Bed, breakfast and benevolence: Hotels with heart

Some of Shanghai's hotels are going an extra mile for both their guests and their communities, taking bed and breakfast to a benevolent new level. Here we're scratching the surface, looking into some -- but far from all -- of the latest good deeds of Shanghai’s hospitality community.

Starwood Hotels & Resorts

Hotel charity: Check Out For Children (COFC)

Who says a dollar can’t buy anything anymore?

Since its China launch in 1998, Starwood's Shanghai brands Sheraton, Four Points by Sheraton, St. Regis, Westin and Le Royal Meridien have been supporting UNICEF’ s Check Out for Children (COFC) campaign, proving simple sometimes works best.

Requesting a mere US$1 (or local equivalent) addition to guests’ check out bill (additional donations welcome of course), this global partnership has provided life-saving immunizations to China’s neediest children in 16 counties of four western provinces including Guangxi, Guizhou, Shaanxi and Tibet. Currently, 54 Starwood hotels and resorts in 31 Chinese cities participate in COFC.

“Since 1995, the Asia Pacific region has raised over US$7million," says Alethea Lam, director of corporate communications for Starwood Hotels & Resorts Asia Pacific. "This has enabled the vaccination of more than one million children against six potentially fatal diseases and has saved countless lives. This is exactly what our partnership with UNICEF is all about. We look forward to working with UNICEF for many years to come to raise further funds and save vulnerable children across the world from preventable diseases.”

Accor hotels

Hotel charity: Chi Heng Foundation

Representing the city’s Sofitel, Pullman, Grand Mercure, Novotel, Ibis and Panorama properties, Accor China (part of the Accor Foundation), does its part under the direction of the Chi Heng Foundation (CHF), a renowned charity helping AIDS-impacted victims live better lives since 1998. 

Announcing their first three-year CSR initiative Empowerment Builds the Future in November 2009, this Henan-based cause specifically addresses the plight of women (the often neglected and silent victims of AIDS) with training and recruiting in the production of eco-friendly bags. This project gives these women and their families an otherwise unavailable opportunity to live a life of "independence, dignity and hope."

Regularly sold at all Accor hotels located in mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau, these trendy bags are designed by renowned stylist Tony Li with all proceeds used for education including scholarship programs.

In its first year of service alone, Accor has committed RMB 200,000 to this cause. 

“The beauty of this program is that it is more than just donating money, it involves multiple sectors and the community working together to create a sustainable, viable social enterprise,” says Robert Murray, senior vice president of Accor Greater China. “We believe in the quote ‘if you give a man a fish, he eats for one day; but teach a man to fish and he shall eat for a lifetime.’ We are working to give this community a skill that makes them self sufficient for the future.”

Intercontinental Hotels Group (IHG) 

Hotel charity: Project Hope

Boasting Shanghai brands Crowne Plaza, Intercontinental and Holiday Inn, IHG Hotels’ country-wide Project Hope partnership, currently involving 130 properties on the Mainland and Hong Kong, gives China’s impoverished rural children a second chance at a solid education.

United since 2007 with the China Youth Development Foundation (incidentally its first international partner), the IHG Love is Hope campaign invites all its guests to donate just RMB 5 to the cause (with many generous lodgers giving significantly more) and raises funds throughout the year via a variety of fund-raising activities and events.

“We, at IHG, believe in corporate responsibilities -- it is one of our core company values,” says Keith Barr, managing director, IHG Greater China. “In our business, we look after people -- and working with Project Hope is one way that we can look after the young generation, and help foster their growth into a bright and productive future.”

As of the first quarter of 2010, over RMB 5 million has been raised with proceeds going towards the building of rural IHG ‘hope schools’, sponsoring vocational education for migrant children and providing scholarships to the university-partnered IHG academy.

Marriott International

Hotel charities: Roots & Shoots, Habitat for Humanity China

The question should be, "Who isn’t Marriott supporting these days?" This hotel brand has an impressive CV of deserving causes it supports. This American-based chain has taken Shanghai and its outer fringes by storm soon to hit its 20th hotel mark in Shanghai by the end of 2010. Local brands include: Marriott, Courtyard, Renaissance, JW Marriott, JW Marriott Executive Apartments and unbeknown to many, their classy cousin the Ritz-Carlton.

Habitat for Humanity China

For its ninth consecutive year, the Marriott hotel family in Shanghai (including Hangzhou, Suzhou and Wuxi) has been teaming and teeing up with generous sponsors over a friendly game of charity golf in support of worthy causes in local communities -- its most recent beneficiary being Habitat for Humanity China, established on the Mainland in 2000. This year's spring golf game raised over RMB 160, 000, and come November 19, supporters will be giving those clubs a rest and swinging their dance partners instead at the Habitat for Humanity Black Tie charity Dinner at Marriott’s newest digs in Changfeng Park. This year alone, Habitat for Humanity China has helped 995 families on the Mainland.

"Our Charity Golf Day seems to be gaining in popularity. Both customers and business partners look forward to being part of this worthwhile cause," says JW Marriott Shanghai Tomorrow Square general manager, Michael Malik. "We plan to get together once again on November 19 to raise funds for Habitat for Humanities China with our Black Tie Dinner. We look forward to breaking all fund raising records previously set."

Environmental crusaders

As part of its global crusade for sustainability, Marriott International has pledged over RMB 3.4 million in seed money over the next two years in support of ‘Nobility of Nature’ a crucial water conservation project based in Sichuan Province, an area still recovering from the 2008 earthquake, and incidentally, the largest known fresh water source on Earth.

On the 'Hai home front, JW Marriott along with its Shanghai Marriott brothers in the near future will offer guests a ‘Green Meeting’ option to make every event a sustainable one. And as good causes and good parties always go best together, JW and partners will be holding a series of ‘green events’ throughout the year including the recently successful (gastronomic society) Chaine des Rotisseur’s gala dinner raising nearly RMB 60,000 for Root & Shoots' Million Tree Project.

More green and goodwill will be returning September 26 with the much anticipated Jane Goodall Gala dinner at JW Marriott’s Tomorrow Square’s Ballroom.

Four Seasons

Hotel charity: Hui Xin Children’s Hospice

Since 2004, hotel staff at Four Seasons have actively supported the local Hui Xin Hospice, helping to provide a safe haven for mentally and physically challenged children. Via annual events and its Wish Upon a Star holiday card campaign, guests can ‘adopt’ a child adding their personal donation of gifts or cash to the hospice/children. All donations are later delivered in person by Four Seasons staff. 

Additionally, the hotel’s annual Chinese New year card is designed by Hui Xin children themselves to help spread the word to the community. The hotel has since adopted over 100 children ranging in ages from infancy to 16 years.

Four Seasons Shanghai general manager Peter Weber explains why the hotel got involved with Hui Xin Children’s Hospice: "As a member of the neighborhood we have the responsibility to help others and extend our support to the disadvantaged."