SHANGHAI—Hilton was recently named the “Most Socially Responsible Hotel Management Group of China” at the 15th China Hotel Starlight Awards. Hilton won additional accolades at the property level, with Waldorf Astoria Beijing and Waldorf Astoria Shanghai on the Bund named among the “Best Luxurious Hotels of China,” and Hilton Shenzhen Futian and Hilton Guangzhou Baiyun recognized as one of the “Top 10 MICE Hotels of China”.
“Being named the ‘Most Socially Responsible Hotel Management Group of China’ amidst the current COVID-19 pandemic is an immense honor, as well as a testament to the hard work of our Team Members who strove to play their part in the fight against this pandemic,” said Qian Jin, Area President, Greater China and Mongolia, Hilton. “It is our mission to fill the earth with the light and warmth of hospitality, and a privilege to serve the needs of our frontline medical professionals, guests, owners, and fellow Team Members who have been impacted by the pandemic.”
At the start of the COVID-19 outbreak in January, 169 Team Members from Hilton’s three hotels in Hubei Province hosted medical professionals from across China who had dispatched to Wuhan to support the frontline medical efforts. As these medical teams departed for their respective cities after completing their tours of duty in Wuhan, four other Hilton hotels across China welcomed them as they returned home. To create comfortable stay experiences for medical professionals, Hilton Team Members overcame multiple hurdles in disinfection, logistics, materials, and staffing. They served delicious and nutritious food and curated a rich variety of activities that the medical professionals could enjoy in their free time.
First to Offer Responsive Cancellation Policies
As COVID-19 developed into a pandemic, Hilton became the first global hospitality company to launch responsive cancellation policies for guests and updating them repeatedly as the situation evolved. For owners of Hilton properties, policies were also updated several times to reduce the burden on their operations. At the community level, a host of Hilton properties offered creative acts of care as well as food and beverage services for local volunteers, community agencies, and ordinary workers who performed their duties in supporting the fight against the epidemic. Hilton also activated a Team Member Assistance Fund that provided aid to Team Members impacted by the coronavirus. This was supplemented by personal contributions from the Hilton Greater China and Mongolia management team during this year’s Spring Festival and supported all Team Members serving on the frontlines of the response effort in Wuhan.
The various measures deployed during the pandemic are built upon Hilton’s “Travel with Purpose” commitment to drive responsible travel and tourism globally. Since 2017, Hilton has partnered with the China Foundation for Poverty Alleviation (CFPA) to empower university students across the country to drive sustainable change. Last year, the Hilton Effect Foundation awarded a grant to CFPA for its “New Great Wall Project” to provide financial support to students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Hilton hotels in Greater China also continue to cut their environmental footprint. Every year, they recycle 45 tons of used soap and eliminate plastic waste that nearly totals 13 million bottles and 1.2 million straws.
The China Hotel Starlight Awards, dubbed “the Oscars of the China Hotel Industry,” were established in 2005 by the Asia Hotel Forum (AHF) and multiple authoritative mainstream media in China. In 2020, Hilton Beijing Tongzhou and Hilton Suzhou Yinshan Lake was honored as the “Most Anticipated Newly Opened Hotel of China,” Hampton by Hilton as an “Outstanding Investment-Worthy International Hotel Brand of China” and the Hilton China Owners Association as the “Most Influential Hotel Owners Association of China”. The China Hotel Starlight Awards has based its selection criteria on advanced standards for over one-and-a-half decades and received significant recognition and attention across the industry for its broad coverage, fair system, strict criteria, and authoritative jury.
