Marriott Hotel to Go Under ARAMARK Management

After taking over student dining services last year, ARAMARK Higher Education continues to build its presence on campus next month with the takeover of the Marriott Hotel and Conference Center, located next to the Georgetown University Hospital.

Come Sept. 20, Marriott will transfer its management duties for the on-campus hotel to ARAMARK, which specializes in food services and facility management and took over catering for on-campus dining halls last year.

According to a university press release, ARAMARK will work directly with Marriott to transfer all existing data and information to its own systems on Sept. 19th.

“Marriott and ARAMARK are working with us to ensure a smooth transition to meet existing reservations,” university spokesperson Julie Bataille said. “ARAMARK has a great deal of experience managing similar university conference centers and has some exciting ideas for enhancing the facility and services offered there.”

She did not further specify the reason for the change in management.

While Bataille assures the transition will be smooth, she also says to expect some enhancements and “facility upgrades,” but she did not comment further.

She said that all Marriott employees were offered jobs with ARAMARK in a similar fashion to last year, when dining hall workers were also offered jobs after the company transitioned dining services.

According to a university press release, ARAMARK has managed numerous university conference centers, including the Mt. Washington Conference Center at Johns Hopkins University,the Wharton School of Business Steinberg Conference Center at the University of Pennsylvania and the R. David Thomas Executive Conference Center at Duke University.

The conference center receives millions of guests annually, while the building has not been updated in eight years, the press release states.

– Lenard Babus

Recycled Refrigerators Highlight Eco-Friendly Products

Old and inefficient refrigerators are finding a new use in The Art of Recycling exhibit at the National Building Museum, opening Monday.

Over 50 old refrigerators will be redesigned with paint and recycled materials in an effort to increase eco-friendly product usage.

The Department of Energy launched the ENERGY STAR Recycle My Old Fridge Campaign, in collaboration with the National Building Museum, on April 28 to reveal the energy inefficiencies of older refrigerator models, especially those made before 1993, and to encourage Americans to buy new refrigerators that are compatible with ENERGY STAR guidelines.

“The campaign is a nationwide effort to encourage every American who owns an old, inefficient refrigerator to take another step to save money, energy and the environment by recycling that old refrigerator when a new one is needed,” said Scott Shepherd, media contact for ENERGY STAR and The Art of Recycling exhibit.

According to the U.S. Department of Energy, if every American home were to replace its pre-1993 refrigerator with an ENERGY STAR-qualified one, we would save enough energy to light more than 8.1 million homes for an entire year.

A panel of judges will evaluate the refrigerators to award the top three based on the following categories: Coolest, Overall Creativity, Best Use of Recycled Material, and Best Portrayal of the Campaign. The 25,000 expected visitors will also have the chance to award “Best of Show.” The winners will be revealed on Sept. 2.

The exhibit is free and no reservations are necessary. It will be open until Tuesday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.

“It’s a really fun and impressive display by a variety of professional and amateur artists with a really valuable message behind it,” Shepherd said.

– Elizabeth Blazey

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