EARTHVIEW’S STRATEGY
Our social Sustainable Development Goals focus on our local and global impact. The EarthView team works to implement programs that support and uplift the overall health and well-being of our associates, guests, and communities.
OVERVIEW OF SOCIAL IMPACT
OUR IMPACT
One of our core values is “Hearts that Serve.” EarthView works to extend this value to apply not only to guests and associates but also to our local and global communities and the environment.
OUR LOCAL IMPACT
Our hotels are deeply rooted in the communities in which they operate. Stronger, more vibrant host communities contribute to the success of our hotels, which enhances our ability to contribute to the success of our communities. We support our local communities through the lenses of economic development, revitalization, and philanthropy.
PHILANTHROPY
We support our associates by encouraging them to serve their communities and support the projects, organizations actively, and causes they care about. Each property participates in or hosts at least three philanthropic events annually, allowing our hotels to give back to their communities.
Local Philanthropy Highlights:
The Boxer Hotel Supports Community Work Services
In 2022, The Boxer Hotel team held multiple donation drives, contributing clothes, shoes, books, mugs, and cups to the St. Francis House women’s shelter. Additionally, the Boxer Hotel gave back while diverting waste by donating discarded linens and towels to a local animal shelter.
Hersha’s Annual
United Way Campaign
At Hersha, giving back is a part of our culture. Every year, we run a United Way campaign through which employees can contribute pre-tax dollars to organizations of their choice. Many employees contribute to our philanthropic partners, including the Trust for Public Land, the Greater Philadelphia Coalition Against Hunger, and the Chris Long Foundation’s Waterboys organization. In 2022, over 80% of Hersha employees elected to donate a portion of their earnings.
OUR GLOBAL IMPACT
We provide guests with access to clean water and hygienic accommodations. We leverage our access to clean water and hygiene products at our hotels to contribute to sustainability, health, and well-being locally and globally.
Global Philanthropy Highlights:
Providing Access to Clean Water
- Why? One in ten people globally lacks access to safe drinking water. Access to clean, safe, sufficient, and affordable drinking water is a fundamental human right.
- How? In 2015, we developed EarthView Water to combat this problem. EarthView Water is a privately labeled refillable water bottle made from recycled materials available for purchase at our properties. For each bottle purchased, Hersha donates $1 to help bring clean drinking water to those in need.
- Update: Through EarthView Water, Hersha funded two wells in Tanzania with Waterboys.org in the last two years. These wells now bring life-sustaining water to 14,200 additional people who previously lacked local access to clean drinking water.
- About Waterboys.org: Waterboys is an initiative founded by Chris Long that brings clean, accessible drinking water to rural communities in East Africa. Local crews in East Africa are hired to drill deep borehole wells for communities where drinking water is unsafe or requires community members to walk miles each day to retrieve.
We are on track to meet our new target to expand access to clean water for 40,000 individuals by 2025.
Providing Improved Sanitation
- Why? Hotels dispose of a staggering amount of single-use soaps every day. At the same time, two of the top five leading causes of death, particularly among children, could be prevented by improved hygiene.
- How? We partner with Clean the World to give our soaps a second life. Our hotel associates collect and send partially used soaps to Clean the World. Clean the World sanitizes these items, repackages them, and then distributes new bars of soap to communities in need.
- Update: Since 2011, our hotel donations have created and distributed over 590,000 new bars of soap. When we first partnered with Clean the World, we were the largest hotel company to do so. Now, we are excited to see many of our peers join us in decreasing operational waste and providing greater access to soaps for those in need.
SUPPORTING OUR ASSOCIATES
As one of our core values states, “People Are Our Capability.” Our associates are the drive and soul behind Hersha’s continued success. We strive to facilitate a diverse, inclusive environment, provide development opportunities, and prioritize health and well-being to help our team thrive.
OUR WORK ENVIRONMENT
We provide an inclusive, safe, and open work environment and have a staunch commitment to our Code of Conduct. Additionally, we provide numerous benefits allowing our associates to lead fulfilling lives outside Hersha.
Hersha’s work-life balance practices include a flexible work environment and paid time off. To support this, we upgraded to a video conferencing system that allows off-site associates to connect with conference rooms via audio and video.
For more information on Hersha’s human rights and labor policies, benefits, and other policies, please see our Code of Conduct.
DIVERSITY AT HERSHA
We are taking action to advance diversity and inclusion within our workspaces by establishing programs, trainings, and plans that address the needs of our diverse team and support an inclusive environment. In the spirit of sharing and learning from each other, Neil Shah signed the CEO Action for Diversity & Inclusion Pledge in his first quarter as CEO. We continue to explore ways to promote and celebrate diversity within our organization, including employee resource groups and a diversity committee.
GENDER
DIVERSITY
50%
of women at Hersha hold roles of Director and above
33%
of our workforce identify as women
GENDER DIVERSITY
ETHNIC
DIVERSITY
30%
of our workforce identifies as a member of a minority group
ETHNIC DIVERSITY
AGE
DIVERSITY
22%
of our workforce is under age 30
56%
is between 30 and 50
AGE DIVERSITY
GETTING TO KNOW THE TEAM:
Mark Mahfouz,
Director of Engineering, Ambrose Hotel, Santa Monica
As an engineer and facility management expert, Mark has been working to improve building efficiency…
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EMBRACING
HEALTH & WELL-BEING
We promote the health and wellness of our associates and guests in order to create a great place to work, as well as design a comfortable destination to stay.
For our associates, we aim to support their physical and mental health, as well as overall well-being. Our efforts have been recognized, with our New York City office being named a “Best Place to Work” by Crain’s New York.
For our guests, we aim to help them maintain their daily wellness routines while traveling. Our hotels provide opportunities for guests to recharge and refresh.
GETTING TO KNOW THE TEAM:
Ana Torres,
Housekeeping Manager, Hilton Garden Inn JFK
Ana has been an exceptional addition to the Hersha team as Housekeeping Manager at the Hilton Garden Inn JFK…
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Rest Assured™
In 2020, we developed and launched Rest Assured™ – a proprietary health and safety program focused on the well-being of guests and associates through science-based, advanced cleaning practices complemented by innovative service offerings and technologies. Highlights of the program include:
- Employee training modules on science-based health and cleanliness practices
- Implementation of signage and safety measures throughout the hotels
- Contactless forms of check-in, payment, and F&B service
- Utilization of HEPA filtration along with EPA-approved disinfectants for advanced cleaning
