The post Planting Trees on Jubail Island appeared first on Heart of the House.
]]>Marriott International recently joined forces with Etihad Airways to plant 12,000 mangrove trees on Jubail Island in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), as part of a broader effort to establish the Etihad Marriott Mangrove Forest.
The forest will be spread over 55 square miles of the UAE’s coastline and help create a healthier habitat for local plants and animals. Throughout the first few months of 2023, associates from Marriott and Etihad will plant the trees, while also having the ability to adopt a tree to monitor its growth, through an app.
Sandeep Walia, Chief Operating Officer, Middle East, Marriott International, said: “The first self-contained educational, nature and leisure destination of its kind, Jubail Mangrove Park is a tribute to the natural ecosystem of Abu Dhabi and Jubail Island. As part of our sustainability commitment, we are excited to collaborate with Etihad Airways to contribute towards the UAE’s conservation projects and develop natural resources.”
These efforts align directly with Marriott’s commitment to Nurture Our World, a pillar of the company’s sustainability and social impact platform, Serve 360.
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]]>Marriott International’s hotels in the Jordan Business Council came together to celebrate a months-long effort of raising money for the Al Aman Fund for the Future of Orphans. With more than $75,000 USD collected since September of 2022, the group had much to celebrate during their recent ceremony at the Sheraton Amman Al Nabil Hotel.
The JBC undertook three main initiatives in the Fall of 2022 to help raise the money needed for the charity. The “Day for Life” donation campaign launched in September and saw associates donate 1,786 vacation days. “The Feast of Six” took place in October, with six Marriott chefs from various hotels in Amman collaborating to create an evening of fine dining. And “The Football Tournament” saw each participating hotel field a team to play in a tournament, with each hotel donating a participation fee to the cause.
Erden Kendigelen, the Council’s Co-Chairman and General Manager of the Dead Sea Marriott Resort & Spa said, “We are honored to join our forces with all Marriott International hotels in Jordan in support of such a life-changing cause, we are eager to continue our partnership with the Al Aman Fund in supporting the Future of Orphans for their education, personal growth and future employment in our hotels.”
Philip Papadopoulos, Multi Property General Manager of Marriott Hotels in Jordan, commented, “Serving our communities is one of our core values and we are proud to empower our associates to make a meaningful impact in the community. It’s been amazing to see the results of our signature fundraising campaign, ‘A Day for Life’ which was initiated in 2017 and we have collected over $400,000 in four years to support various charities in Jordan.”
The Jordan Business Council comprises eight hotels throughout the country: The Ritz-Carlton, Amman; The St Regis Amman; W Amman; Al Manara, a Luxury Collection Hotel, Saraya Aqaba; Amman Marriott Hotel; Dead Sea Marriott Resort & Spa; Petra Marriott Hotel; and the Sheraton Amman Al Nabil Hotel.
These efforts exemplify Marriott International’s commitment to Nurture Our World, an integral part of Serve 360, the company’s sustainability and social impact platform.
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Did You Know? Marriott International’s Worldwide Business Councils are collections of General Managers and associates from across all brands and business functions in specific markets or regions, globally. Associates come together to work on common challenges that they can collectively address for a stronger impact—whether that is supporting the community throughout the year or after a disaster, hosting a customer or associate event, lobbying on issues that affect the hotel business, saving costs and generating revenue, or engaging associates in causes that are important to them.
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]]>Guests at the Delta Hotels by Marriott Beausejour in Moncton, New Brunswick, Canada, recently spent the holiday season with a life-sized, freestanding gingerbread house in their lobby, thanks to the hotel’s retired executive chef, Stefan Mueller.
Taking two people about two weeks to complete, the gingerbread house served as a beautiful centerpiece for the hotel. Inspired by the 2023 International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF) World Junior Hockey championships (which also took place in Moncton), the gingerbread house featured a rink, players, goals, and flags from each of the countries that competed in the tournament.
“It took us a total of about 250 hours from making the dough to rolling, cutting, baking and assembling, and making the little men, painting, putting all the goodies together,” said Mueller. The gingerbread house was a pre-pandemic tradition for the hotel and featured famous characters, such as the Grinch from the Dr. Suess book “How the Grinch Stole Christmas,” and members from the comic strip series, Peanuts, in years past. After a two-year hiatus, guests and community members were thrilled to experience the house again.
