Case Study: Marriott City Center

Project Background

When the Marriott City Center’s engineering team needed a comprehensive building energy assessment, they turned to Xcel Energy and Center for Energy and Environment (CEE).

The hotel’s chief engineer, Wes Olson, had previously worked with CEE’s engineering team to assess a different commercial property. When Wes reached out to CEE again in 2022, he was looking for third-party recommendations, rebate estimates, and additional funding sources to help him obtain buy-in from hotel ownership to replace old, inefficient equipment.

Since its construction in 1983, few major upgrades had been completed in the 31-story hotel. After consulting with Wes, the CEE team determined Marriott City Center could greatly benefit from the whole building analysis and implementation support provided through Xcel Energy’s Building Assessment (BA) program.

Key factors for Marriott’s participation in BA included:

• Comprehensive analysis of energy use and equipment to identify energy conservation opportunities (ECO)

• Assistance with return-on-investment calculations to support buy-in from ownership group

• Need for detailed equipment survey

• Support with Xcel Energy rebate and Minneapolis Green Cost Share grant applications

Investigation and Assessment

CEE conducted a holistic on-site assessment of the property, examining all primary building systems including HVAC, lighting, refrigeration, and building automation system (BAS). The investigation also included energy use analysis and benchmarking.

CEE’s engineers used their findings to create a customized energy roadmap for Wes and the Marriott City Center team including energy conservation opportunities (ECO), capital improvement measures, and ongoing maintenance recommendations. The roadmap also provided estimated energy savings, project costs, rebates, and paybacks for each recommendation. 

"CEE was able to support multiple opportunities for rebates and grants, in which some of the projects identified would have been more challenging to get ownership buy-in." - Wes Olson, Director of Engineering—Marriott City Center

Implementation and Outcomes

With guidance from CEE, Marriott City Center adopted a phased approach to implementation. The CEE team provided ongoing technical assistance and rebate support as projects were completed from 2023 to 2025.

• Lighting Upgrades: Phased fluorescent lighting replacement with LEDs saving 210,000 kWh annually

• Motor Retrofits: New high-efficiency motors saving 17,000 kWh annually

• Variable Frequency Drive (VFD) Installations: Added VFDs to control motor speeds saving 497,000 kWh annually

• Refrigeration Improvements: Full system replacement with ECMs and fan speed controls saving 19,000 kWh annually

The improvements identified and implemented through the BA program have resulted in massive annual energy savings of 743,000 kWh at Marriott City Center, 18% of total annual consumption. Working with CEE to maximize Xcel Energy rebates and City of Minneapolis Green Cost Share funding helped Wes reduce project costs by $236,500. Marriott City Center also achieved Energy Star Certification in 2024 and 2025 and received recognition from their ownership group as a finalist for its 2024 Sustainable Hotel Award. Through their multi-year partnership with CEE, Wes and the Marriott City Center team have significantly improved building performance, reduced energy consumption and costs, and set the stage for further energy-savings investments identified in their energy roadmap.