An end of year message from CEO, Glenn Mandziuk

As my sixth month as CEO of the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance comes to a close, it’s an important time to reflect on not only our achievements since I joined in June, but just how far the organisation has come over the past 12 months, and beyond.

People

This year has, no doubt, brought immense challenges for many people, none more than the Ukrainians living through the devastation of war. It has been incredibly moving to witness the hospitality sector, and many other sectors alike, come together to support and protect those affected. In June we introduced our refugee resource hub, followed by the launch of Hospitality Unite, a new platform connecting refugees to hospitality job opportunities. This is running initially as a pilot for Ukrainian refugees, we encourage any interested hotels to find out more.

The team kickstarted the year with the release of our free practical guidance and webinar on promoting Ethical Recruitment in the Hospitality Industry, created in partnership with the International Organization for Migration. We have since launched two further tools for the industry, providing more detailed and practical guidance on recruiting temporary migrant workers and mitigating the risks of recruitment scams.

Likewise, the new employability curriculum, which we launched last year, has continued to provide well rounded support for people with disabilities, women and young people, refugees, survivors, and those at risk of human trafficking, and people from socially and economically disadvantaged groups. In partnership with local hotels and NGOs, we have run employability programmes in six countries this year – India, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, Lebanon, Zambia and Germany – and are already set to expand across two further countries in 2023.

Planet

In March, the launch of our Pathway to Net Positive Hospitality for the Planet, at a CEO panel at ITB Berlin, truly raised the bar for the hospitality industry. The Pathway sets out our vision that every hotel can, and must, aim to give back more than they take, no matter their starting point. By taking a holistic view and providing practical actions, we are advancing our support for not only hotel brands and operators, but also building owners, to ensure a joined-up approach to sustainability and regeneration.

In addition to the Pathway, the launch of our newly updated Hotel Carbon Measurement Initiative (HCMI) ensures that hotels have a robust and consistent way of measuring their impact. This year our focus has been on urging partners, clients, and platforms to request data in line with the initiative, to ensure comparable data and streamlined requests.

30 years of collaboration for a better world

Our organisation has come a long way over the past three decades – from our establishment in 1992, to 2020 when we became an independent charity. In addition to everything I mentioned above, this year we hosted our first high-level summit for hospitality leaders and have presented on the global stage at events including ITB, WTM and the UN Climate Conference (COP27) and UN Biodiversity Conference (COP15). I am delighted to end the year, by announcing the launch of the Sustainable Markets Initiative Hospitality and Tourism Task Force – a CEO-led coordinated global effort to enable the private sector to accelerate the transition to a sustainable future launched by His Majesty King Charles III, which I am honoured to co-chair.

Building momentum in 2023

Over the past year we have doubled our number of members and joined forces with 22 strategic and supply chain partners, meaning that we are going into 2023 with a network of more than 60 members and partners. As our network expands, so too does our collective power. Now, we are truly in a position to lead the hospitality industry in the transition to a more regenerative sector that gives back more than it takes. Together, we will continue building momentum and make Net Positive Hospitality a reality.