David McConnell discusses how hotels can raise local awareness

Taking part in the local community is not only a good strategy for hotels to build awareness, but it provides a way to give back and help others. I recently talked with David McConnell of Stafford Hospitality on how this can be done.

Josiah: Tell us a little bit about yourself and what you do

David: A third-generation hotelier, I have been in the business for thirty years, split evenly between operations and sales and marketing.  My wife and I live in Tampa Bay, and our company, Stafford Hospitality, is based in Tifton Georgia, but I spend most of my time ‘on the road’ in the hotels working with our general managers and sales people in marketing.  We own and operate hotels in six states and also do contract sales and marketing, purchasing, and management for other hotels.  In my ‘off’ time, I serve as a certified Guardian ad Litem (court-appointed special advocate for kids).

What are some of the advantages of hotels taking part in their communities?

First of all, it’s the right thing to do.  We believe in the ‘triple bottom line’, taking into account ecological and social performance in addition to financial performance.  We support healthier communities by using safer cleaning products, which help protect our employees and guests while reducing costs.  We actively practice a policy of ‘reduce, reuse and recycle’.  When we reduce our use of chemicals and electricity, we help the community and improve our bottom line.  While we have a responsibility to produce maximum return for investors, we also want to ‘do the right thing’.  Along the way, we find that the resulting positive publicity and exposure in the marketplace helps improve results.

Practically, how can hotels get involved?

For the past nine years, we have sponsored the BIKE (Building Incentives for Kids’ Education) program, where each hotel gives away bicycles to students with perfect attendance records at elementary schools and high schools each nine weeks and again at the end of the school year. Additionally, an IPOD program (Incentive for Pupil’s Outstanding Dedication) has been started at some schools.  To date, we have awarded over 480 bicycles or iPods.

Each of our hotels also sponsors at least two local youth sports teams, because we believe in the value of learning about working together as a team and having fun.  Often, our employees will request support for their child’s team, and we’re happy to help. We also encourage our employees to volunteer their time to help sports team and other community activities.  It’s a very ‘real’ way of demonstrating our commitment not only to our employees and their families, but to the communities we serve.

Many of our managers devote time to serve on local chambers of commerce, hotel associations, CVBs, and hotel school advisory boards.  It can be incredibly rewarding to serve the community, and it helps to have a voice in decisions on marketing the area.

How do you locate which community programs to get involved with?

Frequently, staff members will request sponsorship of a team their child is involved with, or that they coach.

Is there a selection process you use to determine which opportunities are most beneficial?

We try to go where the need is, where we can have the most impact.

You mentioned many of your managers and employees take part in community events on their own. Is there any formal process you have to encourage this, or is it just part of the company culture?

We strongly encourage it and our top staff, including president Greg Brosius, leads by example.

Can you give us an example of a hotel that has successfully implemented a community involvement program?

Stafford Hospitality opened the Hilton Garden Inn in Tifton, Georgia earlier this year.  In Tifton, Stafford supports Hospice, Ruth’s Cottage Domestic Violence Shelter, Patticake House Children’s Advocacy Center, American Red Cross, American Cancer Society, and Big Brothers Big Sisters.

The hotel also participates in our BIKE program, awarding bicycles at Tift County High School.   They sponsor youth sports teams through the Tift County recreation department and the Tift area YMCA.  They recently hosted a group of culinary students for a tour of their kitchen and banquet facilities. We’re always recruiting new talent, so it’s great to meet the students and establish a professional relationship early.  Supporting these kids is one of the best things we do, and it’s great for business.

That’s great. To close, what next steps would you recommend for the hotel or organization that wants to play a bigger role in their community?

Don’t wait to be asked.  You won’t have to look far for a charity or other organization that could benefit from your help.  Whether or not you are aware of a specific need, contact the organization and ask how you can help.  All service is honorable, and can be rewarding.