Situated just five miles from Marriott International’s headquarters, the Bethesda North Marriott Hotel & Conference Center serves the unique needs of the community through relationships with a range of local organizations. The hotel was selected as the winner of this year’s Alice S. Marriott Award for Community Service for embodying a spirit of service and environmental stewardship that enriches the lives of their associates and guests and makes meaningful contributions to the surrounding community.

The hotel has developed partnerships and programs in support of the four areas of Marriott’s Serve 360 social impact and sustainability platform – following are highlights.

• Nurture Our World: Associates and guests participate in activities including Root Beer Float Day, Food and Friends Slice of Life pie sales, and Jeans Fridays, to raise money to benefit Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. The hotel visits Nourish Now, a local Food bank, to assist in sorting food donations. Team members also participated in a clean-up day at Wall Local Park in Rockville, Maryland, picking up trash and making an immediate impact on the local area. 
• Sustain Responsible Operations: The hotel introduced a Biogreen machine in the kitchen to implement Zero Food Waste Events as a business practice. This initiative, alongside heightened recycling efforts, significantly reduces waste removal needs, reflecting the hotel’s dedication to environmentally responsible operations.
• Empower Through Opportunity: The hotel welcomed area high school students to visit and learn about careers in hospitality as part of their outreach to more than 25,540 youths in 2024. A partnership with Identity, which connects local Latino community members to employment opportunities, resulted in seven new hires over an 18-month period. An International Women’s Day Reception was also held as a relationship-building opportunity.
• Welcome All and Advance Human Rights: The hotel’s efforts to welcome all and advance human rights empower individuals and create opportunities for growth. For example, associates complete the Human Trafficking Awareness Training program on an annual basis.
   

Leadership drives the hotel’s culture of giving, with senior management actively planning and participating in activities. The majority of associates are involved in community initiatives, dedicating 1,241 hours of volunteer work in 2024 and fostering a shared sense of purpose. Quarterly leadership meetings include activities such as writing thank-you cards for service members through Operation Gratitude, further integrating service into their workplace culture.