For the 21st consecutive year, Four Seasons Hotel Washington, DC will proudly host its annual Thanksgiving on the Mayflower event for the city's first responders working on Thanksgiving Day. The event thanks and gives back to those that loyally serve the local community.
MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) is partnering with the University of Nevada Las Vegas (UNLV) College of Education to provide free virtual tutoring for children of active MGM Resorts employees for the remainder of the 2020-2021 school year. This partnership centers on both small group tutoring as well as family engagement sessions aimed at supporting MGM employees and their families.
Choice Hotels International, Inc. (NYSE: CHH) announced today that members of its award-winning Choice Privileges loyalty program with Barclays US Consumer Bank have provided more than $330,000 in support of the American Red Cross disaster relief efforts. Through the generosity of loyalty program members and matching from Barclays, the American Red Cross is able to support the immediate needs of individuals, families and communities affected by the pandemic as well as record-breaking natural disasters.
The problem is far wider than some may estimate. Hospitality is not just any business. It's the type of business that provides an escape from day to day troubles, it's essential to wellbeing and a vital medicine to society's ills.
Part of the mental balance brought by our professional activities is based on our feelings of contribution and progression, which seem to be two axes that companies can continue to foster. A time of low (no) activity can be an opportunity to organize special theme committees to contribute to the company's improvement and resilience.
The COVID-19 winding road: Personal experience & Importance of CommunityRunning out of energy is exactly where I find myself. I went from an active interpersonal schedule with 200-300 people a day to forced isolation, alone, in Miami, Florida.
Hilton Grand Vacations Inc. (NYSE:HGV) is excited to announce it has chosen Junior Achievement USA (JA) as a national partner in its corporate social responsibility program - HGV Serves.
As we collectively come together and adapt to this year's challenges, it's more important than ever to continue to support Terry Fox's vision of a world without cancer, and the work he began 40 years ago.
IHG® Hotels & Resorts (IHG), one of the world's leading hotel companies, today announced further updates in its efforts to advance equality for all, through key partnerships and programs with the National Urban League, National Center for Civil and Human Rights, and Jobs for America's Graduates.
This year has been a whirlwind for the travel industry. A year marked by a global pandemic and social activism has shifted the hospitality industry as we know it, and with it, consumer demands. As travelers slowly begin to get back on the road, they're prioritizing new places and experiences while putting a greater emphasis on brands that focus on things like sustainability.
Whether hoteliers will do what they can to use the current crisis as an opportunity to be (better) prepared and (more) resilient when the next crisis hits - and the climate emergency for many destinations will be a question of survival - probably depends on their own values and purpose of doing business.
We continue to have a culture and structure problem that blocks a "green recovery". I frequently hear students who work for chains say they read about sustainability initiatives on the corporate website (not a job requirement; it's a class assignment), but then do not see evidence of those commitments at their property.
Readiness and willingness are only two aspects to a “build back better” turnaround to sound eco-friendly and sustainable hospitality industry. Even if both exist, we'll often see a lack of expertise on how to deal with biodiversity and ecosystem services in a manner that makes the difference between greenwashing and responsible business development.
Four Seasons Hotel Washington, DC celebrates the 40th anniversary of Race to Beat Cancer with a week-long virtual race to benefit MedStar Washington Hospital Center's Washington Cancer Institute. This year marks the 40th anniversary of the race in DC and the 20th year of partnership with MedStar Washington Hospital Center's Washington Cancer Institute.
Airbnb and 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East—the largest healthcare union in the nation—announced an extension of their partnership to help provide free housing to medical first responders as COVID-19 cases continue to surge across the country. This extension from Airbnb will also empower 1199SEIU to serve members in Florida, a state that continues to be hard hit by the pandemic.
Micro-certification - while certainly useful for hospitality businesses in that they could pick what they need and thus experience a lower entrance barrier to sustainability assessment - would complicate things as customers have no idea what kind of factors contribute to a specific badge or label.
We can learn from how other sectors are grappling with this. After I read the question, I went to my pantry for a selection of items with various certifications - an average of 4 per product. Some labels I always look for (Certified Organic or Humane), others I try to find (B Corp), and others aren't necessary but serve as a trust-building bonus (labels related to allergens or a hodgepodge of ingredient specific ones).
Yes, there is a role for micro-certifications companies who can prove to properly apply international protocols covering specific issues, which are at the top list of the hospitality industry and the international demand. Beyond that particular role, there is also an open space to be full-filled by these organizations adding value through close collaboration and advisory services, helping companies improve their performance in different aspects such as climate neutrality.Micro-certifications are growing in number and outreach and so far, experience shows that there are here to stay.
Whilst we are seeing an increase in some types of SUP due to COVID-19 (hopefully temporarily), we are also suggesting to accommodation providers that this is a great time to break some old habits, particularly around hotel room amenities.
Our devastating dealing with nature and natural ecosystems led to the COVID-19 pandemic. We have scientific proof that the destruction of tropical ecosystems will increase the frequency at which such pandemics will occur, speed up climate change, and exacerbate the global refugee crisis.
In recognition of the extraordinary care they provide to their community, American Airlines (NASDAQ: AAL) and Hyatt Hotels Corporation (NYSE: H) today announced American Airlines and Hyatt will award thousands of healthcare professionals from NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst three-night complimentary vacations to help them recharge and reconnect with their loved ones, once they are able to take time for themselves.
BENCHMARK®, a global hospitality company, announces that its managed hotels within its two luxury brands, Benchmark Resorts & Hotels and Gemstone Collection, are offering lowest employee accommodation rates to the Essential Heroes of the COVID-19 pandemic, extending throughout 2020. These rates, previously exclusive to Benchmark employees and their families, are now extended to the essential frontline healthcare and first responder heroes of the COVID-19 crisis in the United States. Included are Benchmark hotels and resorts from Maine to Florida to Texas, California, Hawaii and many destinations in between.
Aimbridge Hospitality, the world's leading hotel management company, announces it has launched Aimbridge Aid, a charitable foundation with a sole mission to provide financial support for associates and the communities Aimbridge Hospitality serves during times of crisis.
Airbnb and 1199SEIU United Healthcare Workers East—the largest healthcare union in the nation—announced a new partnership to provide housing to 1199SEIU members, many of whom are fighting on the frontlines of the COVID-19 crisis across the East Coast. Through this partnership, 1199SEIU members in New York, New Jersey, Washington, D.C., Massachusetts, Maryland and Florida will receive direct access to book free stays via the Airbnb Frontline stays program.
MGM Resorts International (NYSE: MGM) today announced a broad range of donations and initiatives intended to help alleviate supply shortages and support local communities through the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. By leveraging its supply chain, procurement capabilities, distribution systems, supplier network and other resources, MGM is delivering on a daily basis, urgent logistical support to help manage supply shortages of critical items.
Two million surgical masks donated by Las Vegas Sands (NYSE: LVS) arrived in Albany, New York this morning where 500 boxes, containing one million masks were unloaded for distribution to health care providers and first responders attacking the COVID-19 crisis on the front lines. After leaving New York, the 767 aircraft owned by Las Vegas Sands Chairman Sheldon G. Adelson and sent to Guangzhou, China to transport the protective gear, arrived in Las Vegas with an additional one million masks for front-line crisis response in Nevada.
Hilton (NYSE:HLT) and American Express (NYSE:AXP) today announced that the companies, in partnership with Hilton's ownership community, will donate up to 1 million hotel room nights across the United States to frontline medical professionals leading the fight against COVID-19.