Marriott International sets bold, ambitious goals to transform the hospitality industry by 2025. With a strong focus on sustainability, diversity, and community engagement, the company aims to create lasting positive impacts beyond its hotels’ walls.
"At Marriott International, we take great pride in our longstanding focus on the fundamental principles of taking care of people, our communities, and the planet," said Anthony Capuano, President and CEO of Marriott International. "We believe our efforts to be a force for good around the world in destinations where we operate can help support the long-term success of our business and the wellbeing of associates and guests. We are focused on fostering a more resilient, inclusive, and responsible world for travel."
Marriott’s sustainability and social impact platform, Serve 360: Doing Good in Every Direction, supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals through four focus areas: Nurture Our World, Sustain Responsible Operations, Empower Through Opportunity, and Welcome All and Advance Human Rights. These coordinates guide the company’s ESG efforts.
Marriott International is dedicated to fostering opportunities for underrepresented groups within the hospitality industry. By 2025, the company plans to invest at least $35 million in programs and partnerships that develop hospitality skills among youth, diverse populations, women, people with disabilities, veterans, and refugees.
Marriott’s most ambitious goal is to achieve gender representation parity in global company leadership. By fostering a diverse and inclusive leadership team, Marriott aims to drive innovation and better reflect the diverse communities they serve.
Marriott’s dedication to community service is evident in its goal to contribute 15 million hours of volunteer service by the end of next year. Half these hours will be dedicated to serving children and youth, including those at risk and disadvantaged. By focusing on skill development and empowerment, Marriott aims to support the vitality and employability of young people, helping them build brighter futures.
Additionally, Marriott aims for 80% of managed hotels and 50% of franchised hotels to participate in community service activities by 2025. The company also plans for 50% of all volunteer activities to be skills-based, leveraging the expertise and talents of their associates to make a meaningful impact.
Marriott is taking significant steps to reduce its environmental footprint across its portfolio. The company aims to achieve the following reductions compared to a 2016 baseline:
Marriott also plans for all its hotels to have a recognized sustainability certification by 2025, with 650 hotels pursuing LEED certification or an equivalent standard. The company will incorporate LEED certification into building design and renovation standards, ensuring new builds and renovations adhere to sustainable building practices.
Responsible sourcing is a key component of Marriott’s sustainability strategy. The company aims to responsibly source 95% of its top 10 priority categories by spend. These categories include animal proteins, bottled water, cleaning supplies, cocoa, coffee, guest room amenities, paper products, seafood, sugar, and textiles.
Marriott is also committed to sourcing 100% of its eggs from cage-free sources globally. Additionally, the company will require all contracted suppliers in the top 10 categories to provide information on product sustainability, including social and human rights impacts.
Marriott is dedicated to promoting human rights and ethical practices across its operations. By 2025, the company aims to ensure that 100% of on-property associates have completed human rights training, including awareness of human trafficking, responsible sourcing, and recruitment policies. Marriott will also embed human rights criteria in its recruitment and sourcing policies, working with industry partners to address human rights risks in the construction phase.
Marriott believes in the power of travel to promote cultural understanding and peaceful coexistence. Additionally, the company plans to invest at least $500,000 in partnerships that drive, evaluate, and elevate travel and tourism’s role in fostering cultural understanding. This initiative reflects Marriott’s commitment to using its global reach to promote a more interconnected and harmonious world.