“We wanted to create a ‘Wow’ moment. Something that would bring the community together,” said Ray Roberge, the hotel’s general manager.
While photos were free, the hotel supported Marriott's Serve 360, the company's sustainability and social impact platform, by encouraging donations for local charity organizations, including a local health center and food bank.
“When you see all the little children come by the display, 10 to 15 of them at a time as a class, and they look at it and just smile, it’s a really heartwarming feeling,” said Mueller. “The smile you put on a child’s face, it’s worth the time.”
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]]>Marriott International believes in making the communities where it does business better places to live, work, and visit. Recently, the company’s Infrastructure & Delivery Shared Services (I&DSS) team, which is part of the Global Technology organization, partnered with Toys for Tots and Maryland-based Bethesda Cares to donate toys and winter essentials to the local community. As part of their volunteer efforts, the team was able to contribute over $1,000 USD worth of toys to Toys for Tots. In addition, they assembled and donated to Bethesda Cares 100 bags filled with essential, personal-care items, including blankets, hand warmers, socks, hats, and toiletries.
Their efforts align directly with Marriott International’s commitment to Nurture Our World, an integral part of the company’s sustainability and social impact platform, Serve 360. In addition, the hours volunteered by this team help the effort to reach an enterprise-wide goal of contributing 15 million hours of volunteer service to support Marriott’s priorities and community engagement strategy.
Toys for Tots helps spread joy throughout the holiday season to families within the U.S. by collecting new, unwrapped toys and distributing them to less fortunate children in local communities. Presently, the program distributes an average of 18 million toys to 7 million children annually.
Bethesda Cares is a local, non-profit organization that has been working for 34 years to ease, end, and prevent homelessness in Montgomery County, Maryland (U.S). The organization performs street outreach, serves meals, and provides clothing, food, and supplies to those who need it most.
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]]>Participating properties include Protea Hotel Cape Town Tyger Valley; Protea Hotel Victoria Junction Waterfront; Protea Hotel Cape Town Waterfront Breakwater Lodge; Protea Hotel Cape Town Mowbray; Protea Hotel Cape Town Sea Point; Protea Hotel Cape Town North Wharf; Protea Hotel Fire & Ice! Cape Town; Protea Hotel Knysna Quays; Johannesburg Marriott Hotel Melrose Arch; Protea Hotel Johannesburg Wanderers; Protea Hotel Johannesburg Balalaika Sandton; Protea Hotel O.R. Tambo Airport; Protea Hotel Midrand; Protea Hotel Roodepoort; Protea Hotel Bloemfontein; Protea Hotel Bloemfontein Willow Lake; Protea Hotel Clarens; Protea Hotel Karridene Beach; Protea Hotel Polokwane Landmark; and Protea Hotel Nelspruit.
The hotels’ efforts are an example of Marriott International’s commitment to Nurture Our World, an integral part of Serve 360, the company’s sustainability and social impact platform.
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These bags of organic manure were delivered to local farmers of the Anugondanahalli village, which is located approximately 50 km (more than 30 miles) from the property. In recognition of the associates’ contribution, the farmers celebrated the collaboration with a lesson on how to use organic manure, water conservation and harvesting crops, followed by a luncheon and a tour of their farms.
With a good head on their shoulders and a heart to help, the dexterous engineering team effectively turned themselves into entrepreneurs, or rather, “entre-manures.”
The Ritz-Carlton, Bangalore’s efforts are an example of Marriott International’s commitment to Nurture Our World and Sustain Responsible Operations, integral parts of Serve 360, the company’s sustainability and social impact platform.
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The hotel raised funds that went toward toys for children receiving care in the cancer ward at the Sheikh Khalifa Medical Center, as well as an Otoscope used by Operation Smile UAE on their patients with cleft palates.
The Services for Educational Development, Research and Awareness (SEDRA) Foundation for Inclusion was gifted a laptop, granting young adults access to the hotel’s online trainings and introducing them to the career path of hospitality. These virtual sessions cover everything from table setting and folding laundry to effective communications and other essential life skills.
The St. Regis Abu Dhabi’s efforts are an example of Marriott International’s commitment to Nurture Our World and Empower Through Opportunity, an integral part of Serve 360, the company’s sustainability and social impact platform.
