Five-star hotel Manila Marriott has introduced sustainability practices that can help reduce environmental impact while offering guests that same level of luxury during their stay.
Greener food choices
Its Sustainable Seafood project, launched in 2015, introduced sustainably caught seafood choices in the menus of the Marriott Café, CRU Steakhouse, and in banquet dining. The hotel reported it has been using and serving a total volume of 71 percent certified sustainable seafood in just a span of three years.
The Marriott culinary team, under Executive Chef Meik Brammer, is also conscious about sourcing other ingredients such as fresh local produce that have less carbon footprint.
Brammer, who leads the sustainable food sourcing initiatives of Manila Marriott, has been avidly supporting organic farming. It was few years ago when the hotel partnered with local farmers in Batangas where a variety of herbs and vegetables used in the hotel are grown and harvested.
The luxury hotel has likewise committed to its monthly food donation to underprivileged communities identified by Philippine Red Cross. This initiative also contributes in the hotel’s food waste reduction.
Not to be mistaken as “leftovers,” the donated food items are meticulously prepared by the hotel’s culinary team with the same care undertaken for its f&b outlets.
Since 2011, the Manila Marriott has donated excess food from Banquet Events and Staff Canteen to the Philippine Red Cross – Pasay Chapter every month, serving a total of 17,534 beneficiaries, particularly children, pregnant women, and the elderly.
Contributing to the circular economy
Marriott International president and chief executive officer Arne Sorenson recently announced that the hotel chain, which is the largest in the world, aims to eliminate 500 million small toiletry bottles from its current plastic amenity usage.
In line with this, Marriott hotels worldwide have joined the movement and are innovating ways to reduce plastic waste and further promote sustainability.
For its part, refillable glass bottles will soon replace the 65,000 single-use plastic bottles in Manila Marriott’s rooms.
A drop-off drive with employees has also yielded 12,000 plastic bottles during the Philippine Sustainability Month launch, which, through a partnership with the Envirotech Waste Recycling Inc., has converted thousands of plastic wastes into hundreds of school chairs that were donated to the Philippine School of the Deaf in Pasay. Some benches made from recycled plastics are also displayed around the hotel vicinity to spread awareness about recycling among guests.
Collaborative efforts
“Marriott Manila’s advocacy for the environment is not limited to the confines of our hotel alone. In a collaborative effort to help save the environment, we partnered with organizations, along with other top hotels, suppliers, government, and educational institutions to find solutions towards responsible sourcing,” said Bruce Winton, cluster general manager of Marriott.