocity in 2006.
Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa’s eco-friendly actions include:
Recycling
Since 2000, Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa has been recycling bottles, plastic, aluminum,
cardboard, paper, lead waste, fryer oil, green waste and wet waste. Fryer oil is used to make
biofuel by a local vendor, while wet waste from the resort’s kitchen is also provided free of
charge to local farms to feed their animals.
In 2007, Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa recycled:
- 33.6 tons of glass
- 287.9 tons of wet waste
- 28.2 tons of cardboard
- 13.3 tons of fryer oil
- 3.8 tons of mixed paper
- 2.9 tons of white paper
Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa also participates in the state’s HI-5 recycling program for
beverage containers. The resort donates the money made from the recycling redemption to a
neighborhood high school, which uses it to fund school programs.
“Our associates have embraced the program,” said Tyrone Crockwell, director of engineering
for Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa. “Some of their children go to the school, so they see
the benefits. And it’s a great way to give back to our local community.”
Conserving
Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa has an energy conservation committee which meets once a
month to discuss conservation efforts and programs.
“During these meetings, I post the resort’s monthly utility bills so everyone can see how much
we are paying and whether our efforts are making a difference,” said Crockwell.
Energy conservation efforts at Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa include:
- Compact fluorescent light (CFL) bulbs in 90 percent of the resort and in every guest room
- Four efficient chillers
- Motion detectors in back-of-house areas, to reduce the use of lighting and electricity
- Air conditioning sensors in guest rooms that turn off the air conditioning when the lanai
(balcony) door opens
- Tinted lanai doors in every guest room, to help block Hawaii’s sun
Water conservation efforts include:
- Low flow toilets and shower heads
- Automatic sensors for toilets and sinks in public restrooms
Landscaping / Housekeeping
Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa showcases a great use of Hawaii’s flora throughout the
property especially the use of ginger in landscaping. “It’s an everlasting and beautiful plant,”
said Crockwell. “We try to use long-living plants such as ginger or palms wherever we can.”
In keeping with Marriott standards, Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa uses Ecolab
commercial products for cleaning and sanitizing, including laundry and pest elimination services.
Another area that is being updated to be more environmentally friendly is the pool and hot tub.
Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa is installing a system that uses saline (chemical-free)
instead of the harsher chlorine.
Educating
All of these environmental efforts are the result of Waikiki Beach Marriott Resort & Spa
associates who have initiated and supported these programs.
“It’s important that we continue to educate our associates,” said Crockwell. “For example, we
put up posters about energy conservation, instruct our kitchen associates against dumping grease
down drains, and encourage all of our associates to do their part at work and at home.”
Many of the resort’s associates also get involved in community activities. In the past, they have
volunteered in an annual “Adopt-A-Beach” program, where associates and their families clean
up Kuhio Beach, on Oahu’s south shore.
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