Corporate Social Responsibility: Ritz Carlton's Community Footprints Mariam Nihal Saudi Gazette
Corporate social responsibility is no longer a metaphor for capitalist ambitions. Most hotels recognize the need for establishing such factors that reflect upon the brand and its team. Saudi Gazette spoke to Lothar Quarz, General Manager, The Ritz-Carlton, Dubai International Financial Centre about the growing phenomenon, especially among well traveled guests and the significance it has on the business. He said most guests are seasoned travelers, and are seeking memorable experiences when they travel beyond the luxuries of a five star hotel especially in Dubai as there is so much choice available in the luxury hotel market. The latest CSR initiative for The Ritz-Carlton, Dubai International Financial Centre was a ‘Give Back Getaway' activity for guests and residents of Executive Residences, who took part in a conservation initiative to help preserve the national tree of the UAE, the Ghaf tree. The volunteers were taking part in the ‘Give a Ghaf' campaign, run by local conservation body Goumbook, to help highlight the tree's cultural and ecological significance, with the ultimate aim of protecting the wild Ghaf trees. The team traveled to Al Barari Farms, Dubai, where they received a tour of the nursery and compost room with the horticulturist, along with a step-by-step guide to the conservation process, before helping to plant over 100 Ghaf tree seeds. The seedlings will remain in the pots for two years in the safety of the nursery, protected from high temperatures, humidity and wind exposure, and once strong enough will be donated to the local community's parks, hospitals, schools and highway and road plantations, helping to create a sustainable community within Dubai and the UAE. Taking part in the Give Back Getaway or ‘Volunteaming' programs therefore allow guests to participate in an enriching experience, providing personal fulfillment, whilst benefitting the local community. “At The Ritz-Carlton, we have built a legacy of extraordinary service, and this tradition inspires us to impact the lives of others via our global corporate social responsibility programme, ‘Community Footprints'. Every contribution we make is an opportunity to leave an imprint on our communities and it is through this collection of imprints that we can make a meaningful difference,” Quarz said. The three key pillars of Community Footprints are child well-being, hunger and poverty relief, environmental responsibility, and as well as activity on a brand level, each hotel around the world executes a comprehensive programme of activities to support the three key pillars. There are two ways guests can participate in The Ritz-Carlton's Community Footprints activities: Give Back Getaways® Give Back Getaways provide our guests with the opportunity to join our ladies and gentlemen in a unique half-day volunteering activity that contributes something meaningful to our communities. At The Ritz-Carlton, Dubai International Financial Center we have recently conducted a programme where we invited to guests to join us in helping to conserve the Ghaf tree, the national tree of the UAE (more details below).. Volunteaming® Volunteaming is an activity for groups who stay with us or host a meeting or event at the hotel, who have the opportunity to take part in a CSR initiative, customized for them, to benefit the local community. Previously, we have taken a group to help paint and renovate SENSES Care Home in Dubai, one of our long terms Community Footprints partners, and another group joined our chefs to decorate some cakes and cookies, which they then delivered to the children of SENSES, also spending time and playing with the children. On a brand level, in December 2014 The Ritz-Carlton Hotel Company became the first founding partner of IMPACT 2030: The Global Initiative for the Advancement of Corporate Volunteering, introduced at the United Nations. Hotels around the world took part in International Volunteer Day on 5th December, which saw the combined efforts of our hotels reach out to 100 communities in 28 countries and territories throughout the world on this day. In 2014 The Ritz-Carlton, Dubai International Financial Centre executed a comprehensive Community Footprints programme around the three core pillars of hunger relief, child poverty and environment. In addition to Giveback Getaway and Volunteaming activities, other key initiatives included: * ‘Succeed Through Service' with Cambridge International School In 2014 we continued our partnership with Cambridge International School, a local school in the Bur Dubai area of Dubai. In April we organized for 50+ pupils aged 9-12 years, to spend two days at the hotel, taking part in a series of workshops, designed to improve their general life skills. Sessions included career exploration, food hygiene and healthy eating, team work and environmental awareness. * ‘Recycle More, Feed More' We created an initiative called Recycle More, Feed More' that sees the hotel now receive funds for recyclable materials such as cans, paper, copper wires, plastic, glass and used cooking oil. The funds are donated to the World Food Program to feed hungry children living in some of the countries from which the ladies and gentlemen from our hotel are from, including Syria and many of the African countries. * Earth Hour In March 2014 The Ritz-Carlton, Dubai International Financial Centre and all Ritz-Carlton hotels around the globe took part in Earth Hour. In-house guests were informed in advance and encouraged to participate and all lights in the public areas as well as our staff housing were turned off for one hour. To further engage our hotel guests and residents, we created a unique event called ‘Yoga by Candle light', held around our rooftop pool. Quarz said Community Footprints is absoloutley essential to The Ritz-Carlton's credo and philosophy. “We are proud to build our social and environmental responsibility philosophy into the way we do business. Our commitment to “expand global citizenship” is highlighted through our culture, commitment to our employees, ethical business practices, and support for our communities. In 2015, we of course will continue to focus on the three core pillars of the Community Footprints programme, and further nurture the relationships we have built with our key partners. As we begin a new year, new ladies and gentlemen from the hotel will also take the opportunity to join the team, to ensure we are providing as many employees as possible with the chance to take part in the programme and join us in making a positive contribution to our local community.”
