As part of the Rezidor Hotel Group’s Responsible Business programme which assists hotels to manage issues such as environmental performance, human rights, health and safety, business ethics and community outreach, September is ‘Responsible Business Action Month’ (RBAM). During this campaign, which has taken place the past five years, the hotels organise a wide variety of events along these themes to raise awareness as well as funds for charity. This year more than 140 Radisson SAS, Park Inn and Regent hotels in 31 countries participated.
On September 1st, Rezidor announced the World Childhood Foundation as its new international charity organisation. Therefore this year, the hotels were asked to find original and imaginative ways to raise funds for ‘Childhood’ during September in addition to their regular community outreach and environmental awareness activities. The hotels certainly rose to the challenge and all money raised during RBAM will be matched by Rezidor’s corporate office. The target is to raise 40,000 Euro during 2007.
All hotels displayed the corporate communication material that they had received for the event including Childhood flower seeds, posters, postcards, key wallets and tent cards with the message “Let’s Take Responsibility” with many hotels creating Responsible Business information stands with local and organic fruit or wine for guests.
• In the Benelux region, the hotels sold their obsolete IT equipment and hotel furniture for charity. They also organised concerts, took part in mini-marathons and soccer match screenings. One hotel’s “Print or not to Print” campaign was a great success in educating staff about reducing paper consumption.
• Hotels in Central and Eastern Europe held non-smoking days. They also donated old uniforms and unneeded hotel supplies to local charities. Furthermore they organised training sessions on life skills and etiquette for orphans.
• Danish employees participated in a local race and were sponsored €13.50 per kilometre completed by their hotels. They also manned a stand at an Ecology event in Copenhagen and again took part in a car-free-day. Their colleagues in Iceland held a clothes and toy drive for local charities.
• The Radisson SAS properties in Finland donated wood seedlings to a local help organization, held recycling training for employees and an energy-saving week for guests. They also came up with the novel idea of a tasting of the new children’s menu with local kindergartens.
• Many hotels in France organised guest donation schemes at check out as well as asking guests for a small sum in return for the Childhood flower seeds. Another clever idea was the donation of all revenue from the children’s PayTV system during September to Childhood. They also undertook clean-up activities around their properties and sponsored local charities with free guest rooms.
• In Germany and Switzerland, the hotels were keen to inform the guests about the good work of Childhood through presentations on lobby screens, the wearing of the Responsible Business “Charity in Progress” t-shirts and children’s parties. They also organised bring-and-buy sales to promote the idea of recycling and raised plenty of money in the process.
• Hotels in the Middle East created a Ramadam greeting card to raise funds for charity. Like the hotels in Turkey, they also organised many events for local children’s care homes and orphanages as well as blood donations. They planted trees with guest children and cleaned beaches and other areas around their hotels.
• All the hotels in Norway organised for the third consecutive year a regional ‘Children helping Children’ event where local children aim to raise money for the benefit of their disadvantaged peers in the developing world. Some staff also made and sold waffles to colleagues and passers-by to raise money for Childhood.
• Hotels in Russia and the Baltic States held events for their business partners and corporate clients to inform them about Childhood and raise funds. They took children from local orphanages on tours of their cities, to waterparks and even helped build a municipal playground. They were also keen to improve their recycling efforts so many hotels held paper and bottle collections. They then sold this “waste” material and donated the revenue to Childhood.
• Swedish hotels organised staff parties and raffles and auctions at corporate client events to raise money for Childhood. They also took part in car-free-day and many properties purchased even more bikes for staff use.
• Sponsored events were very popular in the UK and Ireland. Lots of money was raised through sponsored walks, bicycle races, swimming challenges, rowing races triathlons, not to mention skydiving and leg waxing! The hotels also took the opportunity to teach local children and youth about the importance of the environment through art and photo competitions.
