Marriott has announced that the Courtyard Charleston/Summerville in South Carolina, debuting in 2012, will be the first hotel built using its LEED hotel prototype. The company is the first in the hospitality industry to launch a green hotel prototype that has been pre-approved by USGBC as part of its LEED Volume program. The prototype is designed to save Courtyard owners $100,000 and six months in design time, as well as a decrease in 25 percent energy and water usage.
Based on the results of the Courtyard brand, Marriott has plans to create similar green hotel prototypes for Residence Inn, TownePlace Suites, SpringHill Suites, and Fairfield Inn. Currently, the company has nearly 50 hotels across all brands that are LEED certified or registered.
