Sustainability is a big topic in the travel industry right now. It’s the main theme of one of the central tourism events worldwide, the World Travel Market in London 2023, too. Although sustainability and environmental preservation aren’t new in the travel industry, changes are still slow. However, with its new Plan T program, the Leipzig Marriott Hotel participates in leading the way the hotel industry should evolve in the world where there is no Plan B for our planet.
Leipzig Marriott Hotel
This blog post is sponsored by Leipzig Marriott Hotel to highlight their Plan T program.
Being one of the leading hotel chains in the world, the Marriott doesn’t need a long introduction. Founded in 1927, it’s the world’s largest hotel chain by the number of rooms it offers. It was also the first hotel to offer online reservations in 1995. Leading by innovation, it comes with no surprise the Leipzig Marriott Hotel is starting a new important sustainability initiative now, as well.
Located right in the city centre, just a few steps from the Leipzig train station and most of its landmarks, the Leipzig Marriott Hotel is a great place to stay while visiting that German town. It’s located in a rather modern building from 1997. Although it’s in the city centre, it’s situated at the intersection of two smaller, not so busy streets, so you don’t hear the city noise at a hotel.
The hotel is rather big, having 231 rooms and studios distributed on seven floors. It’s your typical traditional hotel with a cosy interior, where everything works smoothly. You can feel almost one hundred years of Marriott experience in the hospitality industry implemented in this hotel.
It has all the benefits of larger hotels, including a few restaurants and bars, a spa and an indoor swimming pool. However, with its highly attentive and kind staff, it has a small hotel charm.
I stayed at the Deluxe Guest Room, which was very spacious. It has a large, extremely comfortable bed, abundant storage space and a lovely working desk, perfect for business travellers. The bathroom has a bath, giving it a luxurious touch. I loved how the room was designed as a relaxing oasis for when you are travelling. My favourite was chilling on a nice sofa chair next to the large window, offering a view of the fascinating glass cube building of the MdbK Museum at the end of the day.
⤷ Read more: Things to do in Leipzig – Germany’s City of Music
Leipzig Marriott Hotel Plan T program
In June 2023, Leipzig Marriott Hotel started its Plan T program. The entire hotel’s second floor became a part of a unique initiative aiming to reduce CO2 and making the hotel more sustainable. I was fortunate enough to stay in one of the rooms on the second floor and witness these changes firsthand.
Once you arrive at the hotel’s second floor, you are greeted by the live plants wall installation that smells like a forest. Made of special plants that don’t require much daylight, it makes you feel connected with nature more.
These aren’t the only plants you encounter on the second floor of the Leipzig Marriott Hotel. Each room has a large plant in the room. Not only does it make the air in your room better. Studies show indoor plants can also boost your mood and reduce stress. Only when I saw a plant in my room did I realise it isn’t such a common sight in hotel rooms. But it makes such a difference! The room immediately felt cosier and more home-like.
A significant change the hotel is undertaking with its Plan T is reducing energy and water usage. By using special faucet applications, they reduced the water consumption by 30%. It’s the right amount, so the person doesn’t feel a difference while using it. Although I was sceptical about that at first, I couldn’t feel a difference in water pressure while showering or brushing my teeth. I wondered if I could do the same at my house.
I loved the little details in the room telling the sustainability story. Tea and coffee provided in a room are organic and from fair trade (and preferably local) providers. The tissue box is made of bamboo.
The Leipzig Marriott Hotel works closely with the local community to create a better living environment. They participate in the Stiftung Wald für Sachsen Project (Forest Foundation for Saxony), so a tree is planted for each night of your stay. Leipzig is a green city, filled with parks and surrounded by forests and lakes. So, it is no surprise that the Leipzig Marriott Hotel wants to contribute to preserving its nature.
You can choose breakfast from a local Macis bio-restaurant with the Plan T rooms. That way, you can select a type of breakfast you’d like, ensuring your food comes from local and organic sources. The hotel also offers an option of a buffet breakfast. However, to reduce the food waste, they work with the Too Good to Go company, decreasing the food waste to almost zero.
A free bicycle rental was one of my favourite additions to booking a room within the Leipzig Marriott Hotel Plan T. Collaborating with Swapfiets, the hotel offers guests bicycles during their stay. Leipzig is a bike-friendly city, and exploring it on two wheels is wonderful.
Throughout the three nights (and three trees planted) I spent at the Leipzig Marriott Hotel, I realised how that green initiative made me more conscious of the way I behave. I was cautious with turning only one lamp on while in my hotel room, reusing my water bottle and taking only the food at breakfast I was sure I would eat.
And this is what these kinds of initiatives are all about. Taking care of our planet, not only by taking action. But also by encouraging others to be a part of that change. Supporting all the initiatives making our planet greener and more sustainable is important. As travellers, we can do that by choosing hotels working hard to make the change. And Leipzig Marriott Hotel is absolutely one of them.
This blog post was sponsored by the Leipzig Marriott Hotel. However, as always, all opinions are my own.