US: Marriott International has launched the pilot of HotelHelp, a rooms donation programme for survivors of human trafficking.
Announced at the AHLA Foundation’s third annual No Room for Trafficking (NRFT) Summit, Marriott’s hotels donate rooms to work with care providers who help survivors find short-term emergency stays.
HotelHelp is being piloted in five US cities, including Atlanta, Detroit, Phoenix, Seattle, and Washington DC.
The programme is expected to expand to 25 cities across North America by January 2025 and in the future the company plans to scale the programme to additional locations globally, to other hotel companies, and to serve other vulnerable communities in need of short-term accommodation.
Modelled on HospitalityHelps, an online booking platform established by HotelSwaps in collaboration with PKF International, and the Bench to provide short-term hotel stays for Ukrainian refugees, HotelHelp leverages a proven system to facilitate room donations for people in need.
During the first three months of the war in Ukraine, HospitalityHelps booked more than 100,000 room nights in 630 hotels – including more than 8,700 room nights in 87 hotels within the Marriott portfolio throughout Europe.
HotelSwaps continues to be a key partner in the ongoing development and operation of HotelHelp.
Anthony Capuano, president and CEO of Marriott International said: “Survivors of human trafficking often face a shortage of dedicated shelter beds that put them at greater risk of being re-trafficked after exiting their trafficking situation.
“As part of our longstanding anti-trafficking and survivor empowerment efforts, we are proud to have developed a solution to bridge the gap for safe, short-term accommodations for trafficking survivors and we look forward to working with other hotel companies to extend the reach of this effort.”
On the HotelHelp platform, participating care and service providers can reserve up to five room nights per person and make reservations on behalf of their clients to protect the confidentiality of survivors.
In November we reported about IHG tackling human trafficking in Vietnam.
IHG and children’s foundation tackle human trafficking in Vietnam
Image supplied