In a market crowded with hotels touting flat-screen TVs, pet friendliness and New York chef-driven restaurants, it can be daunting to stand out from the crowd.
The new Marriott and Springhill Suites hotels across from the Georgia International Convention Center in College Park hope that being LEED certified -- the gold standard of green building -- will separate them from the pack.
"A lot of organizations won't do business with you if they don't think you are an environmentally friendly hotel," said Robert Woolridge, general manager of the Marriott, which opens next month and expects to be awarded a silver designation. "That's certainly a competitive advantage. We hope to get more business because of that."
SpringHill Suites Gateway, which is already open, is LEED certified gold.
Positioning is critical in metro Atlanta's $11 billion hospitality industry. The supply of hotel rooms continues to outweigh demand. While overall occupancy for metro Atlanta was at 57 percent through the end of April -- that's up from 53 percent this time last year -- there are still large numbers of empty rooms on any given night.
And while many hotels crow about their "green" standards -- several have been built to meet Energy Star standards, another green certification -- the Gateway Marriott and SpringHill Suites join the Emory Conference Center as a select few hotels with LEED certification.
Ken Smith, project executive at hotel builder Winter Construction, said his firm sees increased demand for LEED-built lodges. In addition to filling rooms, he said, LEED hotels have lower operating costs.
Rooms at the SpringHill Suites, for example, do not power on until a key is installed in a specific slot, a popular cost-saving move adopted from Europe. The Marriott roof is white to reflect the heat of the sun. Flooring in the Marriott restaurant is made of oak, but was painted to look like more exotic like a Brazilian cherry. That avoided cutting down sensitive forest while keeping the aesthetic desired.
"It's about having operating efficiency," he said.
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