Hospitality Design - September 2023 - 42

perspectives business sense
With architecture by Becker + Becker and interiors from
Dutch East Design, the north side of the Hotel Marcel
New Haven in Connecticut is framed by solar panels
Subway tile marries fluted wood paneling at Highgate's
Hyatt Regency San Francisco Downtown SoMa by BHDM
Crafted by Genesis Architects, the Le Méridien Maldives
Resort & Spa's sustainability efforts include a desalination
plant that converts seawater into drinking water
ownership communities, Hilton is working to
help minimize environmental impact while
redefining sustainable travel, " she adds. " What
[Becker + Becker founder] Bruce Becker and
Hotel Marcel demonstrate is that investments in
sustainability don't have to come at the expense
of guest experience. "
For Hilton or any other company to reach
net zero across the board, Hotel Marcel will
have to be the first of many. Through its Travel
with Purpose 2030 Goals program, Hilton has
shrunk its per-unit emissions intensity by 44
percent since 2008, while Marriott's Serve360
initiative has achieved a decrease of almost 25
percent from its 2016 baseline, according to the
companies' most recent ESG reports. Now, both
are aiming higher.
For Marriott, Naguib says, viewing hotels'
incremental emissions reductions as part of
a pathway to net zero " fundamentally means
we can't rely on those low-hanging fruits. "
042
The company has to depend partially on
external forces-reaching net zero will
hinge on having access to a much greener
electric grid-which raises the stakes of
modifications within its control, like putting
solar panels on existing hotels and updating
design standards for new ones. The design
process is ongoing, but according to Naguib,
electrification, insulation, and strategic
building management rank near the top of
the priorities list.
All of Marriott's 31 brands will be held to
higher standards for resource use. But, Naguib
says, " our luxury hotels have more opportunity
and have more expectations from their primary
travelers to focus on sustainability. " Indeed,
luxury guests want to spend money in places
that offer them the best experience, " but also a
connection back to purpose, " she adds, " and that
often ties back to the environmental impact of
their stay. "
One hotel at a time
Chinese luxury hotel group Songtsam wanted
its newest property, the 122-room Songtsam
Linka Retreat Lake Basong Tso in Tibet's
Jieba village, to be net zero. Regularly shipping
supplies to its remote location among mountain
peaks at the northern edge of the Himalayas,
however, turned out to be too carbon-intensive
for that, says Florence Li, Songtsam's director
of overseas business development, whose father
founded the company. Instead, they settled on
keeping emissions as low as possible.
The hotel, designed by Hangzhou, Chinabased
firm Studio Qi Architects, was modeled
after traditional Tibetan architecture and built
with the same locally quarried gray stone used
in the homes nearby. Songtsam's aim was to
create a destination for global travelers while
also preserving the traditional character of the
local village, Li explains. " We don't want to
stand out or to make it look imbalanced. "
September 2023 hospitalitydesign.com
Photos by CHRISTINE GATTI, JUSTIN NICHOLAS, SEAMUS PAYNE, and courtesy of SIX SENSES
http://www.hospitalitydesign.com
Hospitality Design - September 2023

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