the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) released its LEED in Motion: Hospitality report, which showcases tremendous industry growth in green building and defines the scale up opportunities for the hospitality sector. More than 109 million square feet of hotel space is currently LEED certified, and the report highlights some of the most impressive LEED-certified hotels throughout the world.

“Across industries we are seeing an increase in consumer demand toward sustainability practices, and no industry is better poised to meet these demands than hospitality. This growing sector is rapidly adopting green buildings because owners and developers want to enhance their triple bottom line – people, planet and profit,” said Rick Fedrizzi, CEO and founding chair, USGBC. “LEED is a transformative tool that positively impacts the quality of our built space by creating a healthier, more sustainable environment that saves money and resources.”

Hotels consume natural resources at an extraordinarily high rate as they are occupied 24 hours a day, seven days a week. With more than five billion square feet of space in the U.S. alone, there is an enormous opportunity for the industry to transform the impact of the built environment. A

LEED (Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design), the world's most widely used green building rating program, has a growing presence in the hospitality industry – and the number of LEED-certified buildings is expected to continue at a strong pace. Currently, there are more than 1,400 hotels participating in LEED representing 638.7 million square feet. Of that, there are more than 300 LEED-certified hotels comprising nearly 109.2 million square feet of space.

According to a recent study by McGraw Hill Construction, green construction in the hospitality sector has increased by 50 percent from 2011-2013 and now represents 25 percent of all new construction in the sector today. USGBC’s recent Green Building Economic Impact Study also found that across industries, green construction is outpacing that of traditional construction and is poised to create more than 3.3 million U.S. jobs and $190.3 billion in labor earnings by 2018.

The LEED in Motion: Hospitality report highlights how LEED practices and strategies are flexible, easy to implement, generate impressive results and can be integrated into the hospitality industry throughout the building’s lifecycle, leading to high-performance in human and environmental health. Incorporating LEED includes sustainable site development, water savings, energy efficiency, materials selection and indoor environmental quality.

The report also features LEED-certified projects from internationally recognized brands from around the world. These projects include:

    Marriott Marquis; Washington D.C.; LEED Gold
    ITC Windsor; Bengaluru, India; LEED Platinum
    Virgin Hotel Chicago; Chicago, Illinois; LEED Gold
    The Nines, Pebblebrook Hotel Trust/Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide; Portland, Oregon, LEED Silver
    MGM City Center; Las Vegas, Nevada - Aria Hotel, LEED Gold; Vdara Hotel, LEED Gold; Mandarin Oriental, LEED Gold
    Tambo del Inka Hotel; Urubamba, Peru; LEED Certified
    Heritance Kandalama Hotel; Dambulla, Sri Lanka; LEED Certified
    Clark & Grand Hotels Complex (Hyatt Place, Fairfield Inn & Suites and Aloft Hotel); Chicago, IL; LEED Platinum
    OXO 69/Sustainable Properties Fund; Bogotá, Colombia; LEED Platinum

LEED is a simple and effective program for navigating complex, often competing building and environmental issues affecting humans worldwide. Every day, more than 1.85 million square feet of space is LEED certified in more than 155 countries and territories. More than 74,500 commercial projects are currently participating in LEED, comprising more than 14.4 billion square feet of construction space. With specific achievement paths built in, LEED is designed for use in various building types in a variety of climates and localities, often synching with local laws and requirements.

LEED in Motion: Hospitality is the latest in a series of reports from USGBC designed to provide a holistic snapshot of the green building movement in international markets. The report equips green building advocates with the insight and perspective to understand the use of the globally recognized LEED rating system and to make a strong case for sustainable building activity.