The hospitality industry plays a central role in every community. In times of crisis, they unfailingly look for ways that their properties and networks can be utilised to support people in need.
If you are a hotel wanting to offer support or expertise, here is a selection of ways you can get involved. This is a representation of the types of activities and organisations hotels can consider, and we encourage hotels to also look for other similar initiatives in their local areas and through their existing partnerships.
Offering support to refugees
- #HospitalityHelps
The #HospitalityHelps initiative has been created to provide temporary hotel accommodation to Ukrainian residents who are forced to leave their homes. An initiative from The Bench. - Hospitality for Ukraine
Hospitality for Ukraine is a global directory of hospitality companies offering free accommodation for refugees fleeing Ukraine. They work to link organisations on the ground with accommodation providers to help those who need it most. A Stay the Night initiative. - Airbnb
Airbnb is funding short-term housing for people leaving Ukraine. People can also help by offering temporary stays for free or at a discount, or donating to fund stays. - Hotels are also working directly with charity and government partners on the ground to offer refugees temporary accommodation.
Offering support to colleagues and humanitarian organisations
In addition to providing vital accommodation, there are other ways the industry is showing their support:
- Supporting their teams and families in the region. For example, offering job transfers and relief funds for colleagues in need of basic necessities, relocation support and care.
- Collecting donations from employees and match funding.
- Enabling customers to donate their reward/loyalty points to relevant charities.
- Donating profits from business operations in affected regions to humanitarian relief efforts.
- Supporting charities who provide meals to those affected by disaster.
Protecting those left vulnerable
- At this time of displacement, people will be left at higher risk of exploitation and trafficking. We offer a selection of free resources for the hotel industry on ethical recruitment and Modern Slavery to support hospitality businesses to have the processes and policies in place to mitigate human rights risks.
Further information
- For a regularly updated list of the evolving ways the hospitality industry can help, please visit: https://www.hospitalitynet.org/