It is a start for Red Roof: releasing its first annual report for the company’s signature Purpose With Heart program which was launched in 2023. With this report Red Roof has established a baseline from which to improve. Purpose With Heart contains three essential pillars: Heart For The Planet, which is tied to Red Roof’s impact on the environment and responsible stewardship of natural resources; Room In Your Heart, its societal and charitable giving programs; and Lead With Heart, Red Roof’s responsible governance and leadership initiatives. To give you some sense of the scale of the Red Roof commitment, the company currently has over 60,000 rooms in nearly 700 properties in the U.S. and internationally in Japan.
I read through the report and, interestingly, Heart For The Planet is currently the least documented of the company’s three pillars with mentions of some waste-saving initiatives but no mentions of efforts in water and energy conservation. I am sure many Red Roof properties have taken other green steps. By reading the report, however, the company really appears to be almost starting from square one within that pillar. I do give the company a lot of credit for starting the march forward.
It is the company’s efforts in its Room In Your Heart and Lead With Heart pillars that warrant the most attention. What most impressed me: Red Roof properties are 35 percent owned in whole or part by women, an increase of 13 percent in just one year.
Highlights from the Report
Here then is a summary of the highlights of Red Roof’s Purpose With Heart report:
By April, Red Roof intends to transition to bulk dispensers in each guestroom, eliminating single-use amenity products.
At its headquarters, Red Roof has transitioned to 100 percent compostable single-use dining products (utensils, plates, coffee cups).
Red Roof announced the rebranding of its women in leadership initiatives to SHE, inspired by Red Roof and introduced RIDE with Red Roof (Road to Inclusivity and Diversity in Entrepreneurship). SHE is the company’s woman empowerment program and RIDE was developed to connect underserved hoteliers with lenders and reduce barriers for those seeking funding.
This past week, as part of AHLA’s Stars of the Industry Awards, Lina Patel, Director of Strategic Franchise Initiatives for Red Roof, was presented with the “Paving the Way Award.” The award is reserved for female trailblazers throughout hospitality. In 2023, Patel joined Red Roof with the goal of increasing its population of women and minority hotel owners. She worked alongside Chief Development Officer Matthew Hostetler to launch RIDE with Red Roof.
Red Roof has nearly 50 percent of its senior leadership team comprised of minorities or women.
Human Trafficking Prevention
Red Roof ensures that 100 percent of properties and brand team members undergo annual training in human trafficking prevention. “Red Roof has made a huge impact in the rescuing of missing teens by assisting our nonprofit around the country during our outreaches. Their continued commitment to fighting human trafficking has been instrumental in the fight against this huge crime,” says Theresa Flores, Founder, The SOAP Project.
Red Roof has a dedicated learning platform (Red Academy), where team members, franchisees and franchisee employees of all levels can access thousands of courses to widen their understanding of Red Roof’s business. Red Roof also provides its corporate team members with a robust tuition reimbursement program.
Last year’s Summer Wellness Challenge resulted in participating brand team members walking, running, swimming, playing, and logging over 210,000 active minutes. Red Roof has a monthly wellness newsletter that provides healthy ideas for nutrition, exercise, and mental health.
Red Roof’s Room In Your Heart program delivered over $156,000 in donations for its beneficiary organizations.
Supporter of St. Jude Hospital
Red Roof was named 2023 “Emerging Partner of the Year” by St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
“We have worked to establish policies and habits that are solution-oriented; that advance a long-term sustainable future for our business, our people, and the communities we serve,” said Red Roof Chief Marketing Officer Marina McDonald, the executive sponsor for Purpose With Heart. “This report demonstrates that by collaborating with all our stakeholders—team members, franchisees, and our business partners and suppliers—we are improving our sustainability, serving our communities more effectively, and delivering measurably improved business performance.”
Red Roof celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2023. The company has pledged that Purpose With Heart will be a long-term commitment to improve operations and to create a lasting ethos for employees, franchisees, and the communities where Red Roof operates hotels.
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