Today, Hilton (NYSE:HLT) kicked off the sixth annual Global Week of Service where more than 355,000* Team Members around the world will have the opportunity to participate in local projects that make a lasting, positive impact in the communities where they live, work and travel.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171016005371/en/

(Photo: Business Wire)

“We are a business of people serving people, and our teams around the world are deeply committed to this philosophy,” said Christopher J. Nassetta, president and CEO of Hilton. “That commitment doesn’t just apply to guests who walk through the doors of our hotels – it’s also about serving in our thousands of communities around the world. That is what true Hilton hospitality is all about.”

Since 2012, Hilton Team Members have completed nearly 15,000 projects worldwide, and contributed more than 804,620 hours of community service. Last year during this time, Team Members across 93 countries completed 4,166 community projects, resulting in 291,620 volunteer hours.

For Global Week of Service, individual hotels, brands and offices around the world have the freedom to identify the biggest needs in their communities and to work with local partners to create volunteer projects. Projects range from creative ways to eliminate food waste, to disaster relief projects, to mentoring young people – all showcasing how a career in hospitality can change lives.

Examples of key projects include:

• “Clean the World” Kits – With the support of Clean the World, Hilton’s soap recycling partner, and Guest Supply, Team Members across 20 Homewood Suites, Home2 and Embassy Suites worked in shifts to pack nearly 7,000 amenity kits. Corporate office Team Members will also work in shifts to assemble more than 2,000 amenity kits. The kits will be donated to local charities to directly fight hygiene-related diseases, which affect 2.5 billion people globally. Year-to-date, we have collected more than 215,000 lbs of soap that have been reprocessed into more than 725,000 recycled soap bars and distributed across 118 countries. Learn more about our global soap recycling efforts.
• Capes for Kids – The Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton Inn & Suites, and Tru brands are partnering with Enchanted Makeovers to donate approximately 30,000 capes from all of their participating hotels around the world. Using pillowcases and bed sheets, hotel Team Members will create and decorate capes for children and donate them to homeless shelters and hospitals. Enchanted Makeovers is a non-profit organization that creates programs for women and children in shelters that educate, empower and promote creativity, mindfulness and self-expression.
• Soup Kitchen – Conrad Centennial Singapore is partnering with Willing Hearts Soup Kitchen to help prepare, cook and deliver food packets for those in need around Singapore over the course of three days. This is the second year that the hotel has worked to support the Soup Kitchen.
• Houston Restoration – Team Members from Hilton Hotels & Resorts, DoubleTree by Hilton and Curio Collection by Hilton Hotels will restore the MECA Cultural Center that sustained severe damage caused by Hurricane Harvey.
• Food Poverty – The DoubleTree by Hilton and Hilton Hotels & Resorts in Scotland will work to tackle local food poverty and obesity issues by partnering with the local food bank and shelter to conduct a food donation rally, work with food bank volunteers to provide nutrition advice to its members, and work with local youth to educate them on better nutrition.

Global Week of Service is part of Travel with Purpose, Hilton’s corporate responsibility strategy, which launched in 2011 and focuses on creating opportunities, strengthening communities and preserving the environment. This year, Hilton also reached $1 million in local impact with its Travel with Purpose Action Grant program. The program rewards hotel teams that work with community organizations on projects that align with Travel with Purpose.

*Note: Team Members include employees at Hilton corporate offices and its owned and managed properties, and employees of franchisees who work on-property at independently owned and operated franchise properties in the Hilton portfolio.

About Hilton

Hilton (NYSE:HLT) is a leading global hospitality company, with a portfolio of 14 world-class brands comprising more than 5,000 properties with more than 825,000 rooms in 103 countries and territories. Hilton is dedicated to fulfilling its mission to be the world’s most hospitable company by delivering exceptional experiences – every hotel, every guest, every time. The company's portfolio includes Hilton Hotels & Resorts, Waldorf Astoria Hotels & Resorts, Conrad Hotels & Resorts, Canopy by Hilton, Curio Collection by Hilton™, DoubleTree by Hilton, Tapestry Collection by Hilton™, Embassy Suites by Hilton, Hilton Garden Inn, Hampton by Hilton, Tru by Hilton, Homewood Suites by Hilton, Home2 Suites by Hilton and Hilton Grand Vacations. The company also manages an award-winning customer loyalty program, Hilton Honors. Hilton Honors members who book directly through preferred Hilton channels have access to instant benefits, including a flexible payment slider that allows members to choose exactly how many Points to combine with money, an exclusive member discount that can’t be found anywhere else and free standard Wi-Fi. Visit newsroom.hilton.com for more information and connect with Hilton on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram and YouTube.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20171016005371/en/