Khao Lak has just welcomed a massive 27-acre organic garden at the luxurious JW Marriott Khao Lak Resort and Spa—the first of its kind for Marriott outside the USA where the brand was born.*
JW Garden, which spans 27 acres right next to the luxurious resort grounds, is home to more than 200 species of organic edible plants—all of which are indigenous to the locality—and spaces for almost a hundred free-range-bred chickens and ducks.
JW Garden debuted in 2022 at three JW Marriott locations in the states: JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa; JW Marriott Orlando Bonnet Creek Resort & Spa; and JW Marriott Essex House New York. The initial concept was inspired by Alice Marriott’s love for gardening and preparing Sunday gatherings from the produce she grew and has been developed by landscape design Studio Lily Kwong. Thailand’s JW Garden at JW Marriott Khao Lak is the first outside the USA.
JW Garden is not just an organic farm for guests to enjoy. It’s a bold benchmark for the Marriott brand’s ambition for sustainable tourism. Brad Edman, the general manager of Renaissance Phuket Resort & Spa and Marriott Thailand’s Multi-Property Vice President for Southern Thailand, added at the press conference that the hotel group has initiated several sustainability-focused campaigns and projects that align with Marriott brand’s ambitious goal of becoming zero-carbon emission by 2050.
Marriott added that new generations of travelers consider sustainability initiatives of hotels when they travel.
The projects, besides the just-opened organic farm at the JW Marriott Khao Lak, include managing food waste cycles, dismissing single-use plastics, installing renewable energy sources, and working with charitable programs to help educate locals on sustainability and sustainable tourism.
Marriott Thailand presented the entire ambition at the launch of JW Garden at a gastronomic buffet dinner, where chefs from all participating luxury hotels in Southern Thailand, from JW Marriott Khao Lak to Renaissance in Phuket to W Koh Samui, came together to present creative locally-inspired delicacies made from sustainably-grown, -bred, and -caught produce and ingredients, such as organic eggs from JW Garden to insect-fed prawns from farms equipped with waste-management facilities. The food was ultimately creative and the vibes were right that the team will possibly bring the platform to other key locations of Marriott hotels.
Learn more about JW Garden and Marriott’s sustainability approachhere.