InterContinental Hotels Group Salutes its Staff in Tsunami-affected Countries

To help its staff affected by the Tsunami incident, InterContinental Hotels Group initiated a global, company-wide fundraising campaign where employees donated money to help fellow colleagues. After just four weeks of setting up the InterContinental Hotels Group Tsunami Aid Employee Fund, more than US$250,000 has been collected. The monies will help affected staff and their families in Thailand and Malaysia rebuild their homes and pay for other essentials.

Commenting on the support provided, Mr A. Patrick Imbardelli, Managing Director, Asia Pacific, InterContinental Hotels Group said, “We want to say a big thank you to employees around the world who have responded quickly and generously to help colleagues and their families in the Tsunami-hit localities. While Holiday Inn Resort Phuket is closed for maintenance, we are guaranteeing full wages for the staff working in affected hotels and our sister hotels have also offered to take them in for placement in training programmes until the hotel reopens in April.”

On site to present the donations to staff in Phuket and Phi Phi Island, Mr Imbardelli took the opportunity to pay tribute to the hotel staff during the crisis. He said, “Our staff have shown incredible courage as well as dedication throughout the tragedy, and many of our guests have also written in to express their appreciation for the help and support they received at the time of the crisis. We would like to express our thanks and admiration to them for setting aside their own difficulties to help others and are deeply moved by their selflessness and dedication. We are indeed honoured to be working alongside them”

The Tsunami Aid Employee Fund is one of the humanitarian initiatives that InterContinental Hotels Group is undertaking in support of tsunami survivors and their families. Additionally, InterContinental Hotels Group pledged to contribute up to US$125,000 in funds to UNICEF to match web donations of its employees, hotel owners and business partners. The initiative supports the Group’s ongoing community efforts towards UNICEF, which has been its official charity globally for the past three years. To further complement international relief and reconstruction efforts, the group launched a week-long global fundraising campaign, “From the Heart”, on Valentine’s Day, February 14 through its hotels. This latest initiative provides an additional channel for hotel guests to contribute to the cause.

The Group’s three other Holiday Inn hotels in Phi Phi Island (Thailand), Penang (Malaysia) and Colombo (Sri Lanka) were unscathed by the tsunami and are fully operational while Holiday Inn Resort Phuket should reopen in April 2005.

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