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The “Miles of Smiles” campaign saw Marriott associates from 12 hotels and resorts across Phuket, Phang Nga, and Krabi come together to decorate cookies with smiley faces, spreading kindness and happiness in the southern Thai provinces. Thousands of cookies were shared with guests, residents, and fellow associates for their continued support throughout the pandemic as they look forward to a brighter future with the return of international tourists.
Properties that took part in the initiative include Phulay Bay, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve; Renaissance Phuket Resort & Spa; JW Marriott Phuket Resort & Spa; The Westin Siray Bay Resort & Spa, Phuket; Le Méridien Phuket Beach Resort; Phuket Marriott Resort & Spa, Merlin Beach; Phuket Marriott Resort and Spa, Nai Yang Beach; The Naka Island, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa, Phuket; Four Points by Sheraton Phuket Patong Beach Resort; Courtyard Phuket Town; JW Marriott Khao Lak Resort & Spa and Le Méridien Khao Lak Resort & Spa.
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]]>Select hotels across Bengaluru, Delhi, Goa, Kolkata, Mumbai, and Pune repurposed the Marriott Bonvoy on Wheels food delivery program for customers in South Asia to send meals to frontline workers in the six cities. Over 15,000 ready-to-eat vegetarian meals, including fresh curries, rotis, and desserts were delivered – by the program food trucks – to more than 20 COVID-19 centers for those working and quarantining in isolation.
Meals were prepared by The Ritz-Carlton, Bangalore; JW Marriott Hotel New Delhi Aerocity; Goa Marriott Resort & Spa; The Westin Goa; JW Marriott Hotel Kolkata; The St. Regis Mumbai; The Westin Mumbai Garden City and The Westin Pune Koregaon Park. Their gesture, while simple, was one intended to spread cheer in the busy lives of overworked healthcare heroes – more than that, it made a real big impact.
Their efforts are an example of Marriott International’s commitment to Nurture Our World, an integral part of Serve 360, the company’s sustainability and social impact platform.
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]]>United by a shared purpose, over 40 associates, including general managers and chefs across 11 properties in Phuket and Phang Nga teamed up for the third Rescue Kitchen to feed the hungry. The event served over 13,700 warm and nutritious meals to community members in Patong and Ko Kaew.
One prong of the initiative was sustenance. The other was sustainability. To reduce food waste, the meals were prepared with surplus ingredients from the hotels, which were combined with fresh local ingredients. To minimize single-use plastic, community members were encouraged to bring their own reusable containers.
Participating properties included the Renaissance Phuket Resort & Spa; JW Marriott Phuket Resort & Spa; The Westin Siray Bay Resort & Spa, Phuket; Le Méridien Phuket Beach Resort; Phuket Marriott Resort & Spa, Merlin Beach; Phuket Marriott Resort and Spa, Nai Yang Beach; The Naka Island, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa, Phuket; Four Points by Sheraton Phuket Patong Beach Resort; Courtyard Phuket Town; JW Marriott Khao Lak Resort & Spa and Le Méridien Khao Lak Beach Resort & Spa.
Their efforts are an example of Marriott International’s commitment to Nurture Our World and Sustain Responsible Operations, an integral part of Serve 360, the company’s sustainability and social impact platform.
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]]>While 2020 may have battered the travel industry, the hospitality spirit was never broken. The Marriott Business Council in the Philippines is a case in point. Before the island country of Southeast Asia, and the rest of the world, was disrupted by the COVID-19 outbreak, the archipelago was hit with the Taal Volcano eruption. The Business Council immediately organized a donation drive, which collected 200 hygiene kits and 200 back-to-school bags for affected families.
Then, the pandemic hit. While healthcare workers were tirelessly tending to others, volunteers from properties within the Marriott Bonvoy portfolio across the Philippines ensured these frontline medical professionals also received care and attention. They prepared boxed meals and provided toiletries, bedding, and other essential supplies to six hospitals.
Over the course of 2020, the Business Council continued to contribute to local communities in the Philippines. Its annual charity event, Run to Give, raised nearly $10,000 (₱400,000) for underprivileged children. Another fundraiser went toward helping 110 families with food packages, plus the Council's generous efforts also extended to the Philippine School for the Deaf, where desktop computers were donated to the students. In addition, groups came together for a reef and coastal cleanup.
This is an example of Marriott International’s commitment to Nurture Our World, an integral part of Serve 360, the company’s sustainability and social impact platform. Beyond that, it’s the perfect reminder that we all rise by lifting others.
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