Hyatt Hotels Corporation has followed up the success last year of its Hyatt Loves Local initiative by launching more than 160 collaborations with properties in the Americas, Asia-Pacific, Europe, Middle East, Africa and Southwest Asia regions. It is a continued effort to help revitalize and advance care to communities and small businesses recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the company.
“Hyatt Loves Local is a very important and special initiative for Hyatt on a global scale,” said Amy Weinberg, SVP, loyalty, brand marketing and insights, Hyatt. “For 60 years, Hyatt has been caring for the communities in which we operate, and Hyatt Loves Local is an extension of our ongoing commitment to them. Local businesses make up the heart and soul of a destination; they help Hyatt hotels thrive. Our hotels are providing rent-free space, complimentary resources and exposure for struggling local businesses, organizations and nonprofits to support in the recovery of the destinations that allow our hotels to stand.”
From a guest perspective, she pointed out, the initiative is also at the foundation of Hyatt’s core values: to deliver distinctive experiences to our guests in a world of understanding and care, adding, “While supporting our communities, we are simultaneously offering our guests experiences that celebrate the future and recovery of travel after many industries struggled through the pandemic.”
Nearly half of the participating hotels are teaming up with more than 65 minority-owned and female-owned businesses to align with Hyatt’s Change Starts Here commitment to accelerate the brand’s long-standing diversity, equity and inclusion efforts. Some of these businesses were formed during the pandemic.
“For example, Hyatt House Dallas Richardson collaborated with BIPOC-[black, indigenous and other people of color] and female-owned business, Lucy Lu Doggy Treats, ultimately aiding owner LaShonda Walpool, who launched the business as a pandemic pivot after she was laid off from her corporate job,” noted Weinberg.
The Hyatt executive pointed out that this year’s collaborations evolved to not only help revitalize communities in the next phase of pandemic recovery, but also adjust to the new travel landscape.
“As travel returns, connection to place and culture is key to enriching experiences and something members, guests and customers have come to expect from our leisure, luxury and lifestyle hotels,” Weinberg said. “The new Hyatt Loves Local collaborations provide custom offerings and reimagined guest experiences inspired by emerging traveler trends—like embracing more holistic well-being, supporting the struggling arts & entertainment communities, volunteering opportunities and pet-friendly experiences. We even have a few more properties looking to join in the weeks since the 2021 iteration initiative launched.”
Some of the collaborations will live on beyond the coming years, such as the Hyatt Regency Calgary’s rooftop garden to provide fresh produce for the Calgary Community Fridge in the Canadian city on an ongoing basis. “Come harvest time each season, a special group of World of Hyatt members and local community members will participate in safely gathering the produce to be donated,” said Weinberg.
Other collaborations include Thompson Nashville teaming up with IV therapy business Invigorate Health to offer guests a well-being-focused “Boost Your Stay…in a Wellness Way” package, with all proceeds for in-room, on-demand IV immune boosts going directly back to local business; Hyatt Place Madison/Downtown in Wisconsin using its lobby to sell craft kits from Revel Madison, a female-owned DIY arts and crafts business that had to close its craft bar during the pandemic due to county restrictions; and Park Hyatt Zanzibar off the coast of Africa joining forces with female-owned businesses, including the sewing cooperative Sasik Pillows and traditional African art artisan Zivansh to host a monthly flea market and dinner to feature their products.