Livable Buckhead Leads Expansion of ABBC in Hospitality Sector
Ten hotels representing more than 40 percent of Buckhead rooms join Atlanta Better Buildings Challenge
ATLANTA – February 9, 2018 – Ten Buckhead hotels have joined the Atlanta Better Buildings Challenge, marking a significant expansion of the program in the hospitality sector. These 10 hotels collectively represent 43 percent of the total hotel rooms in Buckhead and will more than triple the number of hotels actively participating in ABBC, a citywide effort to reduce water and energy use 20 percent by 2020.
Livable Buckhead, a nonprofit organization working to increase sustainability efforts in Buckhead, has recruited 65 buildings to the ABBC since 2013, representing more than 20 million square feet. Citywide, ABBC includes more than 640 buildings representing more than 114 million square feet. While participation has been strong among office buildings and other commercial properties, only three hotels in Atlanta were active in the ABBC prior to Livable Buckhead’s recruitment effort.
“Hotels are an enormous part of the economic vitality of this community, and some of them are already leading the charge on sustainability,” said Denise Starling, Executive Director of Livable Buckhead. “By bringing them into ABBC we are creating an opportunity for the industry to share best practices, and to receive education and technical assistance to strengthen and improve their environmental programs.”
The Buckhead hotels committed to the ABBC now include: JW Marriott Atlanta Buckhead, Westin Buckhead Atlanta, Atlanta Marriott Hotel and Conference Center, Hyatt Place Atlanta/Buckhead, Mandarin Oriental Atlanta, Grand Hyatt Atlanta in Buckhead, Hampton Inn Atlanta-Buckhead, St. Regis Atlanta, SpringHill Suites Atlanta Buckhead, and the AC Hotel Atlanta Buckhead. Each of the hotels has committed to strive toward a 20 percent improvement in energy and water efficiency by 2020, measured against a 2009 baseline, or the most recent calendar year for which valid data is available.
“Sustainability is embedded into our Marriott International business strategy from the ground up,” said Thomas Boyer, General Manager of JW Marriott Atlanta Buckhead. “Through collaboration with our development partners, we work toward constructing and operating sustainable hotels from the initial hotel and business design to the guest’s experience. It is the responsibility of those of us who work and reside in Buckhead to do the same for our Buckhead community . . . for our residents, our hotels and businesses so we can all help to make a livable Buckhead.”
Hotels have specific needs to run their businesses that other building types, such as commercial office buildings, do not. The elements that differentiate these buildings — guest room showers, swimming pools, and on-site laundry facilities, for example – can also present opportunities for energy and water efficiency improvements.
Atlanta BBC is a nation-leading initiative that has been praised as a model for the rest of the country by the director of the U.S. Dept. of Energy’s Better Buildings Challenge. Led locally by the City of Atlanta Mayor’s Office of Sustainability and initially spearheaded by Central Atlanta Progress and the Atlanta Downtown Improvement District, the goal of the Atlanta BBC is to reduce energy and water consumption by at least 20 percent in participating buildings across Atlanta by 2020.
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About Livable Buckhead
Livable Buckhead is a nonprofit organization that strives to ensure the long-term viability and prosperity of the Buckhead community. The organization achieves its mission by working cooperatively with individuals, public entities and private businesses to integrate sustainable strategies. Livable Buckhead implements programs related to greenspace, recycling, energy efficiency, commute alternatives, arts and culture, real estate development and land use. For more information about Livable Buckhead and its programs, visit livablebuckhead.org.
