USA | California hotels have collaboratively contributed more than USD $68 million to charities over the past 12 months, according to data.
The California Hotel & Lodging Association (CHLA), in partnership with Oxford Economics, has released the final statewide and regional data from its Hotel Caring initiative, showing that California hotels donated USD $68 million and volunteered more than 328,000 hours to community causes in 2023.
The data, collected through a statewide hotel survey this summer, captures a range of philanthropic activities supported by California hotels.
"These results showcase the culmination of work hotels do every day to impact the lives of so many people in communities across the state," said Lynn S. Mohrfeld, CHLA President & CEO.
"This data also reaffirms what many in the sector already know – that hotels are the heartbeat of California tourism – service runs through our blood, and we're proud that our efforts reach far and wide."
Hotels in California contributed a total of USD $68 million in the form of cash, in-kind donations, fundraising, scholarships, and food drive donations in 2023. Hotel employees also volunteers over 328,000 hours for various activities ranging from beach clean-ups to blood drives.
Hotels in California helped to generate USD $78.4 billion in hotel guest spending throughout the state in 2022, as well as USD $12.9 billion in job earnings that same year.
Oxford Economics, one of the world's foremost independent global advisory firms, worked with CHLA to provide third-party credentialing of the data. The statewide and regional results were publicly published earlier in the year.
"This initiative represents an exciting new extension of our traditional research," said Aran Ryan, Director of Industry Studies at Tourism Economics,
"It draws out important - but not previously measured - connections between the state's vibrant hospitality sector and local residents."
The California Hotel and Lodging Association is the leading resource and advocate for California's more than 6,000 hotels, motels and boutique inns that employ more than 235,000 workers. CHLA, established in 1893, is the largest state lodging industry association in the nation and is a partner with the American Hotel & Lodging Association.
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