The American Hotel & Lodging Association and the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance have formed a strategic partnership to drive advanced Environmental, Sustainability and Governnment efforts within the hotel and hospitality industry.
As part of the partnership, AHLA, AHLA Foundation and the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance will collaborate to support one another's programs and solutions, including the AHLA Foundation’s workforce development programs and the No Room for Trafficking campaign and the alliance’s social and environmental sustainability tools and resources.
“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,” AHLA President and CEO Chip Rogers said in a statement. “America’s hotels recognize 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.”
The announcement of the partnership follows a two-day summit hosted by the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance that brought together senior hospitality leaders and strategic partners to discuss current sustainability efforts and challenges and develop a long-term sustainability strategy for the future that enables every part of the industry to contribute towards achieving net positive hospitality.
“We are delighted to be partnering with AHLA to promote social and environmental sustainability across the industry,” SHA's CEO Glenn Mandziuk said. “This co-operation will enable us to reach a large portion of the U.S. industry, including small and medium-sized hotels, and give both our organizations 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.”
Sustainable Hospitality Alliance members make up 35 percent of the global hotel industry by rooms and include 21 hotel companies and strategic partners, many of which are also AHLA members. AHLA is the largest hotel association in the U.S., representing all segments of the industry including 30,000+ members and the 10 largest hotel companies nationwide. In addition to major reductions in water usage and energy across the sector, America’s hotels have made significant commitments to reduce waste and source responsibly through programs and partnerships with organizations like the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance.