Marriott Push Toward Shower Dispensers to Reduce Waste, Trim Costs

BETHESDA, MD.—Marriott International will today unveil its new shower-toiletry program for the five brands that make up the bulk of its properties—Courtyard, Fairfield, Residence Inn, Springhill Suites and TownePlace Suites. The shower dispenser program, which includes Paul Mitchell shampoo, conditioner and body wash, will be announced at the Managed by Marriott GMs conference.

For a 140-room property, moving to a three-bottle shower dispenser system is expected to result in the elimination of more than 23,000 tiny toiletry bottles annually—the equivalent of 250 pounds of plastic per year. “We expect to see savings of $1,000 to $2,000 per hotel annually,” says Denise Naguib, Vice President, Sustainability & Supplier Diversity for Marriott International.

The transition to dispensers in the shower will be a requirement for Marriott Managed hotels among the five brands and optional for franchised properties. By the end of this year Marriott expects at least 1,500 hotels out of 3,400 hotels to adopt the program. The switch to dispensers fits well with Marriott’s Serve 360: Doing Good in Every Direction initiative which was launched last November. One part of Serve 360 is reducing waste by 45 percent by 2025.

Starwood Brands Have Been Using Them

Marriott has been using dispensers for a while and its recently acquired aloft and Element brands have been using them, but this new commitment is by far the company’s largest. Timing was key.

“We were doing a lot of R&D with suppliers,” Naguib says. “They had to develop dispensers that had the right look and feel, worked well, and cleaned easily.” Marriott settled on a Paul Mitchell system that includes three separate bottles positioned side by side in one fixture. The bottles are made from recyclable PET plastic and are recycled once empty; they are not refilled. A “window” on each bottle allows housekeepers to see how much liquid remains. “We are still partnering with Clean the World and they can recycle the bottles,” Naguib adds.

Naguib says there are currently no plans to transition to liquid soap at the bathroom sink. “Customers want that bar of soap at the sink,” she says.

Gregg Carlson, General Manager at the Residence Inn Dulles Airport @ Dulles 28 Centre in Virginia said his 151-room hotel has been using dispensers for more than two years but it just changed over to the Paul Mitchell system during room renovations.

“I like the fact that it is a green initiative with a high-quality product,” Carlson says. “Our housekeepers love it because they don’t have to make sure all the little bottles are placed.”

Glenn Hasek can be reached at editor@greenlodgingnews.com.