Why JW Marriott is planting edible gardens in every one of its hotels

JW Marriott has planted edible gardens in 25 properties, and isn’t stopping

By Elissaveta M. Brandon
Fast Company
Apr 12, 2022

Excerpt:

To date, one-quarter of JW locations, or about 25 hotels, have gardens ranging in size from a small terrarium to a rooftop garden to a full greenhouse. Over the next few years, the company plans to plant a garden in every single one of its 103 properties. For the initiative to make a true impact, these gardens would need to be closer to a greenhouse than a terrarium, but at scale, the concept could help provide a model for self-sustaining hotels and restaurants around the world.

In New York City, the terrarium is more of an art piece than a viable garden, and though the herbs will be harvested regularly, they’ll be coupled with a separate plant shelf in the hotel’s restaurant, where the chef can use varieties like mint, oregano, and rosemary for cocktails and spice rubs. Like the terrarium, this three-shelf system is located where guests can see it.

But the lobby is where the magic lies. Bursting with five variations of mint, plus thyme, rosemary, and flowering parsley, the miniature landscape sits in a custom-designed cherrywood cabinet about the size of a wardrobe. Herbs grow on a bed of stucco, locally foraged moss, and imposing rocks found in Brooklyn. Created by Brooklyn-based design studio L?men, it features scalloped edges inspired by the columns in the hotel lobby. A hidden string of UV lights helps stimulate the herbs’ growth.

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