Anantara Hotels and Resorts is rolling out its CSR programme at all of its properties worldwide, including the brand’s recently launched hotels in Europe.
Designed as an opt-in programme for guests, the Dollar for Deeds initiative encourages travellers to give back to the community by donating to a range of worthy causes. Guests can choose to donate one dollar per night of their stay, and Minor Hotels will match their contribution dollar for dollar and donate to CSR partners internationally.
Dollar for Deeds was first introduced nearly a decade ago at select hotels in Thailand and has been integrated into the growth strategies of the brand globally.
In Thailand, funds raised are dispersed equally between three chosen and vetted causes: The Princess Sirindhorn Craniofacial Centre at Chulalongkorn Hospital in Bangkok, which provides comprehensive care for children with craniofacial abnormalities; The Mai Khao Marine Turtle Foundation that looks after all turtles that nest in Phuket including the critically endangered giant leatherback; and The Golden Triangle Asian Elephant Foundation where rescued street elephants enjoy a peaceful life in Northern Thailand and wild elephants and their habitat are protected.
Other projects around the world include holistic coral reef protection in the Maldives; vulture nest monitoring, raptor protection and humpback whale monitoring in Oman; gibbon, peacock and otter releases in Cambodia; providing care and vocational training for disabled children in Vietnam and Indonesia; supporting local farmers and local fishing communities in Africa and reforestation projects in China and Malaysia.
John Roberts, group director of sustainability & conservation for Minor Hotels, Anantara’s parent company, said: “By making Dollar for Deeds accessible globally, we can support more worthy causes around the world while encouraging individual sustainability journeys and changing the definition of purposeful travel in our neighbouring communities and ecosystems.”
