• by Colleen G. Steinman , March 11, 2016

Without realizing it, Marriott hotel visitors will be helping to create American jobs every time they wrap up in a fluffy cotton towel during their stays.

The hotel chain will place labeled “Made in USA” towels and bath mats in nearly 3,000 hotels, a first for the hospitality industry, Marriott International leaders said in a statement. 

"We're proud to be the first hospitality company to commit to providing our guests with 'Made in USA' bathroom towels in our U.S. hotels," said Marriott President and CEO Arne Sorenson.

Besides the labels and the initial press announcement, there are no plans to continue advertising the change. 

But the move will create 150 new jobs in Standard Textile’s facilities in Thomaston, Ga., and Union, S.C. Additional jobs will be created at its headquarters in Cincinnati and in supply chain locations throughout the company. Standard uses all American-grown cotton fiber for its products.

"Marriott's desire to provide guests with terry bath products made by U.S. textile artisans speaks to the heart of why Standard Textile is thriving and creating new jobs after 76 years," company president and CEO Gary Heiman said. 

Marriott recognized Standard Textile in 2015 with its Americas Recognition Award for superior service, innovative new products and continuous collaboration. 

The move to American-made textiles will include annual production of 2.6 million bath towels and 4.9 million hand towels, the equivalent of as much as 5.6 million pounds of textiles. If laid end-to-end, the textiles Marriott will purchase in one year would stretch more than 4,300 miles, the distance from Chicago to Honolulu. The move also reduces greenhouse gas emissions by eliminating more than 300 ocean-going container shipments annually.

"We believe our guests will appreciate knowing that even simple items they use every day in our hotels represent progress for the U.S. economy," Marriott Executive Chairman J.W. "Bill" Marriott, Jr. said in a statement. "We also hope this sends a message to other businesses that buying locally can make business sense."