BETHESDA, MD—Water is essential to make our bodies work at optimal performance. It is commonly recommended by health authorities to drink a half-gallon of water each day (although that figure can vary due to a number of factors). Element Hotels, part of Marriott International Inc., based here, has made it easier for its guests to take H2O on the go.
The chain currently offers S’well water bottles at all 26 of its properties through a partnership with the Manhattan-headquartered global manufacturer, wholesaler and online retailer of insulated reusable beverage containers. The bottles can be found for sale in each guestroom within the eco-conscious brand’s hotels, as well as at the Restore pantry in the lobby.
“We believe our new partnership with S’well offers our guests a fashionable and practical tool to stay hydrated, and appeals to their desire to make sustainable and health-conscious choices,” said Toni Stoeckl, global brand leader and VP, distinctive select brands, Marriott International. “Element guestrooms have in-room purified water, so having a S’well bottle available for purchase provides a useful option for taking this water on the go.”
The bottles rolled out to the Element properties in January, and will also be available for purchase at the chain’s sister brands—AC Hotels by Marriott, Aloft Hotels and Moxy Hotels—later this year.
“Element and its sister brands in the distinctive select portfolio want to work with partners with aligned values and goals that are going to enhance our guests’ experience at our hotels. Making sustainable and health-conscious choices is really important to our guests, and so S’well’s core values really spoke to us—particularly for Element Hotels,” noted Stoeckl.
S’well bottles will eventually be available at more than 150 properties, and the partnership will include a wide array of styles and distribution strategies unique to individual locales.
Kristin Ross, S’well’s VP of corporate sponsorships, explained why Marriott International, and specifically Element, is the perfect partner for her company. “As a leader and trendsetter in the hospitality space, teaming up with Marriott International was a no-brainer. Even more, Element Hotels’ sustainability initiatives, plus health and wellness efforts, made it the perfect partner for launch,” she said. “We love that Marriott International’s large demographic gives us power in numbers and can help us make a significant impact not only to the environment, but also on the global sustainable travel moment.”
She further pointed out what makes S’well bottles the choice of millions of water drinkers: “S’well differentiates itself from the competition through its designs, innovation, 70-step inspection process and mission to give back. S’well and S’ip by S’well bottles offer quality, versatility and purpose, empowering brands and individuals to make small changes in their daily lives—like staying hydrated or consuming less single-use plastic—to create positive change.”
According to the company, the bottles keep beverages cold for 24 hours and hot for 12 hours.
Stoeckl noted that there are a number of S’well options to choose from at Element hotels: the standard 17-oz. S’well Bottle in-room ($35), 9-oz. in the Restore pantry ($25) and the 25-oz. for breakfast pouring areas. He added, “We chose three styles to align with Element Hotels’ aesthetics: baltic green marble and calacatta gold for the 17-oz. and 9-oz. options, and teakwood for the 25-oz. bottles.”
According to Ross, Element’s selection of designs were curated from the S’well Elements collection—naturally—which is inspired by the colors, patterns and textures found in nature. “Other elevated designs and colorways from both S’well and S’ip by S’well will be available for purchase in-hotel and as part of other marketing programs across the other distinctive select brands we’re working with,” she said. “Our main goal is to match the spirit of each brand with the perfect bottle design.”
The bottles are placed in each room with a card informing guests of the cost, according to Stoeckl, who added, “Should they choose to open the bottles, the charge will automatically be added to their room bill at the end of their stay.”
The S’well bottle offering is one of the many ways Marriott International is positively impacting the environment through its Serve 360: Doing Good in Every Direction platform, which “guides our 2025 sustainability and social impact goals and our commitment to making a positive and sustainable impact wherever we do business,” noted Stoeckl. “One of the priority areas—or ‘coordinates’ as we like to call them—of Serve 360 is to Sustain Responsible Operations. This means that while integrating sustainability across our value chain and mitigating climate-related risk, we’re working to reduce environmental impacts, build and operate sustainable hotels and source responsibly. Other coordinates under Serve 360 focus our efforts to Nurture Our World, Empower Through Opportunity, and Welcome All & Advance Human Rights.”
He continued, “The 2025 goals that fall under the Sustain Responsible Operations coordinate include targets to reduce our water usage by 15%, carbon emissions by 30%, waste to landfill by 45% and food waste by 50%. Guest engagement, and helping to spur a culture of responsible choices, is one of the many ways we work to deliver on this coordinate and its goals. By allowing our guests to purchase a S’well bottle during their stay, Element is upholding our commitment to reducing environmental impacts while furthering its mission of being an eco-conscious brand. It’s one of the many ways we are working to ‘do good in every direction,’ and it’s important our guests know they are part of our journey.”
So far, the S’well bottles have been a hit. “Guests are loving the S’well offerings—not just the stylish design but the convenience,” Stoeckl said. “The bottles we have on property have also been a nice complement to another partnership we launched at Element in February with Priority Bicycles. As there are bicycles at every property for guests to use, whether it is for recreation or travel to a nearby destination, they can easily grab a S’well and a bicycle and go.”
For fans of S’well, Ross noted that the company is always working on something new. “Last year, we went beyond our iconic bottle shape with new forms, including our wide-mouth Travelers and amazing Tumblers,” she said. “This year, we’re on the brink of launching larger-format products, accessories and an array of new designs and collaborations.” HB