CSR and Sustainability

🍴 Chestnut will participate in the StreetSmart campaign across its 25 pubs and Big House Hotels in East England during November and December. £1 will be added to each restaurant bill, benefiting vulnerable regional residents. StreetSmart, since 1998, has raised over £13 million for UK homelessness. Chestnut's historic pubs, founded by Philip Turner, are revitalized community hubs. Key locations include North Norfolk, Suffolk, and Cambridgeshire.

📈 Organized by Macao University of Tourism and UN Tourism, the 17th UTM-UN Tourism Training Programme was held in Macao from October 21-24. Sponsored by MGM, it focused on leveraging meetings and events for local development, drawing industry leaders from Asia-Pacific. The program has trained nearly 400 participants from 36 countries over 10 years. Speakers included representatives from China, Singapore, and international tourism bodies, emphasizing MICE's role in economic growth and sustainability.

🌱 Six Senses Ibiza collected 48 vegetable and 10 flower/herb seeds in 2023. By 2024, 70% of their farm products originated from their seed bank, achieving an 80% sprouting success rate. The pilot program, involving Six Senses hotels worldwide, runs until early 2026. It aims to engage guests in seed-related activities while preventing invasive species spread by restricting seed takeaways. Activities include organic gardening workshops and seed swaps, promoting biodiversity and climate action.

📈 UKHospitality supports the Keep Britain Working review, led by Sir Charlie Mayfield, to address economic inactivity due to ill-health. Hospitality acts as a sector vanguard, coordinating workplace health reform. Chair Kate Nicholls emphasizes the need for measures in the forthcoming Budget to alleviate the tax burden on businesses, proposing lower business rates, national insurance changes, and a VAT cut to support job re-entry and high street businesses.

🏨 Mit Shah, CEO of Noble Investment Group, will receive the 2026 Arne Sorenson Social Impact Leadership Award at the Night of a Thousand Stars Gala on January 25, 2026, in Washington, D.C., and at the Americas Lodging Investment Summit from January 26-28, 2026, in Los Angeles. The award honors leaders advancing societal change in lodging. Shah’s initiatives include the Bharat Shah Leadership Speaker Series and the Shah Family Foundation, which support education and medical research.

🏨 Chris Russell, CEO of Spire Hospitality, aims to make travel accessible for families with autism. Having a daughter with autism, Russell collaborates with Autism Double-Checked for hotel certification and employee training. As of now, four properties have been certified, including Cincinnati Marriott and Hotel Fera. Spire plans to certify all hotels by early 2026. The initiative includes empathy training and mock interviews for neurodiverse individuals, enhancing both guest experience and employee inclusion.

📈 New research by Hilton in the UK shows 66% of learning-disabled employees weren't asked about their needs; 57% feel unsupported. Surveying over 2,000 people, 56% desire more job training, and 38% advocate for mentorships. Hilton's partnerships with Aurora Foxes and WorkFit provide 89 work experiences over 10 years. 82% of the public support better job access, yet only 5% of 1.5 million learning-disabled individuals are employed. Additionally, 69% report positive service experiences, and 86% believe in workplace success for learning-disabled individuals.

🚶 Walk for Wellbeing has raised over £500,000 for Hospitality Action since its inception in 2020. This year's event in October saw a record 1,400 participants from the hospitality industry, raising £165,000. The initiative, with 12 host cities including new additions Cornwall, Edinburgh, Newcastle, and York, involved 20km walks. "Walk It Your Way" allowed flexible participation from October 10-26. Funds aid mental health support and prevent homelessness, with Hospitality Action distributing over £5 million in grants since 2020.

📰 Corby of Windsor, a British heritage brand with nearly a century in business, supplies hotel products to over 60 countries, utilizing distribution centers in the UK, Czech Republic, USA, and China. They offer garment care, welcome trays, minibars, and more. Corby supports hoteliers with product guidance and warranty services. Committed to sustainability, they pursue eco-friendly practices and work towards a Net Zero plan, offering reliable, environmentally responsible delivery worldwide.

🏆 Whitbread, the group behind Premier Inn, won three awards at the Inclusion In awards on 14 October, organized by Women in Hospitality, Travel and Leisure (WiHTL) and Diversity in Retail. The awards recognized Whitbread's diversity and inclusion efforts in the HTL sector. Awards were for Social Mobility Initiative with Barnardo’s, the Thrive Programme, and Tracey Bishop as Inclusion Hero. Whitbread's Force for Good strategy emphasizes equal opportunities and diversity.