Marriott Execs Set Social Responsibility Goals For New Bethesda HQ

BETHESDA, MD — Marriott International is seeking to address important societal issues such as climate change and human trafficking at its properties around the world.

The company, founded in the Washington, D.C., area in 1927, also is adopting measures to address these issues at its downtown Bethesda headquarters.

On July 12, Marriott International released its 2023 “Serve 360 Report,” which highlights the company’s progress on its environmental, social, and governance, or ESG, efforts. ESG criteria are applied by investment firms and people who want to direct their money toward companies that are socially responsible.

Marriott’s Serve 360 platform was launched in 2017 in support of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals.

“Since its founding in 1927, Marriott has placed a priority on serving its communities and creating a positive impact wherever we do business,” Anthony Capuano, president and CEO of Marriott International, said in a statement. “With our size and global scale, we recognize the part we can play in driving meaningful change, which we believe adds value for our business and for our customers.”

Capuano said Marriott is integrating sustainability across hotel operations and design, and providing humanitarian aid to those in need, “creating access to opportunity for underserved communities, and welcoming all who walk through our doors.”

Since 2016, Marriott also has trained more than 1 million employees to recognize and respond to the signs of human trafficking.

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Marriott’s release of its latest “Serve 360 Report” comes on the heels of the company’s commitment to hiring more refugees globally, including at its global headquarters in Bethesda.

Cousins Ehsanullah Safi and Shah Faisal Safi and their families left Afghanistan in August 2021 as the U.S. wound down its military presence in the country. The two men, who came to the U.S., are now associates at the Marriott Bethesda Downtown at Marriott headquarters.

In rankings of “America’s Greatest Workplaces 2023” recently released by Newsweek and its data partner, Plant-A Insights Group, Marriott received a 5-star rating, the highest a company can receive.

Marriott was one of 10 Maryland-based companies to receive the highest 5-star rating from Newsweek. The rating is based on a national survey on benefits, workplace environment, career development, empowerment of women, promotion of veterans, development of entry-level employees and support for LGBTQ+ employees.

Marriott’s headquarters campus in Bethesda also has received several recognitions, including Best in Building Health Awards for Highest Scoring Design of 2022; Best in Building Health Awards for 2022 Highest Score: Commercial Interior Space v2; and Fitwel 3-star certification.

The Fitwel 3-star certification focuses on incorporating wellness aspects into the workplace for overall associate well-being.

Marriott also is working to increase renewable energy consumption across the company’s portfolio of global properties. Marriott conducted an analysis of a group of properties in the U.S. to determine viability for on-site solar installations. The first round of this analysis revealed that a large percentage of these properties are expected to generate a positive internal rate of return from potential photovoltaics installations.

In 2022, Marriott also developed a program to accelerate the installation and adoption of electric vehicle charging at hotels across the globe. As of year-end 2022, more than 5,500 electric vehicle chargers had been installed at Marriott properties worldwide, including nearly 1,700 level 3 fast chargers.

At its headquarters campus in Bethesda, Marriott has installed more than 60 EV charging stations.

Among the 13 members of Marriott International’s board of directors, eight are women and/or people of color. Women made up 47 percent of Marriott’s global executives at year-end 2022, with a goal to reach executive gender parity by year-end 2023.

“We have been unwavering in our focus on driving change toward a more sustainable and equitable future,” Capuano said.

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