The AHLA Foundation has announced that its third annual No Room for Trafficking Summit will take place on July 30, 2024, coinciding with the United Nations’ World Day Against Trafficking in Persons. The summit serves as a platform to address the critical issue of human trafficking and its impact on the hospitality industry.
During last year’s NRFT Summit, the foundation highlighted the inaugural grantees of the NRFT Survivor Fund. These grantees included Safe House Project, Businesses Ending Slavery and Trafficking (BEST), Restore NYC, Inc., and the University of Maryland’s SAFE Center for Human Trafficking Survivors. The summit presented data demonstrating the positive impact of the $500,000 distributed among these organizations.
AHLA Foundation President, Anna Blue, emphasized the significance of the NRFT Survivor Fund: “In 2022, we launched the NRFT Survivor Fund – a first for the hotel industry – to expand the hotel and lodging industry’s efforts to support trafficking survivors. Since launching the Survivor Fund, we have grown our total raised to $7.5 million towards our goal of $10 million, and we look forward to awarding $1 million in grants to community-based organizations that support human trafficking survivors at our third annual Summit.”
The AHLA Foundation’s anti-trafficking initiatives are guided by the NRFT Advisory Council, composed of 12 influential leaders from the hospitality industry. The council is co-chaired by Joan Bottarini, Chief Financial Officer at Hyatt, and Farah Bhayani, General Counsel & Chief Compliance Officer at G6 Hospitality, the parent company of Motel 6 and Studio 6 brands.
Numerous companies contribute to the NRFT Advisory Council and Survivor Fund, including Aimbridge, Choice Hotels, Extended Stay America, G6 Hospitality, Hilton Global Foundation, Hyatt Hotels Foundation, IHG Hotels & Resorts, The J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation, Marriott International, Real Hospitality Group, Red Roof, Sonesta, Summit Foundation, Vision Hospitality Group, and Wyndham Hotels & Resorts.
