IHG Hotels & Resorts encourages Kiwis and Aussies to ‘Stay for Good’ this September to help tackle food insecurity

IHG team up with KiwiHarvest and OzHarvest

0 2 minutes read

IHG Hotels & Resorts is launching its third annual ‘Stay for Good’ campaign in support of New Zealand’s leading food rescue charity KiwiHarvest and its Australia-based sister organisation, OzHarvest, to donate meals to people in need throughout the month of September.

According to new data from OzHarvest, demand for food relief is at an all-time high due to the current cost of living pressures, with families and single parents being hardest hit.

From September 1 to 30, $1 from every stay (new and existing bookings) at participating IHG Hotels & Resorts properties across New Zealand and Australia will be donated to KiwiHarvest and OzHarvest. Every $1 donation provides two meals to people in need, reduces food waste and diverts a kilo of food waste from landfill, helping to lower carbon emissions.

Participating IHG properties include: Crowne Plaza Auckland, Crowne Plaza Christchurch, InterContinental Wellington, Holiday Inn Queenstown, Remarkables ParkHotel, Indigo Sydney Potts Point, Hotel Indigo Melbourne on Flinders, InterContinental Sydney, InterContinental Sorrento Mornington Peninsula, InterContinental Hayman Island Resort, Hotel Indigo Brisbane City Centre, voco Kirkton Park and more across IHG’s portfolio of brands.

In the last two years, IHG’s Stay For Good initiative exceeded its target, donating over 361,000 meals to those facing food insecurity in New Zealand and Australia to date. This year, more people are in need than ever with 75 percent of OzHarvest charities reporting an increase in demand for food and 30 percent of people seeking help for the first time.

OzHarvest data reveals that this spike in demand sees an average of 30,000 people turned away each month, despite feeding 57 percent more people monthly compared to last year. Many parents are even avoiding sending their kids to school because they cannot afford food for their lunch boxes.

Last year, OzHarvest reported that 3.7 million households across Australia went hungry at some point. That’s equivalent to every household in Sydney and Melbourne combined.

“Our guests are looking for ways to give back to the communities they visit and over the last few years we’ve seen that impact come to life through this initiative,” said Matt Tripolone, Managing Director, Australasia & Pacific, IHG Hotels & Resorts. “We’re entering our third year of Stay For Good with OzHarvest and second year with KiwiHarvest, and we’ve set an ambitious target to donate over 250,000 meals in 2024. It’s such an important cause, particularly as food insecurity continues to affect more and more people across Australia and New Zealand.”

Ronni Kahn, Founder & Visionary-in-Residence, OzHarvest said, “Our mission to Nourish our Country is more crucial than ever, and we couldn’t achieve it without the amazing support of partners like IHG Hotels & Resorts. Initiatives like Stay For Good go a long way towards allowing us to help more people in need as demand continues to grow amidst ongoing cost of living pressures, both here in Australia and in New Zealand through our friends at KiwiHarvest.”  

Guests can also Stay For Good this September and give to those in need by booking a stay at any of the 48 participating IHG Hotels & Resorts during the month of September or to donate via the Stay for Good donation pages.

The commitment to supporting OzHarvest and KiwiHarvest forms a part of the IHG Hotels & Resorts’ Journey to Tomorrow responsible business plan that includes an ambitious goal of improving the lives of 30 million people by 2030. IHG works side by side with its guests, employees, and partners to help shape the future of responsible travel as part of the plan.