Smart Chat: Denise Naguib on Sustainability and CSR

Sustainability and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) continue to be at the forefront of the hospitality industry and more innovative strategies and technical applications have become a priority for major hotel chains such as Marriott International.

Denise Naguib, vice president of sustainability and supplier diversity at Marriott International, sat down with Smart Meetings to discuss the core values of the company’s sustainability initiative Serve 360: Doing Good in Every Direction and why sustainable sourcing, corporate social responsibility and providing opportunities for others is an invaluable part of the hospitality industry.

What inspired your career in the hospitality industry?

I was born and initially grew up in Egypt, a country known for its hospitality given that tourism is one of the most important industries. I was working in environmental education and ocean conservation with Jean-Michel Cousteau when the opportunity to bring those topics to a hotel setting were brought to us by The Ritz-Carlton. A marriage was made between the two groups, and I transitioned to implementing environmental programs first for one hotel, then one brand and then the Marriott International portfolio.

How did you get involved with Serve 360: Doing Good in Every Direction?

In partnership with many leaders across the company, we spent several years working through what the goals should be and what our overall sustainability and social impact strategies should look like for the years ahead. Those efforts became what we call Serve 360, our company’s sustainability and social impact platform. It was a privilege to work through and develop this platform.

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What are some of the core values at the heart of Marriott’s 2025 sustainability and social impact goals?

• Nurture Our World is where we are committed to supporting the vitality of children; delivering aid and support to communities, especially in times of need and advancing the sustainability of our communities by investing in their natural resources.
• Sustain Responsible Operations is where we are focused on reducing environmental impacts, designing and operating sustainable hotels and sourcing responsibly while mitigating climate related risk.
• Empower Through Opportunity is where we are partnering to ensure workplace readiness and access to opportunity throughout our business, including our supply chain, focusing on diverse populations, youth, women, people with disabilities, veterans and refugees.
• Welcome All and Advance Human Rights where we promote peace, cultural understanding, the freedom to travel, fostering an inclusive environment for all and work to end human trafficking.

Our 2025 sustainability goals commit us to reducing water intensity by 15%, carbon intensity by 30%, waste by 45% and food waste by 50% while responsibly sourcing 95% of our top 10 priority categories and working to get 100% of the portfolio sustainably certified.

Why is responsible sourcing important?

With consumers increasingly wanting to know ingredients are sourced responsibly, humanely and are supporting the local community, we are working across our supply chain to provide attendees (with) F&B experiences that are sourced sustainably.

“Marriott believes that providing inclusive guest experiences is a competitive advantage in every market that we serve.”

What are some of the ways in which Marriott gives back to youth?

As part of a collaboration with the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance, Marriott and other hotel companies developed an industry-relevant skills curriculum to better prepare young people for on-the-job training and improve opportunities for job placement. Marriott supported the Alliance’s Youth Employment Program, a three-month employability program, equipping vulnerable young people with the core skills and practical experience they need to start their career.

Why is gender representation parity in global company leadership important for Marriott? What can the hospitality industry be doing better to reach that goal?

At Marriott, diversity, equity and inclusion is a strategic business imperative that is provided at the same level of importance as other business strategies. For nearly 25 years, Marriott’s Women’s Leadership Development Initiative has guided our efforts to increase the presence of women at the highest level of management and in other decision-making positions.

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Our Women’s Empowerment Objectives include developing a role for senior management to play in ensuring that women progress, strengthening the career development process and capitalizing on current women leaders to drive the success of the organization.

How can the hospitality and tourism industry make improvements to increase cultural understanding?

Marriott believes that providing inclusive guest experiences is a competitive advantage in every market that we serve and works with properties around the world to help them understand and respect the various cultures they serve. In 2021, Marriott hosted an LGBTQ+ Culture Day at Aruba Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino to further educate its associates and guests about the importance of diversity and inclusion. In 2022, Marriott continued to promote cultural competence through the company’s Culture Day program. This program supports Marriott properties in understanding customer cultures from all walks of life.

This article appears in the July/August 2023 issue. You can subscribe to the magazine here.