JQH Properties Awarded Hilton Worldwide Travel with Purpose® Action Grants

Five John Q. Hammons Hotels Recognized for Strengthening Quality of Life in Local Communities

Five of John Q. Hammons Hotels & Resorts' (JQH) Embassy Suites Hotels have been awarded Hilton Worldwide Travel with Purpose® Action Grants for strengthening quality of life in local communities. One JQH recipient is Embassy Suites Greenville Golf Resort & Conference Center in South Carolina, which received a $3,000 grant to create and support a sustainable garden with the Virginia College Culinard resulting in fresh produce for the Harvest Hope Food Bank in Greenville. The program also educates the hotel team on sustainable practices and improving community relations, including offering them volunteer opportunities with the garden and food bank during work hours. (Photo: Business Wire)

SPRINGFIELD, Mo.--()--John Q. Hammons Hotels & Resorts (JQH) today announced that five of the company’s Embassy Suites Hotels have been awarded Hilton Worldwide Travel with Purpose® Action Grants. The awarded projects show tremendous potential for enhancing communities, driving team engagement, and increasing collaboration with local organizations. John Q. Hammons Hotels & Resorts is the largest private, independent owner and manager of hotels in the United States.

The Travel with Purpose Action Grant program, launched in 2013, is part of Hilton Worldwide’s global effort to support the development of local solutions and to strengthen the quality of life in the communities Hilton Worldwide hotels and corporate offices serve. More than $150,000 was awarded this year to 62 Hilton Worldwide properties and community organizations around the world as part of the program.

JQH recipients of this year’s Travel with Purpose Action Grants include:

  • Embassy Suites Greenville Golf Resort & Conference Center in South Carolina
    • $3,000 grant to create and support a sustainable garden with the Virginia College Culinard resulting in fresh produce for the Harvest Hope Food Bank, which feeds the hungry of Greenville. The program educates the hotel team on sustainable practices and improving community relations, including offering them volunteer opportunities with the garden and food bank during work hours.
  • Embassy Suites Charlotte – Concord/Golf Resort & Spa in North Carolina
    • $1,000 grant to expand partner program with local Cabarrus County STEM accredited schools in which a paper airplane contest is held in the hotel’s open-air atrium in conjunction with the anniversary of the Wright Brothers’ first flight, December 17, 1903. The hotel-spearheaded program promotes the practical applications of engineering and technology, as well as the dynamics of flight design.
  • Embassy Suites Greensboro – Airport in North Carolina
    • $1,000 grant to be used to wrap a new box truck for the Out of the Garden Project in Greensboro, where hotel associates and managers have volunteered 200 hours and counting. The Out of the Garden Project delivers 900 bags of food each weekend to 50 schools and their families, and distributes another 50,000 pounds of food annually through partners.
  • Embassy Suites Portland – Airport in Oregon
    • $1,000 grant for the Northeast Emergency Food Program (NEFP) to purchase provisions to help meet the urgent food needs of the north and northeast Portland area. For the past two years, hotel staff has volunteered at the NEFP stocking shelves and assisting food pantry guests. The hotel is planning a “taste of the world” NEFP fundraiser this fall with music, eating and mingling in conjunction with the Cully Association of Neighbors.
  • Embassy Suites Nashville South/Cool Springs in Tennessee
    • $1,000 grant for GraceWorks Ministries to acquire supplies for its Fuel Bag program, which supplements snacks and meals on the weekends for area children with a lack of food security. The hotel has also successfully conducted on-property food drives to procure Fuel Bag necessities.

“Caring for the communities in which we work and live is the JQH way of life, as we are inspired by Mr. and Mrs. Hammons’ continued legacy of community partnership,” said Jacquie Dowdy, JQH CEO. “We appreciate Hilton Worldwide’s support in delivering on this shared commitment of social responsibility.”

All Travel with Purpose Action Grants support projects that are aligned with Hilton Worldwide’s four corporate responsibility focus areas:

  • Creating Opportunities: includes programs focusing on youth development, career mentoring and workforce development in hospitality training with a focus on disadvantaged populations; promotion of diversity in our workforce, owners, and suppliers;
  • Strengthening Communities: includes projects that support sustainable economic growth by increasing opportunities for emerging local businesses to succeed in the global value chain; disaster preparation and resiliency; critical services including housing and hunger/food insecurity; prevention of child trafficking and support services for survivors;
  • Celebrating Cultures: includes education programs that foster cultural heritage, preservation and restoration of historic or cultural monuments; projects that bridge diverse cultures and foster inclusiveness and diplomacy; support for local sourcing and goods;
  • Living Sustainably: includes projects that assist in the protection, conservation and restoration of natural resources and habitats; projects that educate and inform the public about sustainability; support for sustainable sourcing and purchasing.

About Hilton Worldwide

Hilton Worldwide (NYSE: HLT) is a leading global hospitality company, spanning the lodging sector from luxury and full-service hotels and resorts to extended-stay suites and focused-service hotels. For 94 years, Hilton Worldwide has been dedicated to continuing its tradition of providing exceptional guest experiences. The company’s portfolio of ten world-class global brands is comprised of more than 4,000 managed, franchised, owned and leased hotels and timeshare properties, with more than 678,000 rooms in 91 countries and territories, including Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, Hilton Hotels & Resorts, DoubleTree by Hilton, Embassy Suites Hotels, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton Hotels, Homewood Suites by Hilton, Home2 Suites by Hilton and Hilton Grand Vacations. The company also manages an award-winning customer loyalty program, Hilton HHonors®.

About Travel with Purpose®

Travel with Purpose® is Hilton Worldwide's corporate responsibility commitment to providing shared value to its business and communities in four areas – creating opportunities for individuals to reach their full potential; strengthening communities where Hilton Worldwide operates; celebrating cultures and the power of travel; and living sustainably through the measurement, analysis and improvement of the company's use of natural resources.

About John Q. Hammons Hotels & Resorts

Springfield, Mo.-based John Q. Hammons Hotels & Resorts (JQH) is the largest private, independent owner and manager of hotels in the United States, representing brands such as: Marriott, Hilton, Embassy Suites Hotels, Sheraton, IHG, Chateau on the Lake Resort / Spa & Convention Center, and Plaza Hotels Collection. With a portfolio of 78 hotels representing nearly 19,000 guest rooms/suites in 24 states, JQH’s properties are dominant in their markets. Founded on the extraordinary vision of John Q. Hammons and built on his continued legacy of excellence spanning more than 50 years, JQH has become one of the most recognized and award-winning companies in the hospitality industry. Built to be the best, John Q. Hammons Hotels & Resorts continues to set the standard in hospitality management and hotel development. For more information about John Q. Hammons Hotels & Resorts, visit the company’s website at www.jqhhotels.com or www.facebook.com/jqhhotelsresorts.

Editor’s Note: Photos of JQH’s properties are available on request.

Contacts

John Q. Hammons Hotels & Resorts
Phill Burgess, 417-873-3591
phill.burgess@jqh.com
or
Publicis Hawkeye for John Q. Hammons Hotels & Resorts
Sheri D. Smith, 469-366-2493
sheri.smith@publicis-usa.com

Release Summary

Five JQH hotels in four states are recipients of Hilton Worldwide Travel with Purpose® Action Grants for strengthening quality of life in local communities.

Contacts

John Q. Hammons Hotels & Resorts
Phill Burgess, 417-873-3591
phill.burgess@jqh.com
or
Publicis Hawkeye for John Q. Hammons Hotels & Resorts
Sheri D. Smith, 469-366-2493
sheri.smith@publicis-usa.com