TORONTO—This September, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts will reach out and support local charitable organizations during the luxury hotel brand’s Community Connections Month. As part of Fairmont’s new Sustainability Partnership program and the brand’s ongoing commitment to proactively engage with its local communities, hotel colleagues in participating locations will be rolling up their sleeves and pitching in, whether it be volunteering at a shelter, highlighting the preservation of a threatened species like bees, raising funds for at-risk children or lending a helping hand (or hammer) to improve facilities for the elderly. Hotel guests can also get involved from donating money or purchasing special menu offerings to participating in a beach cleanup.
“At Fairmont, we are continually seeking out innovative ways to support and give back to our local communities; a pledge that our hotel colleagues value and actively play a part in,” said the brand’s president Jennifer Fox. “It’s simply part of our ongoing commitment to good corporate citizenship.”
Highlights include:
• In partnership with the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre (SLCC), and the Spirit Within Festival, The Fairmont Chateau Whistler will highlight the preservation of First Nation’s heritage during the week of September 22. Aboriginal dancers and artists will be showcased in the hotel’s lobby and restaurants, and specialty menu items will be created with proceeds being donated to the SLCC. The hotel will also host a Fairmont Futures seminar for First Nations youth to foster career development.
• During the week of September 22 to 29, Vancouver’s The Fairmont Waterfront will invite guests and community members to the hotel’s terrace apiary to learn about the environmental benefits of bees and their importance to sustainability. Daily 3 p.m. tours will focus on the symbiotic relationship between chefs and bees, the environmental benefits bees provide and how the hotel minimizes ecosystem disturbance by supporting the efforts of the local Honeybee Center. Other properties offering awareness activities in support of local bee projects include London’s The Savoy and The Fairmont San Francisco.
Week Long Clothing Drive
• Colleagues of Ottawa’s Fairmont Château Laurier will hold a week long clothing drive focusing on suits and business casual clothing. Items collected will be donated to Dress for Success, an organization which assists women who are preparing for job interviews and could not otherwise afford to buy a “power suit,” and The Ottawa Mission, which has a similar program for men who are ready to join the workforce. Guests can participate in this special clothing drive taking place from September 16 to 21.
• On September 18, Fairmont Le Château Frontenac in Quebec City will set up a walk-through kiosk in front of the hotel on the Dufferin Boardwalk, selling the hotel’s signature pastries and muffins along with coffee. Guests, visitors and locals can also meet with hotel chefs. All proceeds will go to the Centre de Pédiatrie sociale de Québec (Center of social Pediatry of Quebec) which supports local children and families in vulnerable situations, ensuring their well-being and optimal development.
• On September 20, colleagues of The Fairmont Olympic, Seattle will be working with The Pike Place Market Foundation to transform the famed market’s Food Bank and Seniors Center with a fresh coat of paint, ensuring this city landmark remains a vibrant and clean place for the entire community. The Pike Place Market Foundation helps a diverse community to live and thrive at Pike Place Market by feeding the hungry, caring for the sick, educating children, and finding homes for those in need.
• Fairmont properties in Boston will focus on supporting the city’s most vulnerable. Fairmont Battery Wharf will partner with The Greater Boston Food Bank to hold a food drive at the hotel from September 9 to 18, and hotel colleagues will volunteer at the Food Bank, sorting and packaging donated food. The Fairmont Copley Plaza will participate in St. Francis House’s “High Five to Help the Homeless” program by providing five colleagues for five volunteer hours daily during the week of September 9, offering services to guests at the shelter. This volunteer program is also available to hotel guests who have specified Philanthropy as their passion in their Fairmont President’s Club (FPC) profiles.
• The Fairmont Dallas has partnered with Hearts & Hammers and hotel colleagues will assist with home repairs for a senior citizen in need, ensuring that the property is functional and in compliance with local safety codes. The project will take place between September 14 to 21, and will include painting, landscaping, cleaning, replacing wood panels, installing a staircase handrail, repairing doors, and heating system repairs.
Car Wash to Benefit Best Buddies
• On September 25, Fairmont Washington D.C, Georgetown will hold a car wash for D.C. taxi cabs, with proceeds going to Best Buddies, an organization supporting people with intellectual disabilities. From September 23 to 27 the hotel will also hold a drive for the Washington Animal Rescue League, collecting items such as toys, blankets and monetary donations.
• Colleagues of Fairmont Pittsburgh are embracing literacy as their outreach project during the week of September 23 to 27, collecting books for the Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council and attending English as a second language classes, where they will practice conversation skills with students.
• Fairmont Heritage Place, Franz Klammer Lodge in Telluride will invite owners, guests and colleagues to join in Grow Dome Volunteer Week from September 22 to 29. The Grow Dome is located behind the Telluride Middle & High School and provides healthy, homegrown ingredients for the school cafeteria. Volunteering will be flexible and duties will range from watering and weeding to planting and harvesting, all while supporting local students.
• “Keep it clean” is the focus for Fairmont’s two hotels on the island of Bermuda during the month of September. The Fairmont Southampton and The Fairmont Hamilton Princess will join forces on a beach cleanup, inviting guests to participate with hotel Sustainability Teams and Keep Bermuda Beautiful.
• Fairmont Mayakoba on Mexico’s Riviera Maya will raise awareness of the protection of one of its key local environmental features, the coral reef. From September 9 to 16, in alliance with Oceanus A.C., the resort will offer beach cleanups, recycling workshops, arts and crafts and cooking classes focusing on the lion fish, an invasive species harming the local ecosystem. All proceeds will be used to assist in reforesting the reef.
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