Hospitality industry launches united platform to provide opportunities for refugees

A new platform, Hospitality Unite, has launched to support refugees and their families by providing access to hospitality job opportunities, backed by the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance.

Initially running as a pilot for Ukrainian refugees looking for hospitality work throughout Europe, the platform provides a centralised space for hotel brands to post job opportunities, and a simple online system for refugees to apply and interview for roles while in transit or looking to leave Ukraine.

The website, which is available in both Ukrainian and English, is already posting jobs from leading brands including Radisson Hotels Group, Accor and IHG Hotels & Resorts. The site will be shared with refugees via disaster relief agencies, and Ukrainian and other local media.

The ambition is that this platform can be rolled out globally, both in response to a disaster and as an ongoing support mechanism for the almost 90 million people who are currently forcibly displaced worldwide.[1]

Free to use by hotels and refugee job seekers, the platform is powered by Harri, experts in hospitality workforce management. Any hotel seeking to support refugees with employment opportunities can apply to participate in the initiative. At the start, this will apply to hotel properties in countries that have granted the right to work for Ukrainian refugees. Hotels and other support agencies are also encouraged to register their interest for expanding the reach of the platform.

“This platform demonstrates the role that the hospitality industry can and continues to play supporting people within local communities around the world. Through our members and our partnership with Harri, we were able to create a hub which gives refugees a centralised portal to access opportunities in real-time. Our aim is that this resource is applicable not just to this present crisis, but the ongoing situations that refugees and internally displaced people continue to experience across the globe,” said Glenn Mandziuk, CEO, Sustainable Hospitality Alliance

“Hospitality Unite already has a commitment from several leading global hotel brands that formed part of the steering group to help with the Ukrainian disaster and make this incredible initiative a reality. Their European hotels are actively seeking additional staff and they recognise that displaced Ukrainian nationals are motivated and skilled recruits in need of opportunity,” said Pete Willis, Commercial Director at Harri

In addition to bringing together the hotel industry, the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance is working with the International Rescue Committee (IRC) to make employment opportunities available to refugees, along with the Tent Partnership for Refugees (Tent) – a network of major companies committed to economically integrating refugees in their new communities.

Live for Ukrainian refugees, the Hospitality Unite platform can be accessed here: https://ukraine-refugee-relief.ourstory.harri.com/. Hotels and support agencies interested in getting involved can find further information and register their interest here: https://sustainablehospitalityalliance.org/hospitality-unite.

Support from industry partners

• “The heart of hospitality is people. In the midst of turmoil, people come together as local, national and global communities. This is what we in the hospitality industry do every day, we open our doors and hearts to take care of people. Hospitality is therefore the perfect home for those in crisis, a place where they can find work, connections and community. The hospitality sector is open to all, both those with and without experience, who care and who want to be part of something special. Accor is proud to be part of Hospitality Unite and commits to working with all those that we hire to help rebuild and grow their community and ours with them.” Anne-Sophie Béraud, SVP Diversity & Inclusion Accor:
• “At IHG Hotels & Resorts, it is in our culture to bring to life our purpose of True Hospitality for Good by giving back to the communities that our thousands of hotels are part of. We are proud to see this same commitment to make a difference to the world around us is shared by the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance and our peers, and this new platform is an incredibly meaningful way to do just that.” Karin Sheppard, SVP & MD Europe at IHG Hotels & Resorts:
• “We are proud co-initiators of Hospitality Unite, a hospitality job-search page for refugees, developed in partnership with the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance. In Radisson Hotel Group and across the industry, hospitality is home to great talent with rich and diverse backgrounds that see in hotels an opportunity to accelerate their careers in an environment full of opportunities. Radisson Hotel Group is an inclusive and diverse company committed to helping refugees and those in need to find employment, a fundamental pillar in times of need. This dedicated job-search page, powered by the Harri recruitment platform, is a significant, great new step for the industry.” Daniel Afonso, Senior Vice President, Global Talent, Rewards & HR Technology at Radisson Hotel Group

[1] UNHCR, 2021, available from: https://www.unhcr.org/uk/figures-at-a-glance.html

About Harri

Harri is the global leader in Frontline Employee Experience. The Harri platform is built for companies that have service at the heart of their business and believe that the customer experience will never exceed the employee experience. The Harri suite of talent attraction, workforce management, employee engagement and compliance technologies enable organizations to intelligently attract, manage, engage and retain the best talent to run and improve their business. Harri serves over 20,000 restaurant and hotel locations and four million hospitality employees globally with emerging growth in retail and healthcare. www.harri.com

About the Sustainable Hospitality Alliance

The Sustainable Hospitality Alliance brings together engaged hospitality companies and the wider hospitality value chain, along with strategic partners, to address key challenges affecting the planet, people and places around the world.

Through their strategic initiatives and global networks, they develop practical programmes and resources to create a prosperous and responsible hospitality sector that gives back to the destination more than it takes.

Their members represent over 50,000 hotels spanning 270 brands – totalling over 7 million rooms – and include world-leading companies including Accor, Choice Hotels International, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, IHG Hotels & Resorts, Marriott International, and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts, as well as regional brands. Their network also includes other parts of the hospitality value chain, including owners, investors, suppliers, and other partners to further drive joined up action on sustainability, and accelerate the industry on the path to Net Positive Hospitality.