Like its corporate parent, the Hilton San Francisco Union Square is all in when it comes to giving back.
During a visit to the property, which was playing host to Hilton Worldwide’s 2,400-strong Leadership Conference March 13-17, Meetings Today got to sit in with some key players at both the corporate and property level who lead CSR efforts, as well as pop in to see the conference attendees actively engaged in a teambuilding activity preparing hygiene kits for local charity Larkin Street Youth, followed by serving lunch to seniors at Episcopal Community Services.
Highlights of Hilton San Francisco Union Square’s recent efforts, led by industry veteran Jo Licata, community projects manager for the property, include the following:
The donation of $250,000 worth of food and beverage equipment by the hotel to local nonprofit partners, including St. Anthony’s; Episcopal Sanctuary C.H.E.F.S Program, University of San Francisco; Walden House HealthRight 360; Glide Memorial Church; Delancey Street; The Senior Center of San Francisco; and SafeHouse for Women.
The hotel is also in the process of donating 80 rooms of furniture to veterans and their families in support of Hilton’s Operation: Opportunity program, which was established to hire and support U.S. Veterans and their families. Hilton made a commitment in August 2013 to hire 10,000 veterans and military spouses by 2018, which it accomplished ahead of schedule last year.
On the corporate level, a big factor in Hilton choosing San Francisco as the site of its Leadership Conference was due to the city’s sustainability efforts, which jibe with the company’s long-standing focus on green initiatives.
“San Francisco is a city of innovation and sustainability, and that was one of the leading factors in Hilton choosing San Francisco,” Licata said. “It speaks to Hilton’s core values, and we subscribe to that as well. That’s how we operate our business, and that’s how we envision our place here in the community.”
The Hilton San Francisco Union Square is one of six Hilton properties that have a Superior Energy Performance certification from the U.S. Department of Energy.
Hilton Worldwide offers a sustainability program that is focused on achieving measurable results.
“Hilton really started in the sustainability space in 2007, and we had our first widespread program for sustainability in 2008, said Maxime Verstraete, vice president, Sustainability & ADA Compliance for Hilton Worldwide, describing the chain’s LightStay sustainability program. “The goal was a 20 percent reduction in energy use, 25 percent in our carbon footprint, 25 percent in waste and a 10 percent reduction in water use. Our focus was on measurement—you can’t manage what you can’t measure.”
Verstraete said that all of Hilton’s hotels are required to have and measure reduction goals, with a system that alerts properties on their successes and challenges. Its Meet With Purpose program inspires planners to create healthier, more sustainable events with an eye on keeping costs low.
