Hyatt Thrive

CHICAGO – As part of Hyatt Community Grants, a philanthropic program that empowers Hyatt associates to guide charitable giving, Hyatt announced today that 27 Hyatt hotels and offices have awarded more than US$300,000 this year to communities around the world.

"Hyatt has a long history of dedication to fostering thriving local communities where Hyatt hotels operate, and we are so proud of the many grant nominations we received"

Hyatt Community Grants, a key component of Hyatt Thrive – Hyatt"s global corporate responsibility platform – encourages hotels around the world to identify and nominate local nonprofits for funding consideration through Hyatt Hotels Foundation. Since the program"s inception in 2008, Hyatt hotels have awarded more than US$1,350,000 in Hyatt Community Grants to nonprofit organizations in 103 communities and 34 countries globally.

"Hyatt has a long history of dedication to fostering thriving local communities where Hyatt hotels operate, and we are so proud of the many grant nominations we received," said Brigitta Witt, vice president of corporate responsibility for Hyatt Hotels & Resorts. "In many cases, these grants help support multi-year relationships of financial and volunteer support between the hotels and their chosen nonprofit organizations."

The program builds on Hyatt"s belief that no one better understands a community"s most pressing issues – and their solutions – than those who live and work there. Nonprofits selected represent efforts in one or more of the four Hyatt Thrive pillars: education and personal advancement; economic development and investment; health and wellness; and environmental sustainability.

Vote in Hyatt"s Vote. Give. Thrive. Campaign on Facebook
While local associates at Hyatt hotels and offices have nominated the chosen 26 grant recipients, Hyatt is asking the broader community to determine which three of those 26 organizations will receive additional funding. Now through December 31, visit the Vote. Give. Thrive. application on Hyatt"s Facebook page to vote daily for the organizations about which you feel most passionately. The nonprofit with the most votes will receive an additional US$10,000, and the second and third place organizations will each receive an additional US$5,000.

To support their chosen nonprofits, the Hyatt hotel or Hyatt office that nominated the nonprofit uses a video to share why their organization deserves your vote. Visit the application at Facebook.com/Hyatt for the videos, more details and full voting terms.

This year"s Hyatt Community Grant recipients include:

  • Education & Personal Advancement: Hyatt"s Divisional Office in Hong Kong awarded a US$15,000 grant to Bring Me A Book to help create local libraries in kindergartens, community centers, health clinics and shelters. Click here to watch the video.
  • Economic Development & Investment: Hyatt Regency Denver awarded a US$15,000 grant to Emily Griffith Foundation Inc. to support its Work Intensive Skills Camp (WISC), a four-week program teaching employable hospitality skills for refugees. Since 2006, 192 of WISC"s 1,000 refugees have been trained at the hotel, and Hyatt Regency Denver provides job shadow experiences and employment opportunities. Click here to watch the video.
  • Health & Wellness: Park Hyatt Hamburg awarded a US$15,000 grant to Dunkelziffer e.V to support its counseling services for sexually abused boys. Since 1998, the hotel has partnered with Dunkelziffer to sponsor fundraisers, seminars and holiday events for the organization. Click here to watch the video.
  • Environmental Sustainability: Hyatt Regency Guam awarded a $7,500 grant to St. John"s School to support the purchase and installation of solar panels. For the last two years, Hyatt Regency Guam has partnered with the school on a recycling program in which associates help collect and sort recyclable aluminum, tin, plastic and glass. In 2011, this program helped divert 237,000 plastic bottles and 95,000 aluminum cans from landfills. Click here to watch the video.

About Hyatt Community Grants

Funding for Hyatt Community Grants is provided by Hyatt Hotels Foundation, a donor-advised fund created in conjunction with the National Philanthropic Trust. In 2012, 27 Hyatt properties and offices from around the world are awarding more than US$300,000 in grants to nonprofits in their local communities. Since the program"s inception in 2008, Hyatt hotels have awarded more than US$1,350,000 to nonprofit organizations in 103 communities and 34 countries globally. For more information about Hyatt Community Grants, please visit http://thrive.hyatt.com/philanthropy.html.

About Hyatt Thrive

Hyatt"s global corporate responsibility platform, Hyatt Thrive, is designed to help make our communities places where our associates are proud to work, our guests want to visit, our neighbors want to live and owners want to invest. Harnessing the power of more than 90,000 associates worldwide, Hyatt Thrive brings together teams of passionate people to focus on positive local efforts that create a significant global impact. For more information about Hyatt Thrive, please visit www.HyattThrive.com.

About Hyatt Hotels Corporation

Hyatt Hotels Corporation, headquartered in Chicago, is a leading global hospitality company with a proud heritage of making guests feel more than welcome. Thousands of members of the Hyatt family strive to make a difference in the lives of the guests they encounter every day by providing authentic hospitality. The Company's subsidiaries manage, franchise, own and develop hotels and resorts under the Hyatt®, Park Hyatt®, Andaz®, Grand Hyatt®, Hyatt Regency®, Hyatt Place® and Hyatt HouseTM brand names and have locations on six continents. Hyatt Residential Group, Inc., a Hyatt Hotels Corporation subsidiary, develops, operates, markets or licenses Hyatt ResidencesTM and Hyatt Residence ClubTM. As of September 30, 2012, the Company's worldwide portfolio consisted of 496 properties in 45 countries. For more information, please visit www.hyatt.com.

Stephanie Sheppard
312-780-5399
Hyatt