LOS ANGELES—A new program was initiated this month in the Gateway to L.A. business district that is helping hotels reduce waste, meet green certification standards, and provide assistance to an area homeless shelter: InnGage Hotel Amenity Donation Program.
The Gateway to L.A. business district contains more than 7,100 hotel rooms, with an average length of stay of approximately 1.2 nights. Every day, hotel guests depart having used only a small portion of the toiletries provided for their stay. These bottles of shampoos and lotions often go to waste, while there are people in the community in need of these very items. “Hotels in the LAX corridor have the ability to make a big contribution to help provide for the basic needs of those less fortunate,” says Julie Baylor, originator of the InnGage program.
Baylor, a hospitality consultant and LEED Green Associate, has provided assistance to hotels in the Gateway to L.A. business district to achieve Green Seal certification under the GS-33 Standard for Lodging Properties. “Part of the Green Seal standard includes donating used amenities to charity, and in working with the hotels I recognized a need for an organized donation system. Because I have a connection to the hotels and also volunteer at the Union Rescue Mission through my church, I felt a calling to establish the system that brings them together.”
Homeless Capital of United States
Los Angeles is the homeless capital of the United States. In fact, L.A. has 3 percent of the overall U.S. population, but has 10 percent of the U.S. homeless population. According to the Los Angeles Homeless Services Authority, up to 141,000 men, women, and children in L.A. experience homelessness over the course of a year and up to 73,000 people are experiencing homelessness each night in Los Angeles County. “Hotels are in a unique position to provide assistance at no cost by simply collecting, packaging and donating partially used shampoo, conditioner, lotion and shower gel bottles,” Baylor says.
The program is available to hotels in the Gateway to L.A. business district at no cost. Participating hotels collect partially used amenities and separate them by type into boxes. The boxes are picked up according to a set schedule and delivered to the Union Rescue Mission.
Established in 1891, Union Rescue Mission (URM) is one of the largest rescue missions of its kind in the United States and the oldest in Los Angeles. In the last year, URM has provided 407,919 nights of lodging, well over 1,000 people per night on average. The new donation program is a welcomed addition to the URM. “The hygiene products are much needed and will be a huge blessing to our guests,” says Mindy Vanderhoeven, Gifts-In-Kind Specialist at URM.
Go to Gateway to L.A. and Julie Baylor Hospitality Consulting.
