In the past month, the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance, which represents over 7 million rooms globally, and includes 22 world-leading hotel companies and 35 supply chain and strategic partners, has recently announced a series of planet- and people-positive initiatives of note.
First, it announced a partnership with Travel Unity that will see both alliances act in close collaboration, holding consultations and participating in Working Groups to enable the world’s hospitality industry to become more open and accessible to all. This mutual collaboration will see the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance hold Association-level membership in the Travel Unity Alliance and see the alliances work together to develop social and environmental toolkits and resources which will lead to the creation, testing and roll out of innovative solutions to social and environmental sustainability issues.
Second, the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance partnered with Sage Inclusion. Sage offers accessibility certification and training for organizations, as it promotes accessible and inclusive travel to global destinations. This includes helping to improve facilities, customer service and available information for travelers. The partnership will include collaborations and projects on the promotion of inclusive travel as well as creating innovative measurements and risk-related tools to better support and deliver services across the hospitality sector.
Third, the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance is partnering with international development organization Sightsavers to increase disability inclusion in the hospitality industry, with a focus on countries in Africa and Asia. The partnership will see both organizations act in close collaboration, enabling knowledge sharing to make the world’s hospitality industry accessible to all.
Having already partnered together on the Inclusion Works program, to increase employment opportunities for young people with disabilities in Kenya and Nigeria, this long-term partnership will see both organizations coordinate action to support the scale up of impact and program.
Fourth, The International Rescue Committee (IRC) is partnering with the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance to engage the hospitality sector in helping people affected by humanitarian crises and disasters. With almost 100 million people who are currently forcibly displaced worldwide, the partnership will see both organizations act in close collaboration to make the world’s hospitality industry aware of how they can work with and support refugee communities. From facilitating skills training and offering employment, to providing temporary accommodation to refugees as they resettle to the new communities they will call home, there are multiple ways in which organizations can make a difference.
The Alliance’s members will be encouraged to identify ways in which they can support and help raise awareness of the IRC’s emergency response and recovery work with displaced communities. The IRC will have access to specific and beneficial Alliance tools and resources, such as its online portal for refugees. The platform, Hospitality Unite, is backed by the Alliance and was launched last year to support Ukrainian refugees looking for hospitality work throughout Europe. Disaster relief agencies such as the IRC will be able to share this support mechanism with its clients who are interested in building hospitality careers.
