With more than 4,600 properties and 758,000 rooms, Hilton Worldwide sets a shining example of corporate social responsibility at a high volume in the hospitality industry.
Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is an increasingly important characteristic of corporations all over the world. CSR is the way in which companies recognize their social and environmental impact, and develop initiatives that benefit society. At Hilton, efficiency and sustainability are significant parts of the business model. The company continually works to make improvements and gain knowledge from other corporations with successful CSR reputations.
Simple Upgrades = Big Impact
“Intrapreneurs” are Hilton employees who help find creative solutions to challenges in their communities. Recently, Hilton intrapreneurs teamed up with Whole Foods and swapped energy management teams to achieve a fresh perspective on how to better conserve natural resources. Hilton identified a need for hotel room upgrades such as energy-efficient LED lights, door gasket replacements, and a plan to phase out inefficient room appliances. In the hospitality industry, the second or third largest cost for the average hotel is energy. In making these simple upgrades, Hilton maximizes environmental and financial efficiency.
Partnership with Clean the World is another way Hilton places emphasis on social responsibility. Clean the World has more Hilton affiliates than any other hospitality flag. Through that partnership, a substantial number of Hilton’s 140 million annual guests, take part in our sustainable mission to repurpose the soap and hygiene amenities recycled after each stay. Clean the World has recycled and distributed over 31 million bars of soap with a great amount of support and contribution from Hilton Worldwide its intrapreneurial staff.
The entire guest stay has become more sustainable from the start with the room upgrades, to the end with after-stay amenity collection, diverting waste from landfills. These diverted materials get a second life as new bars of soap for people struggling with hygiene-related illness in developing regions around the globe, and to the homeless and other at-risk groups in North America and Europe.
Travel With Purpose
Travelers are catching onto businesses that maintain sustainable methods in their corporate structure. Travel with Purpose is a Hilton Worldwide campaign designed to assure hotel guests that they are supporting an all-around sustainable brand. Through this campaign, Hilton has set three main goals. The first goal was opportunity, which the company offers by investing in youth opportunities. Hilton has since reached over 400,000 young people through internship programs, career engagement, and life-skills training.
Travel with Purpose also set community and environmental goals. In October of 2015, Hilton employees contributed 213,000 volunteer hours in 4,145 different volunteer project for their Month of Service. Their environmental goals led to reductions in energy by 14.5 percent, carbon output by 20.9 percent, waste output by 27.6 percent, and water use by 14.1 percent partly through the Clean the World program.
In celebration of Global Handwashing Day on Oct. 15, 2015, Hilton Paris Opera became the first Clean the World hotel partner in continental Europe. Discarded soap and bottled amenities from Hilton Paris Opera will be recycled to benefit European citizens who are at risk for hygiene-related illnesses.
Hilton is the first hospitality company to achieve the U.S. Department of Energy’s Superior Energy Performance Certification. Its commitment to CSR makes Hilton Worldwide a recognized leader throughout the hospitality industry.
As Hilton grows in its CSR goals, the rest of the hospitality industry begins to follow. When a prestigious brand such as Hilton sets the bar high, other brands have to make changes to keep up. And that’s how the hospitality industry transforms into a more sustainable industry for travel and leisure.
