IHG House Frontline COVID-19 Teams Nationwide with #FirstRespondersFirst & Feed Local Communities

IHG Hotels and Resorts joins #FirstResponderFirst as a nationwide hospitality partner to provide free accommodation at hotels across the United States for frontline COVID-19 first responders. This national partnership sees donation of rooms worth 50 million IHG Rewards Club points and dedicated VIP reservation service. IHG’s close to 4,000 hotels across the country allows first responders to rest and recharge near the medical facilities they work at.

Earlier this month, Hilton Hotels & Resorts and American Express announced that they would jointly donate up to 1 million rooms to frontline medical professionals.

First Responder range from physicians and nurses to home-care workers, social workers provide critical care during COVID-19 global emergency. They put the needs of others above themselves and often their families.

#FirstResponderFirst helps provide essential protective equipment, accommodations, child care, food, mental health support and other resources.

“As communities around the world respond to COVID-19, we’re honoured and privileged to play our part and help those who are taking care of our loved ones and neighbours. #FirstRespondersFirst is unique because it addresses the broad needs of this critical group of people and being part of a bigger solution is how we think about the support we provide communities. We look forward to welcoming these critical frontline teams and delivering the True Hospitality they deserve when they need it most.”

Keith Barr, Chief Executive Officer, IHG

Throughout the response to COVID-19, IHG has been working closely with governments and organisations across the globe to welcome frontline heroes and those in need of guest rooms during this time.

All IHG-branded hotels are required to adhere to comprehensive health and safety procedures, including all local laws. In addition, hotels have been provided with additional COVID-19 cleanliness specific guidance, training and information from the World Health Organization (WHO), Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and relevant authorities. 

IHG Feeds Local Communities

IHG has also joined global partnerships to support food banks and other food provision charities in assisting those most in need during the COVID-19 crisis. True Hospitality for Good is IHG’s programme with funding and support for local communities where they are most vulnerable.

Helping to protect and enhance food bank infrastructure and services in over 70 countries, IHG’s partners include ‘No Kid Hungry’ in the US, ‘Trussell Trust’ in the UK, the ‘Global Foodbanking Network’ (GFN) and the ‘European Food Banks Federation’ (FEBA). Together, this support will ensure that food banks and food distribution sites have access to the funds, training and resources they need, as more and more people rely on their help during the current crisis. This vital work will add to the hospitality shown by many of our colleagues who are volunteering to support food banks in the hearts of their own communities.

IHG is supporting its long-standing True Hospitality for Good charitable partners, including the British Red Cross through its Disaster Relief Alliance membership, CARE International to provide personal, protective equipment (PPE) in developing markets, and a donation to the China Red Cross. In Atlanta, Georgia, US – home to IHG’s Americas headquarters – IHG has supported the Salvation Army to distribute hygiene kits to frontline workers and the homeless.

IHG Rewards Club loyalty members are able to donate loyalty points, converted into cash, to our True Hospitality for Good community partners, such as the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC). In just a few weeks, IFRC has received 4 million points from IHG’s loyalty members.

With hundreds of thousands of colleagues, IHG’s hotel teams have been supporting causes close to their hearts that bring our promise of True Hospitality to the world. These include donating vital supplies and food at a local level.

While InterContinental Berlin, Germany, donated food to a local charity supporting low-income citizens, Holiday Inn Scranton-East – Dunmore, Pennsylvania, US, prepared hundreds of spaghetti and meatball drive-thru dinners for locals in need.

Our hotels in Atlanta, Georgia, US, Crowne Plaza Atlanta Perimeter; Crowne Plaza Atlanta Airport; and InterContinental Buckhead, have supported the Atlanta Community Food Bank to feed hundreds of families in partnership with the Georgia Hotel and Lodging Association. 

In Thailand, Holiday Inn Resort Penang delivered food to key workers stationed at local clinics, while InterContinental Koh Samui Resort donated 100 meals a day to workers assisting to check the health conditions of ferry passengers.