Skip to content

Search

Latest Stories

Marriott’s ESG progress highlighted in Serve 360 Report

The report reflects data for the calendar year ending Dec. 31, 2023

Marriott’s ESG progress highlighted in Serve 360 Report
Marriott ESG 2024 Report

MARRIOTT INTERNATION RECENTLY released its 2024 Serve 360 Report, detailing the company's global environmental, social and governance efforts and progress towards its 2025 sustainability and social impact goals. The report outlines data on sustainable operations, diversity and inclusion, volunteerism, and other ESG activities led by Marriott associates and hotels worldwide.

Based on the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, Marriott's sustainability and social impact platform, Serve 360: Doing Good in Every Direction, guides the company’s ESG efforts through four focus areas: Nurture Our World, Sustain Responsible Operations, Empower Through Opportunity and Welcome All and Advance Human Rights.


The report reflects data for the calendar year ending Dec. 31, 2023, Marriott said in a statement.

“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, Marriott International’s president and CEO. “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.”

The company’s actions on reducing climate change include:

  • Verified its near- and long-term science-based emissions reduction targets with the Science Based Targets initiative in April 2024.
  • Launched the Climate Action Program globally to all managed and franchised properties, centered on building climate fluency and developing property-specific carbon reduction goals to support progress toward the company's science-based targets.
  • Expanded its EV charging infrastructure, with more than 7,100 EV chargers installed at 1,800+ Marriott properties worldwide by the end of 2023.

Community service initiatives included:

  • Volunteered more than 3.1 million hours in local communities worldwide in 2023, with more than 12.1 million associate volunteer hours reported since 2016.
  • Responded to the devastating wildfires in Maui, Hawaii, contributing approximately $5.5 million through the Marriott Disaster Relief Fund, TakeCare Relief Fund, Marriott Bonvoy points donations and cash and in-kind giving by hotels to support recovery efforts and provide essential items for impacted associates.
  • Committed to hiring more than 3,000 refugees globally by 2026.
  • Trained more than 1.2 million managed and franchised associates in human trafficking awareness since 2016, supporting Marriott’s goal to train all on-property associates by 2025.
  • Launched an initiative with the Internet Watch Foundation and Cisco to block websites with child sexual abuse material from guest networks across nearly 5,000 managed and franchised properties in the U.S. and Canada.

The report includes an "Around The World Highlights" addendum, showcasing ESG initiatives across the company's regions: Asia Pacific excluding China, Caribbean and Latin America, Europe, Middle East and Africa, Greater China and the United States and Canada.

Additional regional highlights include:

  • Raised nearly $970,000 in cash and in-kind donations by Marriott’s United Arab Emirates Business Council through annual Road to Awareness cycling fundraising events to support organizations focused on children's well-being.
  • Supported the release of approximately 110,000 sea turtles through conservation programs at several properties across Mexico, aimed at protecting the species and their habitats.
  • Engaged with Scholars of Sustenance through 66 hotels in Thailand, Indonesia and the Philippines to rescue over 81,000 kg of surplus food, resulting in more than 340,000 meals donated to communities in need.
  • Hired more than 1,200 students with disabilities as full-time associates throughout the Greater China region.
  • Increased the cage-free egg spend to 56.13 percent and 47.18 percent of total egg spend for properties in the U.S. and Canada, respectively.

Marriott recently launched "Business Access by Marriott Bonvoy," an online travel booking program designed for small and medium-sized business travelers.

More for you

OYO Adds 150 U.S. Hotels in 2025, Plans Another 150
Photo credit: OYO U.S.

OYO adds 150 U.S. hotels, plans 150 more

Summary:

  • OYO added more than 150 U.S. hotels in early 2025 and plans 150 more by year-end.
  • Ten additions have more than 100 rooms, reflecting a focus on high-inventory properties.
  • It is targeting urban and suburban markets in the Sun Belt and Great Lakes regions.

HOSPITALITY TECHNOLOGY COMPANY OYO added more than 150 hotels to its U.S. portfolio in the first half of 2025 and plans to add 150 more by year-end. The additions span Texas, Virginia, Georgia, Mississippi, California, Michigan and Illinois.

Keep ReadingShow less
Choice Hotels campaigns

Choice launches campaigns for extended-stay brands

Summary:

  • Choice launched two campaigns to boost bookings across its four extended-stay brands.
  • Based on guest feedback, the campaigns focus on efficiency, cleanliness, value and flexibility.
  • They will run through 2026 across social media, Connected TV, digital display and online video.

CHOICE HOTELS INTERNATIONAL launched two marketing campaigns to increase brand awareness and bookings across its four extended-stay brands. The "Stay in Your Rhythm" campaign promotes all four brands by showing how guests can maintain daily routines, while "The WoodSpring Way" highlights the service WoodSpring Suites staff provide.

Keep ReadingShow less
US Hotel Employee Background Checks
iStock

Survey: Employee background checks up for hotels

Summary:

  • U.S. hotels increased background checks by 36 percent in early 2025.
  • The trend follows President Trump’s immigration policies impacting seasonal labor.
  • Immigrants making up a third of the travel workforce.

U.S. HOTEL HIRING managers requested 36 percent more background checks in the first half of 2025 compared with the same period last year, according to Hireology. The move follows President Donald Trump’s immigration crackdown and proposed visa fee hikes affecting seasonal labor.

Keep ReadingShow less
Hotel industry leaders unite at AHLA Summit to support trafficking survivors
Photo credit: AHLA Foundation

AHLA Foundation hosts human trafficking summit

Summary:

  • AHLA Foundation held its No Room for Trafficking Summit and announced Survivor Fund grantees.
  • The summit featured expert panels and sessions on survivor employment and trafficking prevention.
  • Since 2023, the program has awarded more than $2.35 million to 27 organizations.

AHLA FOUNDATION RECENTLY held its annual “No Room for Trafficking Summit” to advance practices and reinforce the industry's commitment to addressing human trafficking through collaboration, education and survivor support. It also announced the 2025–2026 NRFT Survivor Fund grants, which support organizations providing services and resources for survivors.

Keep ReadingShow less
Fed interest rate July
Photo credit: Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Fed holds rates steady despite Trump pressure

Summary:

  • The Federal Reserve held interest rates steady and gave no signal of a September cut.
  • Developers and brokers are calling for lower borrowing costs to unlock supply and revive stalled deals.
  • The Fed’s decision followed surprise news that the U.S. economy grew 3 percent in Q2.

THE FEDERAL RESERVE held its key interest rate steady and gave no indication of a cut in September, despite growing pressure from President Trump and his Fed appointees, USA Today reported. The July 30 decision keeps the Fed’s benchmark rate at 4.25 percent to 4.5 percent for a fifth straight meeting.

Keep ReadingShow less