The American Hotel & Lodging Association (AHLA) and the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance (the Alliance) have partnered to drive advanced ESG efforts within the industry. As part of the agreement, AHLA, AHLA Foundation, and the Alliance will collaborate to support one another's programmes and solutions, including the AHLA Foundation's workforce development programmes and the No Room for Trafficking campaign, in addition to the Alliance's social and environmental sustainability tools and resources.
The announcement of the partnership comes on the heels of a two-day summit hosted by the Alliance that gathered senior hospitality leaders and strategic partners to discuss current sustainability efforts and challenges. During this event, expert speakers shared insights on collaboration, leadership and long-term sustainability strategies for the future that drives momentum towards achieving net-positive hospitality in the industry.
"AHLA and the AHLA Foundation are proud to enter this partnership with the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance, as many of our member brands are already on the leading edge of ESG efforts in the hospitality sector," said Chip Rogers, President and CEO of AHLA. "America's hotels recognise the industry-transforming potential of a sustainability strategy that addresses the environmental impacts of waste, water, energy and sourcing across operations and want to ensure we are reducing our environmental footprint without compromising the needs of our guests. This partnership will also strengthen our career development and human trafficking work, further extending our impact on the communities we serve."
"We are delighted to be partnering with AHLA to promote social and environmental sustainability across the industry," said Glenn Mandziuk, CEO of the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance. "This cooperation will enable us to reach a large portion of the US industry, including small and medium-sized hotels, and give both our organisations the platform to create, test and roll out innovative solutions to enable the industry to have a regenerative impact and give back to their local communities, environments and places."
Alliance members comprise 35 percent of the international hotel industry by rooms and include 21 world-leading hotel companies and partners, many of which are also members of ALHA.
AHLA is the largest hotel association in the United States, representing all industry segments, including over 30,000 members and the ten largest hotel companies nationwide. In addition to significant water usage and energy reductions across the sector, America's hotels have committed to reducing waste and sourcing responsibly via innovative programmes and partnerships with organisations like the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance.
