Lately, we've had our eye on hospitality brands doing their part to conserve and rethink their practices in favor of sustainability. Last year, Marriott International, the world's largest hotel brand, announced that each one of their 6,500 properties would be plastic straw and plastic stirrer free by July 2019. With the official launch of a straw-free brand experience fast approaching, Marriott has been prepping for this moment for over a year with individual properties deploying the initiative well before July. Marriott has 30 brands under its umbrella across 127 countries meaning the straw-free initiative eliminates over 1 billion plastic straws annually – no small measure.


Photography: Chris Ralston


“We are proud to be among the first large U.S. companies to announce that we’re eliminating plastic straws in our properties worldwide. Removing plastic straws is one of the simplest ways our guests can contribute to plastic reduction when staying with us – something they are increasingly concerned about and are already doing in their own homes. We are committed to operating responsibly and – with over one million guests staying with us every night – we think this is a powerful step forward to reducing our reliance on plastics,” said Arne Sorenson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Marriott International. 


Photography: Moxy Chelsea & Alison Marras


The straw ban isn't the first sustainable choice Marriott has made. In 2018, they started removing small toiletry bottles in guest bathrooms in favor for larger, in-shower dispensers that distribute more product. Marriott rounded out 2018 with this model operating in more than 1,500 North American hotels, eliminating more than 35 million small plastic toiletry bottles annually from landfills.

These simple changes have immensely impactful outcomes and we'll be staying tuned for more sustainable updates from the world's leading hospitality brands.


Read more about hotels making the switch to sustainable practices →