Carlson Rezidor Hotel Group, one of the world’s largest and most dynamic hotel groups, today shared the results of the company’s 9th Annual Responsible business action month. During the month of September, Carlson Rezidor hotels across the Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Americas and Asia Pacific were invited to take action in their hotels and communities by organizing social and environmental activities and raising funds to support World Childhood Foundation, an organization under the patronage of Queen Silvia of Sweden focused on aiding children at risk for abuse and exploitation.

“Our annual Responsible Business Action Month is a call to action for our 35,000+ employees in the 70 countries in which we are present to place a special emphasis on doing sustainable business, giving back, and making a positive difference on a global, national and local level”, said Kurt Ritter, President & CEO of the Rezidor Hotel Group, Carlson’s strategic partner in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA).

In EMEA, more than 260 Carlson Rezidor hotels celebrated their most successful Responsible Business Month ever - donating more than 130,000 EUR cash and an estimated 310,000 EUR in kind to charity organizations supporting World Childhood Foundation as well as local community projects. Highlights included “The Box Appeal” in the Middle East where Radisson Blu- and Park Inn by Radisson hotels in 4 countries distributed 13,000 boxes filled with necessities to people in need; and a cooperation of 13 hotels in the Baltics that cooperated with airBaltic’s frequent flyer programme to collect more than 4,800 items for local orphanages. Also individual hotels very successfully participated in Responsible Business Action Month: The Radisson Blu Port Elizabeth in South Africa for example held a charity weekend with more than 1,500 participants in various activities, and raised 6,000 EUR to help finance bringing drinking water to the 8,000 inhabitants of the Missionvale community.

In the Americas, members of Club Carlson, the global loyalty programme for Carlson Rezidor, donated 4,041,012 points to World Childhood Foundation in conjunction with the campaign. The Carlson Family Foundation then matched the value of these donations.

In the Asia Pacific region, 65 communities in 8 countries benefitted from the efforts of over 4,000 employees and 730 members of local communities taking part in various activities, raising 50,000 US$ for World Childhood Foundation, planting 5,700 trees and saplings, and donating more than 1,000 units of blood.